Attacks and Threats on Democracy and Rule of Law

Floor Speech

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Mrs. McBATH. Mr. Speaker, I thank my delegation colleague, Representative Johnson, for being the managing Member and for yielding to me this evening. I thank him for these moments tonight as we are in a very critical time, as my friend has been expressing before I came.

I thank Mr. Johnson's staff, as well, for taking the time and effort to put this together tonight and the Litigation Task Force for convening on the floor tonight.

I am proud to join my Democratic colleagues here to raise the alarm that this administration's actions are rapidly undermining our democracy and our justice system. However, Democrats continue to stand as the party of truth, the party of democracy, and the party of the American people.

While the Trump administration is emboldened to tear down foundational programs that keep Americans safe and gut the Department of Justice and our law enforcement, Democrats in Congress are holding this administration accountable and fighting so that our government works for every family, not just the richest in the world or the close friends and colleagues of the President.

I am here today not just as a public servant but as a mother who knows what it feels like to lose everything to gun violence, and I know this: Every family in America deserves the right to be safe at school, at the grocery store, and at home.

The Trump administration is making this much harder. This White House has worked to unwind the very protections that are designed to keep us safe. They have cut critical funding for gun violence prevention programs at the Department of Justice and have weakened the ATF, making it easier for guns to fall into the wrong hands and for gun crimes to go unsolved. They even disbanded key initiatives that tracked domestic terrorism and hate crimes tied to gun violence.

These decisions are not just reckless. They are deadly, making it easier for violence to spread, for lives to be shattered, and for communities to keep on living in fear.

As a mother who lost her son to gun violence, let me be perfectly clear: The American people are crying out for the basic right to live safe from unnecessary gun violence. Americans want to send their children to school or to the mall without wondering if they will ever come home.

These egregious Trump administration cuts are a slap in the face to every family and every survivor of gun violence. In many cases, these rollbacks also make it more difficult for law enforcement to keep our communities safe.

Unfortunately, of all the disputes local officers are called to address, domestic violence incidents involving a gun are some of the most dangerous. The emotion and volatility during these incidents mean they can quickly turn deadly if a lethal weapon is present.

Instead of strengthening background checks and red flag laws to provide tools to our law enforcement, the Trump administration has weakened those crisis response tools that law enforcement depends on and drastically cut funding to police departments, putting our officers at risk.

I came to Congress to make our laws safer after I witnessed firsthand how fragile our justice system can be, and now I am determined, as we all should be, to protect our justice system so that perpetrators of crime and violence are actually held accountable.

There have been recent attacks on judges, as has been expressed by my colleague, Mr. Johnson. These attacks on our judges and the courts by the Trump administration should alarm every American. It will now become harder for families to seek accountability for crimes that are committed against them and for survivors to get the justice that they deserve.

Every American, no matter their background or the State that they live in, deserves to trust that when they walk into a courtroom, the law is fighting on their side. When our elected leaders belittle public-serving judges and bend the Department of Justice to serve their own interests, then they shatter that trust.

Families looking for answers, for protection, and for justice cannot afford to wait. Trust me, Mr. Speaker, I know. I have been one of those families. I know the stakes of receiving justice for a loved one, and they are just far too high.

I thank my colleagues for standing up. I thank Representative Johnson for standing up for the integrity of our democracy on behalf of those who rely upon it every single day.

Mr. Speaker, for those who are watching at home, I say this to them: You are simply not alone. House Democrats are fighting for you, and we will not let this administration undermine the very ideals of America and the fabric of our democracy.

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