While I’m not in office anymore, I served in Congress for two years under the Trump Administration. Using things like congressional hearings, I managed to get some of what we wanted, like free COVID testing at the start of the pandemic. There are a few pieces of advice I’d give to elected Democrats as they navigate his second term.

But first, I want to ask you to help my long-time partners at the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. Their work has been instrumental in supporting leaders, including me, who will stand up to Trump’s reckless agenda and build a future where everyone can thrive.

Please chip in $3 or whatever you can to the PCCC's work organizing Democrats in Congress to fight Trump’s destructive agenda with backbone. Donate here.

Here's what Democrats must keep in mind...

1. Stand up to the bullying and BS: Just the other day, Trump threatened to hold California disaster relief funds hostage unless Congress passes a big bill with all of his pet projects—like tax cuts for billionaires. California fire victims should not be pawns in his games.
2. Stay focused on the real people being harmed by Trump’s policies: It’s easy for DC politicians to live and work in a DC bubble. But Members should stay focused on the actual effect of Trump’s policies. In a Congressional hearing during Trump’s last administration, I called out his consumer enforcement chief for not being able to define or calculate (or even estimate!) the cost of a payday loan. And I called out Ben Carson, his Housing and Urban Development Secretary, for confusing an REO (a property owned by a bank after foreclosure), with an OREO, a chocolate sandwich cookie. These moments weren’t about roasting people to go viral; they were about making sure we had people who knew enough about their job to be actually able to do the work. Sadly, in Trump’s last administration—and it seems his new one too—this was not the norm.
3. Speak truth to power: It’s the right thing to do! When Trump does something abhorrent, we’ve got to call it out, even when it feels exhausting. I won re-election in my swing district even as I called out Trump and pushed for bold change, because voters knew I called out BS and fought for them.

This is precisely why we need bold progressives in office.

Can you chip in $3 or more to help the PCCC guide Dems in Congress to fight with everything they have for the American people and against Trump’s harmful policies?

Together, we can oppose Trump’s harmful policies, protect our communities, and build a future where everyone has a fair shot to thrive.

Thanks for reading and for being a part of our movement.

– Katie Porter

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