I do not approve of your choice to end the shutdown.

I see the shutdown as a fight to constrain the lawless regime of Donald Trump. It is not merely a battle over healthcare subsidies, missed paychecks, and SNAP benefits. Those issues are surrogates for a much larger fight: Exercising some control in Congress over Trump by wielding the power of the filibuster. Healthcare was the vehicle. Congress’s authority under Article I was the point. Republicans were asking Democrats to fund the ongoing operation of a government in which Trump ignores congressional spending mandates and raises his own funds through illegal taxes (tariffs). He is using the military to kill non-combatant civilians in international waters. He is using the National Guard to illegally occupy our cities. He is using a private army of masked ICE agents to gang-tackle law-abiding citizens and residents alike while firing pepper spray pellets at peaceful protesters. He has converted the DOJ into his private law firm to persecute his political enemies and faithful servants of the law who were doing their duty. When the shutdown began, you and other democrats chose healthcare subsidies as a line in the sand, and vowed to fight to the bitter end over that issue. Trump responded by taking hostages. He illegally fired federal workers during the shutdown and threatened not to pay back pay to furloughed workers in violation of federal law. He ordered the Senate and the House not to pass the FDA appropriations bill so that SNAP beneficiaries would be denied food aid. Your recent letter to constituents claims you were rescuing these hostages being illegally held by Trump. But here’s the problem: consider what was learned from all of this. Trump learned that taking hostages works, even when it violates federal law; that some Democrats can be forced to fold simply by refusing to negotiate; and that he can continue to illegally withhold funds and raise illegal taxes without fear of restraint from Congress. Congressional Republicans learned that refusing to negotiate with Democrats is a wildly successful strategy. And finally, grassroots activists like myself learned that our hard work in defending democracy is taken for granted by our elected representatives. The clear result of your capitulation is that Trump will be emboldened. The agreement to re-open the government was not “cost-free.” Yes, federal workers and SNAP beneficiaries will receive what they were already due under the law. But other victims will continue to suffer: The citizens and residents being harassed by ICE; the researchers whose projects have been illegally defunded by unlawful impoundment of funds; the loyal federal agents and attorneys who are being fired every day because they worked on cases involving Trump; the federal employees and military members who are being forced out of their jobs because of the racist assumption that they were “DEI” hires not qualified for their positions. The deal to reopen the government was not merely upside for federal employees and SNAP recipients. It inflicted grievous damage on our republic by teaching Trump that he can beat the Democratic establishment in Congress by taking hostages and refusing to negotiate.