{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-joins-sweeping-legislation-to-counter-trumps-authoritarian-takeover-us-and-defend-our-democracy", "Blumenthal Joins Sweeping Legislation to Counter Trump's Authoritarian Takeover of U.S. & Defend our Democracy", "2026-08-04", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "CT", "Richard Blumenthal", "B001277", "www.blumenthal.senate.gov", "blumenthal", "https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press", "scraper", "[Hartford, CT] \u2014 Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal joined Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) in introducing the For Our Republic Act, a comprehensive legislative package to fight back against President Trump\u2019s aggressive authoritarian takeover of American democracy.\n\nThe brand-new For Our Republic Act includes provisions to directly oppose Trump\u2019s authoritarian playbook, including defending independent government watchdogs, protecting non-partisan civil servants, reasserting Congress\u2019 power of the purse, fighting government corruption, strengthening free speech and civil liberties, and safeguarding free and fair elections.\n\n\u201cDonald Trump has led a brazen, unprecedented campaign of corruption\u2014growing his power while ignoring the needs of the American people.\u201d said Blumenthal. \u201cThe For Our Republic Act installs critical guardrails against Trump\u2019s relentless attacks on our democracy, promoting government transparency and accountability while preserving Americans\u2019 rights and liberties. This legislation fights against Trump\u2019s slide towards tyranny and protects our country\u2019s democratic values.\u201d\n\n\u201cAuthoritarianism isn\u2019t down the street or around the corner\u2014it is here right now,\u201d said Merkley. \u201cWe have all three ingredients of a strongman state in the United States: a rubber-stamp Congress doing the President\u2019s bidding; a deferential Supreme Court finding \u2018invisible ink\u2019 in the Constitution to enhance the President\u2019s powers; and a power-hungry President behaving like a king, breaking the law and violating the checks and balances of our Constitution.\n\nMerkley continued, \u201cThe For Our Republic Act lays out a clear roadmap of the actions Congress can take to fight back against Trump\u2019s authoritarian takeover and reassert our authority. Together, let\u2019s fight back and save our republic!\u201d\n\n\u201cIn a clear conflict of interest and gross abuse of power, Trump fired 17 Inspectors General within his first days in office so he could tap political allies to conduct oversight of his own Administration\u2014leaving these watchdogs to answer to the President before the American people,\u201d said Duckworth. \u201cFirst and foremost, Senate Democrats\u2019 For Our Republic Act includes my legislation that would prevent stone-cold corruption like this, which have too often become the norm in the Trump Administration. It\u2019s clear that the current checks on the President are not enough, and our legislation would not only help us restore good government\u2014it will also empower Congress to prevent any more wanna-be kings from bending our Republic to its breaking point.\u201d\n\nTo fight back against the known playbook of authoritarian governments, the For Our Republic Act includes new provisions to counter the rise of authoritarianism and erosion of our democratic government under the second Trump Administration, as well as existing legislation from Blumenthal, Merkley, and Duckworth, along with Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (D-N.M.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).\n\nThe For Our Republic Act outlines ten principles to protect our democracy:\n\nDefend the Referees\n\nProtect the Independent, Non-Partisan Civil Service\n\nCelebrate One Nation, Indivisible\n\nReaffirm Equal Justice Under Law\n\nStrengthen Free Speech\n\nReassert Congress\u2019 Power of the Purse\n\nFight Government Corruption\n\nEnsure Liberty and Justice for All\n\nPrevent Authoritarian Policing Tactics on America\u2019s Streets\n\nSafeguard Free and Fair Elections\n\nA detailed outline of the For Our Republic Act can be found by clicking here.\n\nThe For Our Republic Act is supported by Public Citizen, Project on Government Oversight (POGO), Refugees International, and Common Cause.\n\n\"It is stunning how the Trump Administration, empowered by an obedient congressional Republican caucus, has empowered the federal government to intrude and impose upon our daily lives. The separation of powers, and the checks and balances against over-reach by the president, have largely been vanquished. America has fallen into dangerous times. Sen. Merkley's For Our Republic Act seeks to restore those critical checks and balances and re-affirm the democratic principles upon which America was founded. Public Citizen heartily endorses this very necessary measure,\u201d said Craig Holman, Ph.D., Public Citizen.\n\n\"With so many attacks on our country\u2019s core values, the For Our Republic Act is a critical step in restoring our democratic principles,\" said Carol Evans, Common Cause\u2019s Vice President of Policy. \"This legislation takes the power back for the people. It ensures that our government serves the public rather than answering to the whims of one person in charge.\"\n\nFull text of the For Our Republic Act can be found by clicking here.\n\nA section-by-section summary of the For Our Republic Act can be found by clicking here.\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-08-07T06:11:19Z", "2026-08-08T05:43:24Z"]], "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://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-joins-sweeping-legislation-to-counter-trumps-authoritarian-takeover-us-and-defend-our-democracy"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9601777419447899, "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"}