It’s Time to Go On Offense for Democracy

No matter who we voted for, no one wants to see our grandparents forced onto the street, our schools without teachers, or our babies dying because there are no more hospitals. Yet all of these things will happen in the United States if deep cuts to essential programs like Social Security, SNAP, Medicare, and Medicaid take effect.

Greedy oligarchs like Elon Musk think democracy is just another shiny toy their billions can buy — that there’s no politician or public institution they can’t bend to serve their will. They want deep cuts to lifesaving services to fund massive tax breaks for the super-rich and for giant corporations.

They also want to dismantle our democratic institutions as fast as they can, so the harm is done before the people who will suffer most — you and I — have time to respond.

Republican leaders are trying to push nearly $1 trillion in cuts to essential services through Congress, while Musk chainsaws his way through the federal agencies that protect our water, air, and health. Many lives will be lost as a result.

But Musk’s real goal is to distract us from the nearly $5 trillion in tax breaks for corporations and the rich that he and other billionaires want President Trump to make permanent.

Lawmakers and progressive organizations have been slow to react to the speed and barbarity of these actions. Many of us are mired in a mix of shock, anger, and disbelief, while a sense of fear and frustration is setting in among the broader public. Most still don’t understand the scope of the destruction underway — or are simply ignoring it, hoping it won’t touch them or their loved ones.

This is all about to change.

The harms caused by these deep cuts to essential services affect so many of us, in all walks of life, that constituents’ anger is boiling over. For many Americans, it’s never been clearer that this is a fight between the very richest of the rich — the top 1 percent, who control nearly 16 times as much wealth as the bottom half — and the rest of us.

It’s not about who you voted for. It’s about who gets to live with dignity.

Grassroots, member-led groups like the one I lead, People’s Action, are stepping up to defend working people. We won’t wait on the sidelines while our members’ families and communities get hurt.

We brought our members from 60 congressional districts to Washington to tell lawmakers directly how these cuts will affect their families. And as members of Congress return home to their districts, we’re making our voices heard loud and clear that they must work for us, not for the greedy few.

The oligarchs underestimate the resolve of these millions of people from every background, who rely on essential programs like the Veterans Administration, Social Security, SNAP, Medicare, and Medicaid.

We do have the power to stop this, but only if we organize. Millions of people are starting to push back, and community groups need to be ready to help them make sense of this moment, and channel their anger and frustration into effective ways to strengthen our democracy.

Grassroots groups can show people how to find a new sense of community at the state and local levels, as well as ways they can participate in a national strategy to defend and expand the programs we all rely on. I urge you to find one in your community.

The stakes couldn’t be higher. The longer we wait, the more harm that will be done — and the more lives that will be lost. It’s time for every one of us to go on the offense to save our democracy.

This piece was first published by our sister site OtherWords.