Archive: Letter to Rodney Davis
January 30, 2017
We need you. It’s time to come out of hiding. In less than two weeks, Donald Trump has done his best to sabotage the Affordable Care Act without a replacement in sight, continued to profit from his foreign investments in direct violation of the Constitution, and spread the long-disproven lie that millions of people voted illegally in the 2016 presidential election. Those are only some highlights. He’s also attempting to make seismic, short-sighted, and inhumane changes to immigration and environmental policy.
We don’t need you to disagree with the president on every issue. We understand that you have political goals, and that some of those goals benefit from the disarray that Trump creates. We don’t expect you to become an obstructionist, to alienate yourself from your party, or to abandon those who supported your campaign. To the victor go the spoils. Vote your conscience and fight for the causes you hold dear.
But we do expect you to step up and make your positions known. In fact, as your constituents, we demand it. Your unwillingness to openly engage with the citizens you represent is unacceptable, and you must change this behavior. In light of that, we expect that you will:
Schedule and attend in-person townhalls as requested by the Prairie Rivers Network and the East Central Illinois chapter of Action for a Better Tomorrow. The repeal of the Affordable Care Act and the completion of the Keystone and Dakota Access Pipelines both have massive impact on people in your district, and they deserve more information on your position than a tweet or a thin, two-minute floor speech can provide.
Schedule at least one open teleconference with your constituents per month and advertise it appropriately.
Schedule at least one open, in-person townhall each time Congress is in recess.
Publicly explain your positions on the following issues in your first teleconference:
President Trump’s conflicts of interest and violations of the emoluments clause, including his campaign’s ties with Russia.
President Trump’s executive orders on immigration.
President Trump’s plans for an investigation of voter fraud claims that have been thoroughly investigated and disproven and threaten to accelerate voter suppression efforts throughout the country.
The political review of the US EPA data and publications that is currently in place.
The president is clearly going to do his best to rule by executive order, blithe disregard for the Constitution, and sheer bluster. The Constitution and our federal laws won’t check this authoritarian behavior on their own — only Congress can. You, Rep. Davis, are our member of Congress.
Perhaps we will disagree on many of these issues. So be it. We can all respect disagreement and debate. We can not respect silence and a bunker mentality.
Make it clear where you stand on these issues, and make it clear what of President Trump’s behaviors you’re willing to take a stand against. We await your response and engagement.
