What to do about Republican complicity
Republican senators have taken some bad votes over the past week. Really, really bad.
They unanimously confirmed Russell Vought, the architect of Project 2025, to lead the OMB — the “nerve center” of the federal government, as he calls it.
They confirmed Tulsi Gabbard — who was kept away from national security secrets while in Congress because colleagues feared she’d leak it to brutal dictators — to lead our intel community.
Today, they confirmed anti-vax, anti-choice, conspiracy theory-peddling RFK Jr. to run the Department of Health and Human Services.
And though many are apparently privately telling their scared and angry constituents that they share their concerns about Elon Musk rampaging through our federal government, publicly they are praising Musk and doing jack to stop him.
A few months ago, it was unthinkable that Gabbard and RFK Jr. would have been confirmed. But here we are — because again and again, Republicans have refused to put their sacred obligation to their constituents and the Constitution over their loyalty to Trump and Elon Musk.
If you’re angry (we know we are) here’s what you can do about it.
Do you have a Republican senator?
(Skip ahead, if not)
Most Republicans in the Senate think they did the politically smart thing right now. Most know RFK Jr. is a public health menace, Vought is a crook, and Gabbard is a national security nightmare, but they bent the knee to Trump because it saves them from being attacked by the president and possibly being subjected to an Elon Musk-funded primary.
And they’re hoping that voters will quickly forget about their complicity in the face of the million daily outrages coming out of the White House. Our advice to you: Let them know you’re not going to forget it.
Senators count on getting a lot of calls before a big vote. They’re surprised when a bad vote is brought up by constituents again and again. It makes them think twice about what’s “good politics” the next time around.
So call them today and tell them you are disappointed/livid about their votes. Especially if you are in a purple state. Circle a date on the calendar for next week and the week after. Call them again to say you remain disappointed/livid. If RFK Jr., Vought, or Gabbard find themselves enmeshed in some scandal, bring that up. Make these votes haunt them.
More to come: When senators go home for their recess, we’ll have more tips on how you can hold them accountable in person.
Active on social media?
Our first instinct when someone in this administration does something terrible is to pin it on the president, but Trump isn’t running again (pause for dramatic effect while everyone mutters “Are you sure?” under their breath. Yeah, we get it, but let’s not go there today.). You know who is running again? A whole bunch of Republican senators.
So when RFK Jr. tries to ban a drug people in your life depend on, when Vought tries to illegally freeze funds to a popular program, when we discover allies are withholding intel because they don’t trust Gabbard, use that as a chance to remind your followers which senators voted to confirm them. They are complicit in, and share responsibility for, whatever mess these nominees cause. Tag the senators in those posts. If you have Republican senators, you can post about them, but otherwise, consider focusing on vulnerable Republican senators up for reelection (see below).
Have a few dollars to spare?
Every Republican senator* shares responsibility for what’s happening right now, but a few of them — Senators Susan Collins (ME), Thom Tillis (NC), Dan Sullivan (AK), Jon Husted (OH), and Joni Ernst (IA) — hail from purple(ish) states AND face reelection next year.
We’ve just launched a new campaign — the Payback Project — to turn these senators into cautionary tales. We’re going to pour resources into these states to shine a light on their complicity, hold them accountable for all the damage they’ve enabled, and kick them out of office.
*Senator McConnell was the sole Republican no vote on Gabbard and Kennedy, but an enthusiastic yes on Vought.
