Combating President Trump’s

Illegal Agenda

Fighting Back

President Trump has placed this country in a constitutional crisis. His actions have been chaotic and cruel, hurting working families, seniors, and kids.

Alongside my fellow Democrats in Congress, I’m doing everything I can to expose the harm Trump is causing and combat his illegal agenda.

Taking Legislative Action

I’m working with my colleagues to introduce legislation to protect against President Trump’s harmful agenda and conduct oversight on the Administration’s actions hurting working families. Here are some examples:

  • As Senate Republicans rammed through a budget that will slash funding for working families to give tax cuts to the rich, I’ve filed amendments on each vote that would protect programs like Head Start and Meals on Wheels, safeguard disaster recovery funding, require oversight of DOGE, and much more.
  • I voted against the harmful Republican continuing resolution that gave President Trump unprecedented power.
  • I led my colleagues in demanding answers from FEMA about what sensitive data Elon Musk and his DOGE agents were accessing from flood victims and how it was going to be used.
  • I joined my colleagues in introducing legislation to protect Americans from President Trump’s tariffs.
  • I joined a Senate resolution condemning President Trump’s pardon of January 6 insurrectionists.
  • I supported a resolution that condemned President Trump for withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement and urged the U.S. to continue lowering our emissions.
  • I sponsored a bill that would block President Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship.
  • I joined my colleagues in demanding the VA reverse its decision to fire 1,000 employees that help veterans and their families nationwide.
  • I led my colleagues in demanding answers from the Department of Homeland Security and Department of State about the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil and attacks on the First Amendment.

Fighting for Programs Vermonters Rely On

Photo of Peter at a shadow hearing.

President Trump and Elon Musk have been on an illegal rampage to destroy federal programs Vermonters rely on, from Meals on Wheels, to community libraries, to farm-to-school food programs. I’m fighting back: 

  • I’ve voted against the Republican budgets that include millions in cuts to health care, child care, climate, veterans, and nutrition programs. 
  • I introduced legislation that would force the Trump Administration to release illegally withheld funding to farmers.
  • I joined my colleagues to call on the Trump Administration to reverse plans to defund libraries and museums. 
  • I’ve filed dozens of amendments to Republican budget packages to protect programs like Meals on Wheels, Head Start, foster care, energy bill assistance, rural broadband, rural hospitals, and much more.
  • I’ve visited hospitals in Vermont and raised awareness about the danger of deep Medicaid cuts.
  • I’ve visited the statehouse to meet with Vermont legislators and inform them about potential impacts of federal cuts to our state.
  • I led a bipartisan letter with every single Senator from New England, demanding the Trump Administration not close the FEMA office serving our region.
  • Since Republicans wouldn’t, I held a hearing with Senator Baldwin of Wisconsin to highlight the harm from Trump’s National Institutes of Health (NIH) cuts to patients. 

Listening to and Speaking with Impacted Vermonters

The voice of every Vermonter matters. That’s why I’ve been traveling around the state to listen and meet with you. When President Trump enacted his terrible tariffs, I met with impacted Vermont businesses and producers. When his administration unlawfully detained Vermonter Mohsen Mahdawi simply for exercising his First Amendment rights, I visited him in detention to help him share his story.

Vermonters inspire and inform my work to combat the Trump agenda.

Many Vermonters have asked me what actions they can take to make a difference. One of the most powerful things you can do is share your story so others understand the devastating impacts of Trump’s agenda.

If you need help from my team with an issue with a federal agency, you can get connected to my casework team.
Share Your Story

Sharing Resources for Federal Workers

The mass firing of federal employees is cruel and wrong. These layoffs make Vermont weaker and create financial hardship for workers.  

  

For federal workers who have received termination notices, there are resources available to help you.  

  • U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) is an independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency tasked with safeguarding and enforcing the merit system and protecting federal employees and applicants from prohibited personnel practices. Attached is a document outlining your rights as related to prohibited personnel practices. You may initiate a complaint with the OSC by clicking the green “File a Complaint” button in the right corner of their website.
  • U.S. Merit System Protection Board (MSPB) is an independent agency which adjudicates claims of violations of civil service rules and regulations. You can file a direct appeal of your termination with the MSPB, and this generally must be done within 30 days of the date of the termination notice, or within 30 days of your receipt of said notice, whichever is later. You can find instructions about filing an appeal with the MSPB here.
  • Civil Service Strong, a project of the Democracy Forward Foundation, is a coalition of federal employee unions, non-partisan government watchdog organizations, and civil service organizations who have joined together to provide a comprehensive list of resources and information for federal employees who have been impacted by executive orders and mass terminations.
    • Their compilation of resources and guides can be found here.
    • Their list of recommended proactive steps to take to protect your rights and career can be found here.
    • Their guide for employees impacted by Probationary and Trial Period Mass Terminations.
  • If you are a member of a federal employee union, please contact your union representative for information about steps they may be taking to file joint complaints with regulatory agencies or to litigate the matter in court. 

            Standing up Against Trump’s Dangerous Cabinet

            President Trump has nominated a host of unqualified Cabinet nominees. They don’t have the right experience, the right priorities, or the independence to lead agencies and departments that impact every American. I’ve spoken out against dangerous nominees and voted against many of them.

            Pam Bondi, Attorney General

            Bondi isn’t going to stand up to President Trump when he inevitably asks her to go after his political opponents, which is why I voted against her nomination. I spoke out against the danger of a Justice Department and an Attorney General loyal to the President rather than the country.

            Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence

            Gabbard is too friendly with our adversaries to be Director of National Intelligence. View my remarks outlining why I voted against her.   

            Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense

            Our servicemembers deserve a Secretary of Defense who is as good as the soldiers he leads. Hegseth fails to meet that standard, which is why I spoke on the Senate floor in opposition to his nomination. Following the scandal that revealed he sent war plans on unsecured Signal channels, I called for him to resign.

            Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

            We need someone to disrupt the health care system, not destroy it. I voted against Kennedy’s nomination and took to the Senate floor to lay out my opposition.  

            Howard Lutnick, Secretary of Commerce

            Lutnick is yet another billionaire friend of Trump’s who is going to help him take from the poor and give to the rich. I voted against his nomination. 

            Kash Patel, Director of the FBI

            Patel is clearly an instrument for President Trump to erode the foundation of our Constitution and the separation of powers. I spoke out when I voted against advancing his nomination out of committee, and spoke outside of the FBI Headquarters the day of his confirmation vote.

            Exposing the Harm of Trump’s Agenda

            Democrats are fighting for working families while Republicans are dismantling the federal government so they can give Trump and his billionaire friends a tax cut. I’ve been using a variety of platforms to expose President Trump’s and congressional Republicans’ harmful agenda.