Rhetoric & Lies Have Risks. Congress Must Respond!

We are writing to highlight a dangerous pattern of dehumanizing and hateful rhetoric used by top officials, language meant to divide Americans, undermine public trust, and encourage violence. In the past two weeks alone: – On June 24, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt insulted an unnamed intelligence officer as an “anonymous, low‑level loser in the intelligence community”. – On June 9, President Trump labeled peaceful protesters in Los Angeles “insurrectionists” and threatened to “liberate” cities from a “migrant invasion”. – Frequently throughout 2025 he’s referred to Democrats, journalists, trans Americans, and others as “scum,” “vermin,” “radical-left lunatics,” and the “enemy from within”. These are not slips of the tongue. They are deliberate attacks. Words like “loser,” “scum,” and “invasion” strip away our humanity and feed hatred. When public officials normalize violent language, it signals to extremists that violence is acceptable. We demand immediate action: – All elected leaders must publicly condemn this rhetoric and the officials spreading it. – Congress should hold hearings into the weaponization of federal offices and the incitement facilitated by official language. – Bipartisan legislation should be adopted to hold government officials accountable for hate speech or rhetoric that endangers communities. Words have power. These words are fueling fear, encouraging violence, and tearing at the fabric of our democracy. We cannot let hate become official U.S. policy.