Republicans have become the party who says government doesn’t work, then get elected and prove it. I am urging all of our elected Democrat officials—local, county, state, and federal—to not extend the American Relief Act on March 14 and temporarily defund the government. Democrats, it’s time to stop cowering in the corner saying, “Please don’t hurt us!” Get some backbone and put a pause on this renegade administration being run by an unelected billionaire who is chain-sawing his way through our government, abusing and terrorizing Americans in the process.
Some may think that temporarily shutting down the government is harsh but so is trying to go about our daily lives wondering what this self-serving man-child will cut next and who will be unemployed tomorrow. That’s not to say that excessive government spending and inefficient program management doesn’t exist. We all know that it does. But it takes more than 30 days and much more than one man with zero actual governing experience to figure out how to fix the issues. So let’s take a breath and think about what is happening.
Because funding measures require 60 Senate votes for passage rather than a simple majority, this vote on March 14 to extend government funding will be one of the few opportunities Democrats will have to push back on behalf of all Americans being negatively impacted by this administration’s rush to tear down our government. We currently have a few Congress people actively pushing back on this administration, speaking out on behalf of immigrants and transgender people. However, right now there is no one speaking out or pushing back on behalf of the rest of us. Instead, we have Hakeem Jeffries who said he’s going to “pick his battles” and wait for “the perfect pitch” before he “swings” against this administration, waiting for the important issues. Everything this administration is tearing down is important. How disappointing. What exactly are Democrats waiting for?
I and most Democrats are quickly losing patience with the lack of courage and the lack of ability to act against this regime of terror. I am urging Democrats to use this opportunity on March 14 to force Republicans to the table to work together with Democrats to sanely solve the issues we all face. And this starts with all of us getting involved and urging our local elected officials to speak up and let Congress know what we want. When everything around us is lacking integrity, we have to find it within ourselves and change the world right from where we’re standing.
Margie Slivinski
Arroyo Grande
This article appears in Mar 6-16, 2025.