PLEASE SIGN: Congress Must Block Trump’s
Authoritarian Takeover of Humanitarian Aid
Jon Rainwater / Peace Action & Every Action

(February 5, 2025) — President Trump’s recent freezes on foreign aid and domestic funding, and attempts to unilaterally shut down federal agencies, are not only unconstitutional — they are a dangerous step toward authoritarian dismantlement of most federal human needs programs.

In my opinion, the country is sleepwalking as radical and cruel changes are being rapidly enacted. With life-saving funds suspended and aid workers sidelined, we’re witnessing a man-made catastrophe that threatens to unravel years of progress in alleviating human suffering. It’s time for the public and members of Congress who oppose this creeping – or rapidly accelerating – authoritarianism to stand up and take bolder action.

Just one example of this authoritarian takeover is Elon Musk’s campaign to shut down USAID which was created by and funded by Congress. Musk pledged to “kill” the “radical left causes” funded by USAID. The situation took a dystopian turn when Musk orchestrated a takeover. In scenes reminiscent of a corporate coup, career foreign aid staff were unceremoniously escorted from their offices by security personnel. Their professional identities — badges, work phones, and laptops — were stripped away in a display of raw power.

ACTION: I’m asking you to contact your senators today and demand they use every measure in their power to block “business as usual” until Trump reverses his unconstitutional and authoritarian actions.

As Musk’s team seized control of computer systems and databases, the lifeblood of humanitarian aid—the ability to disburse life-saving funds—was abruptly cut off. Employees attempting to fulfill their mission of helping those in dire need found themselves suspended.

These unprecedented moves left the global aid community reeling, raising urgent questions about the future of humanitarian assistance and the unchecked influence of private actors – in a word oligarchs – in matters of international welfare. Peace Action has long supported reform to reduce corporate and military influence in foreign assistance including at USAID. But this is the opposite. Trump is taking a wrecking ball to humanitarian programs while exempting military aid packages thereby enriching authoritarian friends and the military-industrial complex.

https://click.everyaction.com/k/101610458/526502989/-639194863

Some congressional leaders like Senators Chris Murphy and Brian Schatz have recognized that they possess spines and they are using them to stand up to authoritarian overreach. But the broader response in Congress remains frustratingly tepid. Murphy correctly characterized this as a “constitutional crisis” -—a description that feels increasingly understated with each passing day. Schatz called Trump’s action on foreign aid funding “brazenly authoritarian” and put a hold on Trump’s State Department nominees until the action on USAID is reversed.

ACTION: We need MORE members of Congress taking action and we need all of them to take even bolder steps. Please sign a message to your members of Congress today.

We need to recognize that Trump is dismantling humanitarian aid and USAID as a trial balloon. Many US human needs programs, some of which are also frozen, could be given the Musk treatment if we don’t fight back now. Peace Action recognizes the severity of this moment. We cannot allow Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Marco Rubio to dismantle vital programs and assert unchecked power.

Here’s What Congress, Especially Senators,
Can Do to Fght Back
You can tell them to:

1. Vote No on Every Nominee Until Trump Reverses These Decisions. There are many terrible appointments that will have votes soon where Peace Action opposes the nominee on the merits (e.g. Huckabee, Vought, Gabbard etc.). But Senators should vote no on every single appointment until these unconstitutional and undemocratic decisions are reversed.
2. Deny a Quorum to Freeze Senate Business. If Senate leadership doesn’t have 51 senators on the floor, Democrats can walk out, bringing Senate business to a halt. This would prevent harmful legislation and extremist administration and judicial confirmations from moving forward.
3. Block Business As Usual in Congress. By requiring Republican leadership to repeatedly show a quorum, Democrats and any anti-authoritarian Republicans can stall the anti-democratic agenda and keep them from passing destructive policies. At the same time, it builds leverage to get Trump to change course, which he’s done when he gets enough push back.
4. Use Legislative Power and Legal Means to Push Back. Members of Congress can use their platform to condemn the freezes and attempts to dismantle foreign aid. They can use their oversight powers to investigate and block these actions. They can pursue emergency legislation to restore funding and protect USAID’s and the State Department’s professional independence. Finally they can pursue legal action if the administration persists in overstepping its authority

This is a critical moment for our democracy and for the millions of people who rely on foreign aid and domestic funding for their survival. We must act now to hold this administration accountable and protect the most vulnerable among us. Please write today.

Thank you for stepping up at this dangerous moment,
Jon Rainwater
Executive Director
Peace Action

P.S. We need to ramp pressure now. Write your senators and House rep today and demand they resist Trump’s unconstitutional freeze on aid and funding. 

Send the Following Message
Use Congressional Powers to Block Unconstitutional Funding Freezes and Dismantling USAID

Dear [elected official],

Our nation is at a dangerous crossroads. The Trump administration’s efforts to freeze appropriated funding and dismantle programs established by and funded by Congress, like USAID, should be seen as a threat to the fundamental checks and balances set up by the founders of our nation.  I urge you to work with your colleagues to ensure that Congress ceases “business as usual” until the crisis is resolved. I am a member of Peace Action and follow these issues.

While I appreciate that members of Congress hoped to work in a harmonious way with the new administration, the administration’s reckless and disruptive actions have made that impossible. We ask that you push back against this administration’s attempts to take Congressional powers away from Congress.

Bold action is needed. Senators have a full toolbox of procedural tools that can be used to stop business as usual until the administration reverses its most extreme acts such as funding freezes and dismantling USAID. Senators can work to
1) Call for quorum checks and deny leadership a quorum
2) Reject unanimous consent
3) Oppose or put holds on all nominations
4) Vote no on all procedural votes to move legislation forward and use any other tool available.

If Congress does not act boldly right now, it may result in irreversible damage to our country.

Please write to me and let me know what you are doing to oppose the undemocratic and unconstitutional actions and whether you are willing to take bold action to end the constitutional crisis by pressing the administration to reverse its extreme actions.

History is watching all of us. I urge you to use the power of your position to take a courageous stand.