Dear Friends,

If you’re ever feeling lonely, let me recommend you write to Republicans. Those guys sure know how to respond!  Lately, my new best bud seems to be Senator Ted Budd (R-NC). Every time I see his name in my inbox I am overcome with both dismay and delight. I mean, sure I'm spamming his office with several accusatory/demanding emails a week, but the fact that he (or his office team) would even bother to read my emails, let alone reply just astounds me. Maybe, just maybe, my relentless hounding is making a dent in his cold-hearted Republican armour. Maybe.

I know Ted’s a busy guy (especially as he tries to figure out what to do now that Trump has drastically cut FEMA funding from his hurricane damaged state), so he doesn’t always respond right away. By the time Ted’s sent one of his half-assed replies, I’ll have already sent another half dozen emails, so it’s sometimes hard to pinpoint exactly which of my many complaints he’s attempting to address.

I thought I’d share with you some of my emails that I’ve recently sent to all of the Republican senators and some of Senator Budd’s replies, followed, of course, by my responses to his responses. Gotta keep them on their toes! Your guess is as good as mine as to which of my emails inspired these particular responses, but I’ll provide a few options that may have got him (or his office hand) typing.

Signalgate required several emails

First I sent this one...

March 25^th, 2025 - LOCK THEM UP!

Dear Senator,

Perhaps you’ve heard this proverb that has become quite popular in the past few months - “When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn't become a king. The palace becomes a circus”.  After yesterday’s news about the most egregious security breaches in American history, I’d say truer words were never spoken. With your blessings and approval, Trump has filled the highest offices in the country with buffoons and idiots, turning the US government into the stupidest circus on earth.

It would be funny if it wasn’t so terrifying. Pete Hesgeth, JD Vance, Marco Rubio, Tulsi Gabbard, Scott Bessent, Brian McCormack, John Ratcliffe, Steve Witkoff, Suzy Wiles, Joe Kent and Stephen Miller have all been implicated in violating The Espionage Act and endangering our national security in their idiotic and careless use of the Signal app to convey highly sensitive security information and their detailed plans for a military attack on Yemen. These clowns are a hazard to our national security and have no business holding some of the most important offices in our government. This security breach is a gross violation of the law, and I am counting on you to hold the perpetrators involved accountable.  I say LOCK THEM UP 

Jessica

Then I sent this one...

April 21^st, 2025 - Hi honey! We’re bombing the Houthis!

Dear Senator,

Hi honey! We’re bombing the Houthis!

Really? Hegseth’s wife was allowed access to this highly sensitive information? Certainly you must have had an inkling that Pete Hegseth was a disastrous choice for Secretary of Defence, and yet, you approved his nomination for this top position. What the hell were you thinking?

As if ‘Signalgate One’ wasn’t bad enough where Hegseth and his top advisors shared blow-by-blow military plans with a journalist (WTF!) and then tried to lie their way out of this reckless security breach, we are now learning that Hegseth has been including his wife Jennifer and brother Philip in other top-security military Signal chats from his PERSONAL phone. What the hell is he doing including his wife and brother – neither of whom have security clearance – in top security chats and meetings (yes, we now know that both of them have attended high-security defence meetings). This man is in charge of our national security but doesn’t have the sense to follow security protocol. This man is a danger to the entire country and must be removed before he creates any other security risks.

I realize that I am using the word ‘security’ excessively but that is because I am absolutely horrified that you are allowing this utterly incompetent DUI hire to continue in office, breaking laws while risking our national security. You must speak up and demand that Hegseth is immediately removed from office and tried for every single law he has broken in his capacity as Secretary of Defence.

Going forward, I expect you to make better choices and do better by your constituents and upholding the Constitution.

Jessica

It took him a few weeks, but I finally heard back from Ted on the Signalgate scandal. Here’s what Ted had to say about this massive security breach:

May 8th, 2025

Pro tip - never let them think they're going to get away with this kind of nonsense. Here's how I responded the next day:

May 9^th, 2025 - My response to Sen Budd (R-NC)  re Signalgate

Dear Senator,

Thank you for your response to my concerns about the shocking incompetence of Pete Hegseth and his team of nincompoops who endangered US troops with their careless use of the Signal app when conveying top security information to each other (as well as to a journalist, Hegseth’s wife and his brother!).

 You say in your email, “I remain confident that Secretary Hegseth is the right person to implement President Trump’s priorities regarding our national defense and ensuring our military is focused on readiness and lethality.”  This statement raises concerns about both your judgement about who is fit for top government positions and about Trump’s defense priorities. Hegseth is an alcoholic, egotistical, sexual abuser who hosted a TV show. How in heaven’s name does this make him qualified to run our military? How in heaven’s name can you possible remain confident that Hegseth is the right person for this job?

I await your response,

Jessica

Ted Budd discusses how impeachment works:

OMG! That first paragraph is absolutely priceless!  “Dear Mrs. Duncan, Thank you for contacting me about impeaching President Trump. It is an honor to represent the people of North Carolina and I appreciate the opportunity to hear from you on this issue.” The fact that he is even addressing impeachment made my heart skip a beat.

May 14th, 2025

Ted’s friendly schooling on how impeachment works may have arisen from one or both of these emails I’d sent off about Trump’s obscene levels of corruption.

April 29^th, 2025  - About Last Week 

Dear Senator,

I am deeply concerned about not only your morality (or lack thereof), but also how badly you stand to lose in the next election as long as you continue to support the inhumane and corrupt actions of the Trump regime.

Let’s sum up just some of the horrors of last week and see where you stand on these events.

·      Toddlers who do not speak English were forced to face immigration judges with neither legal representation nor parental care 

·      Children who are US citizens were deported with their immigrant mothers (including children with cancer!), again, with no legal counsel permitted 

·      Immigrants have been abducted by masked, non-uniformed, unbadged ICE agents while they were dutifully attending their appointed check-ins with the courts.

·      A sitting judge was falsely accused of abating an escapee immigrant and publicly arrested.

·      Trump has been firing immigration judges, including one fired in the middle of an immigration hearing. He is also threatening any judge who challenges his lawlessness.

·      Trump continues to ignore the Supreme Court’s order to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia from his wrongful imprisonment in El Salvador.

Senator, none of this is true immigration policy. It is cruelty and it is authoritarianism. Please tell me ‘yes’ or ‘no’ if you support these atrocities.

Finally, I would like to know your position on the new “Executive Branch” invitation-only club that opened in DC this weekend which is designed to allow top business executives to talk privately with Trump advisors and cabinet members. This, along with Trump granting audiences to individuals who purchase his meme coin are just a few examples of Trump openly flaunting his complete and utter lack of ethics. Will you call out this obscene corruption?

Jessica

Or maybe it was this one…

  May 12^th, 2025 - Corruption, thy name is Trump 

Dear Senator,

Just last week I emailed you about Trump’s obscene corruption as he plans to spend millions of tax dollars on his birthday parade. The latest in a growing list of brazen acts of corruption coming out of the Oval Office is the offer of a $400 million “Palace in the Sky’ luxury jumbo jet gift from Qatar that Trump is quite eager to accept. This on top of candle lit dinners at Mar-a-Lago with the highest buyers of Trump’s meme coin, personal profiting from crashing the stock market, positioning his Fox News buddies into the highest offices in the country, and the list goes on. Trump is selling access to his presidential power for personal gain, jeopardizing the American people while he lines his pockets. This is the very definition of corruption, and we cannot allow him to get away with it.

To quote Richard Painter, chief White House ethics lawyer under George W. Bush, “In the American experience, we have never had a president with such egregious conflicts of interest since the civil war,”  

Now, that’s saying something! Simply put, Trump is the most corrupt president and, as far as I can tell, you are sitting back and allowing this to happen.  Would you have remained silent if Obama or Biden had received a $400 million gift from a foreign nation or raked in vast profits while crashing the economy? My guess is that you would have been screaming IMPEACH HIM from the top of your lungs. Trump’s brazenly corrupt misuse of power to increase his own personal wealth is definitely grounds for impeachment. As an elected official, it is your duty to call out the corruption of the sitting president.

I have been hearing for years that the Republican Party is for law and order, and yet, you appear to worship at the feet of THE MOST CORRUPT president in American history. Senator, you can be for law and order, or you can be for corruption. Which one is it going to be?

Jessica

Making Noises for Medicaid!

A few weeks ago I sent THREE emails to the senators about cuts to Medicaid which I published in my Make a Noise for Medicaid newsletter. Hooboy! That must have hit a nerve because a lot of senators wrote back immediately (not surprisingly, I didn't hear back from "Let them all die" Senator Ernst (R-IA)). Here we find our friend Ted trying to convince me that he's not going to let anything bad happen to this vital service. Do we believe him???

May 22nd, 2025

They keep on coming!

On May 28^th I received not one, but TWO emails from Ted. Imagine my delight! I’m not sure which particular email he’s referring to in this one where he tries to reassure me that he will stay true to his oath to uphold the Constitution, but I have been repeatedly reminding the good senators that they swore loyalty to the Constitution and not the wannabe dictator. Maybe my message is hitting a nerve.

May 28^th, 2025 - Ted Budd talks about upholding the Constitution:

Also May 28^th, 2025 - My response to Sen Budd about upholding the Constitution

Dear Senator Budd,

Thank you for your response to my concerns about our crumbling constitution as Trump continues his power-seizing rampage. I am deeply disturbed at how our elected representatives are not just allowing Trump to trample the Constitution, but are actively supporting him in his dreams of dictatorship.

You say in your email, “As your Senator, I swore an oath to protect and uphold the Constitution. The Constitution guarantees every American's individual rights and freedoms and establishes our government's framework. It is our government's bedrock and guarantees all Americans individual rights and freedoms. I am committed to protecting and defending the Constitution against any threats and ensuring that our government operates within its limits.”  I’m glad to see that we’re on the same page. You did, indeed, swear an oath to protect and uphold the Constitution. You absolutely did not swear an oath of blind loyalty to the Felon-in-Chief. With this understanding, I have yet to see you speaking out against Trump’s daily violations of our beloved Constitution.

The US Constitution clearly states that “No one is above the law”, yet Trump has continuously ignored the courts and broken almost every law in this land. If his so-called Big, Beautiful Bill is allowed to pass, he will essentially be crowned king (“No court of the United States may use appropriated funds to enforce a contempt citation for failure to comply with an injunction or temporary restraining order if no security was given when the injunction or order was issued …”).  This absolutely cannot be allowed to pass. Shame on your Republican colleagues in Congress who unanimously voted in favor of this hideous bill that steals from the poor to line the pockets of the obscenely rich, and hands over all power to the Criminal-in-Chief! I hope that you are not so easily manipulated and will do the right thing and vote against this vile piece of legislation.

Senator Budd, we are in danger of slipping into a cruel, totalitarian state. Trump and his henchmen have caused more damage to our country and caused greater threat to our democracy in the past 4 months than all the previous presidents put together. As my elected representative, I am calling on you to fulfill your promise to defend the US Constitution, even if it means standing up to the wannabe dictator.

Jessica

  Still May 28^th, 2025 - Ted Budd responds to my concerns about Trump's parade:

 I am assuming this was in response to this email from May 3^rd, 2025

Not a king! 

Dear Senator,

Just when we think that Trump has hit the ceiling with his obscene acts of corruption, he pulls out a new stunt, always something even worse, and yet you still refuse to challenge him.

After the entire Republican party has been bleating on about government waste, sitting back idly while Musk and his minions ripped apart our government, destroying millions of lives, with very little in savings to show for all his axe-wielding, I don’t hear a single one of you complaining about Trump’s birthday military parade that will likely cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars. For that matter, I haven’t heard a single Republican complain about the millions of tax dollars spent on Trump’s golf weekends. I can only assume that you and your party prioritize spending to boost the over-inflated ego of your totalitarian leader over feeding hungry children.

Before you write back about Trump’s so-called ‘mandate’, my guess is that people who voted for him did so because they believed his lies about cutting the cost of living (for them, not for the billionaires). I don’t think anyone voted to have their tax dollars pay for his golf jollies and some massive-ass military parade to celebrate his 79^th birthday.

Senator, I write to remind you that the United States of America is a democracy, and we have no kings. Trump’s planned parade to the tune of tens of millions of our dollars is corrupt and obscene and any sitting politician with an ounce of integrity will speak up against it.

  Jessica

Friends – I know that we are living through dangerous and terrifying times. It is up to all of us who can to challenge those in power every step (and misstep) of the way. If we can have a good time doing so, I believe this makes us stronger, personally and collectively. I share these letters to and from various senators to show you that we are not shouting into the void when we call out the individuals in power. We each have a voice, and it is being heard. The more of us who speak up, the louder we are, and the harder it is to ignore us. I share these letters to encourage others to speak up and hope that, you too, can find joy in participating in this fight against fascism. Joy will get us through. 

Go make your voice heard!

Jessica