Friends,
As promised, I wanted to share more updates directly with you on what I’ve been doing to fight back against Trump and what you can do too. I am going to try to send these every other Friday — so let me know if you have any feedback, what you like (or what you don’t like), and what you want to see!
3 things I did in the past two weeks to push back against Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and House Republicans:
1. I traveled to Iraq, Bahrain, Qatar, and the UAE to meet with regional partners and stand up for our values abroad. The Trump Administration has continued to green-light arms sales to the UAE, despite their direct involvement in Sudan’s violent civil war. I spoke directly to Emirati officials and condemned their continued support for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan, which is fueling genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing, and exacerbating a humanitarian crisis impacting more than 30 million people. Trump is abdicating our responsibilities and leadership on the world stage, but I’ve introduced the Stand Up for Sudan Act with Senator Chris Van Hollen that would prohibit U.S. arms sales to the UAE until they stop providing material support to the RSF.
2. I hosted another town hall, talking directly to hundreds of my constituents for two hours. This was my third town hall of the year, and it was energizing to hear from so many folks in our community who are concerned, engaged, and ready to fight back. I was also grateful that a number of my Republican constituents came out and asked their questions. We won’t always see eye to eye, but honest conversations with folks we disagree with is one of the biggest ways to rebuild trust and strengthen our community.
3. I met with local Jewish community leaders to hear about their concerns under the Trump Administration — from the frozen funding of FEMA’s Nonprofit Security Grants that protect our synagogues and other at-risk community spaces and the defunding of the Office of Civil Rights that investigates instances of antisemitism. These are serious concerns that will devastate the Jewish community and so many others. More on this soon.
3 things you can do to fight back and make a difference in your community:
1. Check on your neighbors and make sure they know their rights if they ever encounter federal law enforcement. The ACLU has resources in English and Spanish that outline the rights people are guaranteed under the Constitution, regardless of immigration status — share them widely!
2. Call Republican Members of Congress to sign onto H.R. 2601, the Delete DOGE Act. I’ve heard privately from so many of my Republican colleagues that they are horrified by the deep, unstrategic, and harmful slash and burn tactics from Elon Musk’s DOGE. But it’s time for them to go public. I introduced the Delete DOGE Act to rescind and prohibit the use of federal funds for DOGE. You can call the U.S. House switchboard at (202) 224-3121 to speak to Republican Members of Congress and urge them to join the bill.
3. In San Diego? Attend CBFD Indivisible’s monthly meeting on Sunday, April 27. I’ll be there and taking questions from folks who attend. I’ve heard there’s limited space left, so sign up now to try to grab a spot!
3 pieces of good news:
1. The Department of Defense released guidance stating that trans and gender non-binary service members can once again receive gender affirming health care! This guidance follows the second ruling from a federal district court judge that blocked the Trump Administration’s discriminatory trans military ban.
2. A federal district court judge ruled that President Trump illegally invoked the Alien Enemies Act, the 1798 law that Trump has been using to legitimize mass deportations without due process.
3. Republican Congressman Don Bacon called for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to be fired over his reckless lack of leadership and judgment. We need good faith Republican leaders to speak up and speak out about the dangerous behavior from the Trump Administration. Congressman Bacon is one of the first to do it, and it’s a big deal.
I hope this was helpful and hopeful. As always, let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to hear about in the next few weeks.
Warmly,
Sara
