Author: Rick

Over the past week, we have seen significant changes to American foreign policy under the guise of America First, or claiming to do what is best for America. As I mentioned in the post I am re-sharing here, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐀𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞.

In the weeks that have followed that post, we have seen considerably more moves that threaten the status of America as a cooperative partner for our allies. Just this week we have seen:

• Donald Trump has again threatened tariffs on our allies, implementing some and rescinding others. Even the tariffs that get cancelled create chaos and uncertainty, driving away partners who prefer stability. 𝐈𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐲, 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐝𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐬, 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲, 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐲. 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞.

• In addition to military aid, Donald Trump has stopped intelligence sharing with Ukraine, giving a major boost to one of the biggest American adversaries internationally, Vladimir Putin’s Russia. 𝐈𝐧 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚. 𝐎𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭, 𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐝 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩 𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐔𝐤𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬. 𝐈𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐲, 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 – 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐔.𝐊. 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬.

• Donald Trump has threatened the use of the military on Mexico’s Cartels which would invade the sovereignty of a major trade partner. 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐜𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐬, 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐜𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝.

• Donald Trump has made major cuts to USAID, even ignoring several court orders to restore some of that aid, which helps fund health and food assistance programs around the world. As this aid is given primarily by funding American companies and farmers to provide that aid, this will significantly harm the American economy. 𝐈𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐲, 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝. 𝐈𝐧 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭, 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜, 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬.

As Representative Zach Nunn said (before Trump became President):

“Standing up to Russia is in America’s best interest because an unchecked autocrat in Russia today empowers the Chinese Communist Party in Taiwan or state-sponsors of terrorism in Iran against Israel. Because we live in an ever-increasingly connected world, 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝.” I agree Zach, so please stand up for our national interests abroad.

Please join me in reaching out to your members of Congress to stand up for American interests and encourage Senators Grassley and Ernst, along with Representative Nunn to remember their past comments and stand up against this President and demand he 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞.

Again, here are the Des Moines office phone numbers of my congressional representation, please reach out to yours.

𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐲 – (𝟓𝟏𝟓) 𝟐𝟖𝟖-𝟏𝟏𝟒𝟓

𝐉𝐨𝐧𝐢 𝐄𝐫𝐧𝐬𝐭 – (𝟓𝟏𝟓) 𝟐𝟖𝟒-𝟒𝟓𝟕𝟒

𝐙𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐍𝐮𝐧𝐧 – (𝟓𝟏𝟓) 𝟒𝟎𝟎-𝟖𝟏𝟖𝟎

Thank you for reading.

𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐲 – (𝟓𝟏𝟓) 𝟐𝟖𝟖-𝟏𝟏𝟒𝟓

𝐉𝐨𝐧𝐢 𝐄𝐫𝐧𝐬𝐭 – (𝟓𝟏𝟓) 𝟐𝟖𝟒-𝟒𝟓𝟕𝟒

𝐙𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐍𝐮𝐧𝐧 – (𝟓𝟏𝟓) 𝟒𝟎𝟎-𝟖𝟏𝟖𝟎

Today, I have added a screenshot of a reply from Zach Nunn in early 2024 when the U.S. House was debating whether to send more aid to Ukraine – to which aid additional funding for Israel was also added. I have highlighted what I consider the more salient points.

On top of the letter Representative Nunn sent me in February 2024, I am grateful to have had the luxury of seeing him in person on the campaign trail in the middle of 2024. One of his key talking points in that discussion was the claim that President Biden humiliated America internationally with his botched handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan – which emboldened American adversaries across the globe, primarily Russia and China.

Yesterday, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, joined President Trump and Vice President Vance in the White House, just days after the new administration has publicly sided with Russia, turned away from Europe and Ukraine, and demanded access to Ukrainian minerals in return for assistance. In this public meeting, the President and Vice President harshly attacked their Ukrainian counterpart, berating him for his role in the conflict. These actions undermine America’s alliances worldwide and 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐙𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐍𝐮𝐧𝐧.

As I have mentioned before, President Trump has threatened tariffs on many parts of the world, not limited to our adversaries like China, but explicitly adding many of our closest allies and trading partners in Canada, Mexico, and now the European Union. Despite the major ramifications these tariffs will have to our economy, our allies, and inflation, Representative Nunn has voiced his support for Trump tariffs – of course, he also wants to give exemptions for farm imports. Despite the impacts this will have to American allies and interests worldwide, 𝐙𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐍𝐮𝐧𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐧.

Over the past two years, Representative Nunn has consistently talked about the need for a strong Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) and he has advocated for reforms to improve the VA, but also to ensure we provide adequate care for our Veterans through the department.

Now, we have seen numerous, significant, unilateral cuts to the VA from the Executive Branch, despite Congressional approval for its funding. Despite this seeming Executive overreach, 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐙𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐍𝐮𝐧𝐧.

Since Representative Nunn was in office, he has routinely pushed bills through which were supportive of medical research, including promoting cancer research, pushing federal departments to come up with new plans to help expand coverage in rural areas, and repeatedly finding ways to expand Medicare. Since Donald Trump has taken office, he has chosen to stop grants for congressionally approved medical research across the country and yet, 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐙𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐍𝐮𝐧𝐧.

With the support (demand) of Donald Trump, the House of Representatives passed the outline of a budget bill this week which includes: massive cuts to the department overseeing Medicaid and Medicare, a large tax break which largely flows to the wealthy, and still ultimately adds to the deficit. Representative Nunn has repeatedly stressed a requirement to balance the budget – including a balanced budget amendment – and has insisted on preserving Medicaid and Medicare. Despite his historical stances, 𝐙𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐍𝐮𝐧𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐧.

Reading through my past emails, remembering the statements Representative Nunn has made on the campaign trail, and looking through the news of the past two months makes it impossible for me to understand why Representative Nunn remains on the sidelines despite attacks on so many of his major initiatives since he took office. As updates from the White House continue pouring in and run counter to his stated goals, 𝐙𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐍𝐮𝐧𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐨𝐧.

𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐍𝐮𝐧𝐧, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬, 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐥, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬.

Thank you for reading and please reach out to your representation today.

I have again written more than I had planned and hope you read it all. 𝐈 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐜𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐥, 𝐛𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝.

The phone numbers below are Des Moines offices for my Congressional Representation. I encourage you to call your congress members to voice your opinions.

𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐲 – (𝟓𝟏𝟓) 𝟐𝟖𝟖-𝟏𝟏𝟒𝟓

𝐉𝐨𝐧𝐢 𝐄𝐫𝐧𝐬𝐭 – (𝟓𝟏𝟓) 𝟐𝟖𝟒-𝟒𝟓𝟕𝟒

𝐙𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐍𝐮𝐧𝐧 – (𝟓𝟏𝟓) 𝟒𝟎𝟎-𝟖𝟏𝟖𝟎

This quote above is from an article from Radio Iowa on February 18th regarding a conference call with Senator Grassley. The senator went on to explain his position by referencing our nation’s legal framework stating, “The Constitution says all executive power of the federal government shall be vested, and that’s the word that’s used, vested in the office of the presidency.”

With that in mind, let us look to what else the Constitution says:

• “𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐧 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.” Article 1; Section 1

• “𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨:” Article 1; Section 8

“Regulate Commerce with foreign nations”

“Establish a Rule of Uniform Naturalization”

“To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for

carrying into Execution the foregoing powers, and all other

Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the

United States, or in any Department or Office thereof”

• “He [the President] shall have Power, 𝐛𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and 𝐛𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬, 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐋𝐚𝐰” Article 2; Section 2

• “𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 , 𝐢𝐧 𝐋𝐚𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, the Laws of the United States, and Treaties made, or which shall be made, under their Authority” Article 3; Section 2

• “The House of Representatives… shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.” Article 1; Section 2

• “The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments.” Article 1; Section 3

While the President does have significant leeway and authority, Senator Grassley is just plain wrong. Congress can do much, much more than complain. However, since he made his comments about complaining, let’s look at the comments the Senator has been making regarding the actions of this President:

• As I’ve mentioned before and to his credit, Senator Grassley was asked what would happen if Trump defied court rulings and replied, “He wouldn’t get away with that and he shouldn’t.” However, Senator Grassley did not say what he will actually do if the Trump administration actually did defy rulings and downplayed the likelihood. Since these comments, we have seen the Trump administration continue to ramp up attacks on judges and rulings come through that they are not complying with court orders. 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧.

• The President has given the DOGE broad authority to look at all aspects of the United States government, cutting thousands of federal jobs across numerous agencies, upending congressionally approved grants worldwide and sowing chaos and confusion into the United States economy. The head of this office was not confirmed with the “advice and consent of the Senate”. I have not heard Senator Grassley complain. 𝐈𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭, 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐐&𝐀 𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐨𝐧: 𝐐&𝐀: 𝐓𝐚𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐲

• As the administration is cutting funding, USAID has been a major target. While this program sends money abroad to help insecure countries around the world, the program also supports people in the United States, including health researchers and farmers in the United States. 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧.

• The President has spent the past several weeks trying to force Ukraine to accept a peace deal that provides the United States with rare earth minerals. Without agreeing to accept, the President is suggesting the United States will not work with NATO, will stop supporting Ukraine with military aid, and is choosing to meet with Vladimir Putin to negotiate peace for Ukraine without allowing our allies NATO and Ukraine seats at the table. 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧.

• The President is continuing to ramp up the trade war with Canada, Mexico, and China while threatening to start applying tariffs to Europe.

Shortly after experiencing the COVID pandemic, we should all easily remember what happens to businesses and households when we see a major disturbance in supply chains – this unnecessary trade war will create such a disturbance. 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.

Senator Grassley has the power to legislate. He can come together with other Senators, work with Representatives, and bring a unified, Republican, voice to the table speaking out against Donald Trump. If the President refuses to do what is in the best interests of the United States of America, legislate. Come together to stand up for what is right: pass bills that curtail the power of the Executive and claw back the powers Congress has given away. If the President truly will not uphold the rule of law and follow the laws of Congress and the rulings of the courts, impeach him.

𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐲, 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐩. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧. 𝐔𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐨𝐰𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚.

Thank you for reading

A few quick thoughts before I get into the heart of my post today. I have had quite a few people express skepticism that Congress will act. I frequently share that skepticism, but right now it is ultimately Congress that has the authority to act and as such, I feel that reaching out to my representation as frequently as possible to ask what they will do and provide my opinions for what they should do is critical to any hope that they ultimately choose to use their powers to check the President; they have been exceptionally slow to respond. In addition to Congress, the courts also have the ability to check the President through rulings on the law. As I said in a recent post, 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲.

Again, I am listing the Des Moines office numbers for my representation; please reach out to them however you see fit if you would like to add your voice.

𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐲 – (𝟓𝟏𝟓) 𝟐𝟖𝟖-𝟏𝟏𝟒𝟓

𝐉𝐨𝐧𝐢 𝐄𝐫𝐧𝐬𝐭 – (𝟓𝟏𝟓) 𝟐𝟖𝟒-𝟒𝟓𝟕𝟒

𝐙𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐍𝐮𝐧𝐧 – (𝟓𝟏𝟓) 𝟒𝟎𝟎-𝟖𝟏𝟖𝟎

Today, I would like to talk about transparency. A little over a week ago, Elon Musk joined the President in the Oval Office, essentially taking over an interview, and declared, “I don’t know of a case where an organization has been more transparent than the DOGE organization.” While I will talk here about transparency within DOGE, let’s look at the lack of transparency in the Executive as a whole.

The past month has been an absolute whirlwind. So far, this President has had an average of approximately two and a half Executive Orders every single day. In addition to these Executive Orders, there has been a constant barrage of statements about Ukraine, Gaza, NATO, Europe, Canada, Greenland, Panama, and the list goes on. It is almost literally impossible for any news organization to even keep up, let alone someone who is trying to care for a family or work a normal week. This entire strategy is designed to allow things to fall through the cracks, make it hard to notice what is going on, make the opposition discouraged, and simply make everything as confusing and chaotic as possible. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐠𝐮𝐧 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲.

With Executive Orders swirling overhead constantly, the specific departments and policies are also opaque. I have no concern with wanting a secure border. I can understand wanting to carry out some deportations and make sure our country is safe, though I would strongly prefer improving existing systems to work with employers. Instead we have chosen to send migrants to Guantanamo Bay and potentially open further detention facilities in the United States, even floating the idea of imprisoning some of them in Guatemala! If we are looking to deport people, why do we need a facility to house 30,000 people? If you want to deport them, then send them home immediately. Furthermore, the administration isn’t telling us who was sent there, they are being denied access to immigration lawyers, and we have no clue what the conditions are there. 𝐎𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧, 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.

Elon Musk is running DOGE. President Trump has stated this week that Musk is not the one making the final decisions then following it up by saying he is. Regardless, it is evident that Elon Musk has significant sway over the President right now – it isn’t often that someone who wasn’t nominated or appointed is allowed to have a joint press conference with the President in the Oval Office. In the name of transparency, we would expect someone with significant financial stakes throughout the world to disclose such information. However, the President has said Elon Musk’s financial disclosures would be submitted to the White House but would not be released to the general public. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐛𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐥𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐤.

The Executive Branch has been slashing through the government for the past month claiming it all waste, fraud, and abuse. Given the size of our government, I am absolutely sure there is some spending that should be cut. This administration has shared various reports of what they claim to be fraud or abuse in spending. Almost all of that has been either simply wrong or grossly misstated. They even went so far as to slash inspectors general who are designated to find abuse and fraud in government and cut a number of workers who are critical to maintain the nuclear stockpile of the United States. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞, 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐮𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭.

I have seen very little pushback from Zach Nunn or Joni Ernst. I have seen some disagreements with the President from Chuck Grassley, but they have been pretty minor overall. It is the job, the Constitutional Authority, and Patriotic Duty of Congress to check the President. It is Congress who has the power to investigate the Executive Branch. It is up to Chuck Grassley, Joni Ernst, and Zach Nunn to stand up for our country and demand answers from the President. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 Branch.

I will also note that I contacted Senator Grassley’s office on 2/12 asking what he will do if the Executive Branch does not adhere to court rulings and Senator Ernst’s office on 2/10 asking how she will stand up to uphold the right of Congress to approve spending. I have not yet received a reply from either office.

As I was reminded in a comment on my previous post, the most effective method of communication with Members of Congress is calling their office. Therefore, the phone numbers for the Des Moines offices of my representation are included if you wish to make your voice heard.

𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐲 – (𝟓𝟔𝟑) 𝟑𝟐𝟐-𝟒𝟑𝟑𝟏

𝐉𝐨𝐧𝐢 𝐄𝐫𝐧𝐬𝐭 – (𝟓𝟏𝟓) 𝟐𝟖𝟒-𝟒𝟓𝟕𝟒

𝐙𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐍𝐮𝐧𝐧 – (𝟓𝟏𝟓) 𝟒𝟎𝟎-𝟖𝟏𝟖𝟎

I completely understand the concept of America First; we cannot reasonably help others if we do not ensure we are adequately cared for ourselves. However, one of the biggest strengths of the United States since the start of the Cold War has been the maintenance of a major international coalition of allies willing and able to stand together.

Under the guise of America First, Donald Trump has chosen to either implement or threaten tariffs on many countries throughout the world – this includes our closest allies in Canada, Mexico, and the European Union, despite the fact that one of the underlying agreements (USMCA) was his own. These tariffs and the uncertainty and instability that comes with them is widely expected to cause significant issues with international trade and supply chains and they will ultimately serve to show other countries that we cannot be trusted as international trade partners forcing them to move away from international trade with the United States. Reduction in trade will ultimately cause prices to rise, decrease our export market, and harm the United States. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭; 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐀𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞.

Claiming significant waste in USAID, Donald Trump has chosen to cut all outlays for the program. This is another mechanism to claim an America First policy and slash international humanitarian aid. However, with major cuts to USAID there will be ramifications for the United States economy as well as international relations, and impacts to American health. Much of the food and medical aid provided to countries in times of crisis are provided by American companies and American farmers. Pulling funding for this aid will immediately impact both of those industries and harm the American economy. In addition to the economic impacts here, this also will likely exacerbate health conditions in developing countries causing disease and famine to spread which will inevitably have worldwide consequences.

The United States has been providing aid worldwide for decades – USAID and PEPFAR both immediately come to mind. Not only is this aid morally justified by the immediate impacts it has on the people who receive it directly, it also helps strengthen the international presence of the United States and improves our diplomatic efforts worldwide. 𝐂𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐔𝐒𝐀𝐈𝐃 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭; 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐀𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞.

Constitutionally, the ability to levy tariffs lies with Congress, not the President. However, a series of Congressional Acts over the past century have ceded that authority from Congress to the President, largely for use in emergency situations where National Security is threatened – unfortunately, there is little to no legal definition for such an emergency. However, Congress has not ceded their authority to allocate funding and the President should not be able to simply refuse to carry out acts of Congress.

𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐛𝐲 𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 – 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬.