Clear Signs of the USA's Descent into Dictatorship
When university presidents, corporate C.E.O.s, public media, mayors, governors and other prominent organizations and citizens quietly and passively change their behavior in order to avoid being targeted and hurt by the Trumpian government, that means we have crossed the line and are moving toward tyranny in the USA.
Just a sampling of Trump's actions that will have transforming and tyrannical consequences:
1. Initiated mass deportations;
2. appointed a confederacy of largely unqualified dunces to his cabinet;
3. abandoned NATO and European allies;
4. ended US aid programs to the world's most suffering people;
5. pardoned those convicted of January 6 violent crimes;
6. abandoned Ukraine, leaving it to Putin's destruction;
7. fired watchdog inspectors general from federal agencies;
8. massive firings of federal workers and crush federal agencies' DEi programs;
9. fired prosecutors who worked on investigating and prosecuting him;
10. began tariff wars with largest trading partners;
11. withdrew from World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Accord;
12. cut off federal funds to states and local governments that do not obey his orders;
13. destroyed the 80 year old international order;
14. Republican congress threatened to impeach federal judges who oppose his executive orders;
15. working to perpetuate tax breaks for the wealthy;
16. threatened to invade Greenland and Panama;
17. barred the 180 year old Associated Press from space in White House and Pentagon;
18. threatensd media outlets that don't report the way Trump wants;
19. crushed federal DEi programs & threatened private sector to follow suit;
20. showed the world that the USA is curling up into a fetal position and ending its support for freedom of expression and personal liberty both at home and abroad.
Massive peaceful protests and acts of peaceful civil disobedience are justified responses to the Trumpian government's attempts to change the US government into a dictatorship. So, by what active means can resistance be undertaken so that the number and effectiveness of protests grow?
Written by Mike Randall Netarts, OR
Trump's harmful agenda on full display
President Trump’s address before a joint session of Congress and the nation made it clear that he’s fighting for the rich and powerful, not for America’s families.
From attempts to disguise disastrous federal funding cuts to programs families depend on and mass firings of dedicated federal employees as “government efficiency,” to turning his back to America’s longtime democratic allies in favor of dictators, the President offered little assurance that he has a positive vision to move Oregon and our country forward.
Jeff was joined at the address by former Forest Service worker Isabella Isaksen -- one of many federal workers in Oregon and across the nation fired by President Trump and Elon Musk. Jeff and Isabella made clear on a personal level how the Trump Administration’s dangerous actions threaten our public lands, economy, and so much more.
After the address, Jeff took questions from Oregonians about the path forward.
You can watch Jeff's reaction to Trump's address HERE.
If you are a federal worker who was fired by the Trump administration: thank you for your dedication and service to our nation. And please consider reaching out to Jeff’s office via email, and selecting “share your story about program closings and funding cuts” as the topic. It’s going to take all of us amplifying the stories of folks impacted by these cuts, as well as members of the public speaking up, to reverse these damaging policies.
Fighting for the foundations working families need to thrive
In February, Jeff introduced legislation to deliver for working families, while challenging the Trump administration’s efforts to help the rich get richer. Here are a few examples:
Housing
The problem: Families are being squeezed by the affordable housing crisis. Sky-high rent prices and astronomical home prices are pushing folks out of their communities. A huge piece of this puzzle is the billionaire hedge funds and huge private equity firms that have invaded the housing market -- buying up whole blocks in our communities to pad their own pockets at the expense of working families.
Large-scale hedge fund investors are taking over the housing market at an alarming, accelerating rate. In 2011, no single entity owned over 1,000 single-family rental units. In 2022, large institutional investors and hedge funds owned about 700,000 single-family home rentals, and financial analysts forecast that this ownership footprint will grow to 40% of all single-family home rentals by 2030.
Trump’s plan: Under the Trump administration, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is pushing to reprivatize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac which could make mortgages more expensive. Trump is also pushing to gut HUD funding that helps families across the country keep a roof overhead.
Jeff’s plan: Jeff introduced a strengthened bill to put an end to the harmful practice of hedge funds buying up single-family homes. His Humans Over Private Equity (HOPE) for Homeownership Act doubles down on his efforts to tackle America’s housing affordability crisis by going after hedge funds that own and control large parts of our housing market, driving up both rents and purchase prices for single-family homes in Oregon and across America.
The HOPE for Homeownership Act aims to kick hedge funds out of America’s single-family housing market by:
Establishing a new tax penalty of 15% of the sale price for hedge funds buying single-family homes;
Taking away tax breaks for hedge funds including depreciation and mortgage interest; and
Imposing a new $5,000 per home tax penalty for hedge funds failing to fully sell off their currently owned single-family homes each year over a 10-year period.
“Houses should be homes for families, not profit centers for hedge funds. Let’s kick hedge funds to the curb to restore the dream of homeownership, one of the foundations that working families need to thrive,” Jeff said.
Protecting Consumers
The problem: Consumers across the country are being ripped off by predatory online payday lenders, robbing them of their hard-earned money. While in the Oregon State legislature, Jeff was instrumental in kicking payday lenders out of the state, and now he’s fighting to safeguard these protections for working families across the country.
Trump’s plan: During his first administration, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) reversed course on national rules protecting consumers from payday loan predators. Now, his unelected sidekick Elon Musk is trying to shut down the CFPB altogether, eliminating an important government agency that protects you everyday.
Jeff’s plan: Jeff introduced the Stopping Abuse and Fraud in Electronic (SAFE) Lending Act. This bill would protect consumers from deceptive and predatory practices that strip hard-earned wages from working families by cracking down on some of the worst abuses in the payday lending industry, particularly in online payday lending.
Senate Budget Committee activity
As the top Democrat on the powerful Senate Budget Committee, Jeff is continuing to expose the Trump Administration’s Great Betrayal of working families -- an agenda that serves billionaires, not hardworking Oregon families.
Here’s a snapshot of what he’s working on:
Jeff took to the floor of the U.S. Senate to expose the Republican budget plan as a betrayal of working families. The core of the Republican plan is the reality that “Families Lose, Billionaires Win."
Jeff is leading the fight against Trump’s nominee for Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Dan Bishop. When Bishop served in Congress, he built his career putting extremist ideology and party loyalty over the health and economic well-being of his constituents, most notably by authoring North Carolina’s disastrous “bathroom bill,” despite the bill’s unpopularity and costing North Carolina businesses and families billions in investments and jobs. WATCH Jeff’s opening statement at Bishop’s Budget Committee hearing.
You can stay up to date with Jeff’s Senate Budget Committee activity by following the Committee on Twitter, Threads, Instagram, and YouTube.
Record attendance at town halls
Jeff has been called the “roots and boots” Senator because of his deep Oregon roots and his boots on the ground -- traveling to meet with Oregonians in every corner of the state. Since taking office in 2009, Jeff has kept his promise to hold an open town hall for all 36 counties in Oregon each year -- now over 590 in total.
Oregonians turned out by the thousands in February to attend one of the 11 community conversations Jeff held in Lincoln, Benton, Linn, Lane, Marion, Tillamook, Clatsop, Columbia, Polk, Yamhill, and Clackamas counties.
Each of these events is an important opportunity for Jeff to hear directly from folks like you about your concerns and priorities. Jeff's office works to find the best venues available for town halls, but please be prepared that venues may reach capacity.
Check out Jeff’s website to keep track of the latest community conversation announcements.
Thank you!
Thank you for reading -- and don't forget, you can see the latest updates by liking Jeff on Facebook and following Jeff on Twitter. And be sure to check Merkley.senate.gov for more information on upcoming town halls and current events.