{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://pocan.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/pocan-huffman-jayapal-lead-letter-trump-slamming-executive-order-0", "Pocan, Huffman, Jayapal Lead Letter to Trump Slamming Executive Order Targeting Protected Speech", "2025-10-16", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "House", "WI", "Mark Pocan", "P000607", "pocan.house.gov", "pocan", "https://pocan.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Representatives Mark Pocan (WI-02), Jared Huffman (CA-02), and Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) sent a letter to President Trump, along with 28 of their colleagues, expressing grave concerns regarding his executive order Designating Antifa as a Domestic Terrorist Organizationand the related memorandum Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence, also known as NSPM-7, and demanding they be immediately rescinded.\n\nThese directives dangerously conflate constitutionally protected speech and political dissent with terrorism. The memo specifically targets ideologies such as \u201canti-capitalism,\u201d \u201canti-Christianity,\u201d and \u201chostility toward those who hold traditional American views,\u201d raising serious First Amendment, due process, and civil liberties concerns.\n\n\u201cWhile protecting public safety and countering genuine threats are essential responsibilities of government, the sweeping language and broad authority in these directives pose serious constitutional, statutory, and civil liberties risks, especially if used to target political dissent, protest, or ideological speech,\u201d the Members wrote.\n\n\u201cYour memo uses ideologically charged language (e.g., \u201chostility toward those who hold traditional American views on family, religion, and morality\u201d) that invites enforcement based on an individual\u2019s personal opinions or political beliefs rather than any objective concern for public safety,\u201d the Members continued.\u201cThis approach threatens our constituents\u2019 civil liberties. Regardless of whether the President agrees with someone\u2019s political views, the Constitution guarantees their right to speak and assemble peacefully.\n\n\u201cThe memo also characterizes \u2018anti-capitalism\u2019 as a hallmark of violent behavior without explaining the term,\u201d the Members go on to say. \u201cThis omission allows officials to potentially treat Americans as domestic terrorists for something as routine as organizing a local boycott or operating an employee-owned business. That lack of clarity threatens to chill lawful activism and punish economic alternatives.\n\n\u201cAdditionally, the memo's inclusion of \u201canti-Christianity\u201d as a concern implies that criticism of Christian doctrines or institutions may qualify as violent behavior,\u201d the Members continued. \u201cThis framing conflicts with the Constitution\u2019s guarantee of religious freedom and its prohibition against government favoritism toward any faith. Non-Christian religious communities, secular groups, and individual dissenters all have the right to express disagreement with religious doctrines without being treated as threats\u2026Labeling criticism as \u201canti-Christian\u201d would silence their voices and deter Americans from exercising their rights. This risk becomes especially acute if enforcement shifts from protecting religious freedom to penalizing dissent from certain traditions.\n\n\u201cWhile the threat of political violence demands vigilance, your administration must not use this moment to undermine the very constitutional and democratic principles we are sworn to uphold. These actions are illegal, and we demand you immediately rescind both the memorandum and the executive order. We stand ready to take legislative action should you fail to do so,\u201d the Members concluded.\n\nA full copy of the letter can be found here.\n\nThe list of signers include:Mark Pocan (WI-02), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Becca Balint (VT), Donald Beyer (VA-08), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Andre Carson (IN-07), Greg Casar (TX-35), Judy Chu (CA-28), Danny Davis (IL-07), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), Jesus Garcia (IL-04), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Hank Johnson (GA-04), John Larson (CT-01), Summer Lee (PA-12), Jim McGovern (MA-02), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Frank Pallone (NJ-06), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Emily Randall (WA-06), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Nydia Velazquez (NY-07), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12)", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://pocan.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/pocan-huffman-jayapal-lead-letter-trump-slamming-executive-order-0"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.1094901021569967, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}