Enough Is Enough
Co-authored by Via Luino
Photo via Mass 50501 Volunteer
Donald Trump should never have appeared on the ballot for the 2024 election. After actively encouraging the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, Trump clearly falls into the category of people excluded from holding office by the Fourteenth Amendment. This amendment states, “No person shall . . . hold any office, civil or military, under the United States . . . who, having previously taken an oath . . . as an officer of the United States . . . to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.” A functional federal government would have barred Trump from appearing on the ballot. Ours chose to instead bar states from enforcing the Fourteenth Amendment on their own.
Since his reelection, Trump has repeatedly and egregiously ignored our laws and the Constitution. Upon his return to the Oval Office, Trump usurped power that only Congress should possess. He immediately began disbanding USAID, a congressionally-created agency that provided international humanitarian aid and bolstered our national security for over 60 years. Trump has also weaponized the national guard by illegally deploying troops to liberal cities against the will of governors and mayors. When Democrats urged troops to refuse illegitimate orders, Trump decried their words as, “seditious behavior punishable by death.” Trump has also sent ICE into our communities to unlawfully seize and detain immigrants, and even U.S. citizens. On January 7, 2026, these illegal raids led to an ICE agent viciously murdering an innocent bystander.
These are just three examples of the many crimes Trump has committed within the U.S., and his lawlessness continues outside of our borders. Some of his international acts are a furtherance of his domestic malfeasence—like the illegal dismantling of USAID leading to the estimated deaths of over 600,000 people so far, as well as the planned destruction of almost $10 million dollars’ worth of contraception meant to help women in low-income countries. Some, like his decision to bomb seven countries in just one year, toe the line between which military powers belong to the president and which are the jurisdiction of Congress. And some are violent offences that flagrantly disregard both U.S. and international law, such as the destruction of dozens of civilian ships in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific Ocean.
These attacks on civilian vessels are horrifying on every level. The U.S. military is being used to murder non-combatants who are only suspected of being criminals, without any investigation or evidence of guilt. Such an abuse of power is wildly illegal. Instead of taking real action against drug trafficking, Trump and Hegseth are bragging on X that they’ve killed scores of innocents—at least 114 as of January 2, 2026. One of these attacks, which included a second, “double tap” strike against two sailors who were stranded and helpless in the water, may even constitute a full-on war crime.
On Saturday, January 3, 2026 the administration’s brazen flouting of U.S. and international law reached a new level. The military invaded Venezuela and kidnapped their president, Nicolás Maduro. This was done on Trump’s orders, without any authorization from Congress—or even their knowledge. By failing to receive any approval from Congress before invading another country, Trump has violated his oath of office to preserve the Constitution. Moreover, regardless of Maduro’s conduct as president of Venezuela, it is a blatant violation of international law for the U.S. president to unilaterally and pre-emptively kidnap another country’s head of state. Emboldened by his successful encroachment on Venezuela’s sovereignty, Trump has escalated to discussing potential attacks on Mexico, Columbia, Cuba, and even Greenland. The Danish prime minister has warned that, because Greenland is part of Denmark, such an attack would be the death of NATO. Trump has also threatened Venezuela’s new leader, Delcy Rodríguez, with paying “a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro” if she doesn’t do what he wants. With the growing risk of additional unlawful invasions, it is urgent that we act to prevent further bloodshed. We must re-assert our Constitutional system of governance at home before Trump’s actions can lead to a full-scale international war.
The best time to begin impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump was months ago, but the next-best time is right now. Even if our initial attempts do not successfully impeach Trump or remove him from office, beginning the proceedings immediately will establish for voters and the world at large that a substantial portion of We the People view this presidency as illegitimate. Impeachment proceedings are a powerful measure to shift the national dialogue toward a recognition that our democracy is in a dire state of emergency. Expanding this recognition and awareness will pave the way for a successful impeachment and removal, even if neither occurs before the 2026 mid-term elections. As other democratic nations are increasingly inclined to view the United States as a pariah state, initiating impeachment proceedings signals that a large number of the American people reject this administration’s cruel, chaotic, and unlawful actions.
Furthermore, with every impeachment vote, representatives are forced to go on the record as standing either with our Constitution, or with an unlawful president. The more we force our most spineless representatives to publicly and explicitly endorse Trump and his illegal actions, the more likely it is that their constituents will turn up at the polls in 2026 to vote against them. If we can flip the Senate and the House in the midterms, then successful impeachment and removal will become much more likely. As an added benefit, we can rub Mike Johnson’s smug face in impeachment proceedings for the rest of his hopefully-brief time as Speaker of the House.
At the same time, this month Democratic senators have a rare moment of leverage; the expiration of the current continuing resolution on Jan. 30th requires Democratic votes to continue funding the government. The previous funding fight resulted in Democratic senators folding without achieving their goal of maintaining the subsidies that keep healthcare affordable for millions of Americans. If we wish to achieve a different result than our senators caving without accomplishing anything, then we must demand better from our Congresspeople. This next funding fight should reflect the gravity of our current situation. All senators, regardless of party, should refuse any funding agreement until there is an end to—and accountability for—the administration’s illegal international actions.
We Are Many, They Are Few
Today is a great day to start calling your members of Congress to demand accountability for this administration. Urge your members of Congress to call for the impeachment and removal of Donald Trump, and demand that there be no extension of government funding without an end to this administration’s illegal attacks in Latin America. Every single U.S. citizen has three people representing them, including two senators and one representative. Anyone anywhere in the U.S. can find their senators here and their representative here. For all Massachusetts residents, your senators are currently:
Elizabeth Warren
DC office: (202) 224-4543
Boston office: (617) 565-3170
Springfield office: (413) 788-2690
Ed Markey
DC office: (202) 224-2742
Boston office: (617) 565-8519
Springfield office: (413) 785-4610
Your House representative depends on your district, which is determined by your home address. While it’s important to call all three, impeachment proceedings begin in the House, so call your House representative the most for this issue. Should a spending bill pass the House, switch your primary focus to calling your Senators.
Calling Congress as the country falls apart around us might feel like screaming pointlessly into the void, but the fact is, calling Congress really does work. Your elected officials depend on you, their constituents, to stay in power. No matter what side of the aisle you or they are on, your call matters. In addition, calling is more effective than emailing. Some estimates say five or six calls can be worth as much as hundreds of emails. Calls, emails, and even faxes are far better than simply liking or reposting something on social media.
So what do you even say when you call, and how can you make sure you’re being effective? First, it’s important to give your full name and street address, and make sure to tell them you’re one of their constituents. Second, you’ll want to state why you’re calling in clear, concise terms, while still being polite. A sample script for calling to demand Trump’s impeachment is below, and for more issues and sample scripts, check out 5 Calls. This organization regularly updates a list of pertinent and often time-sensitive topics, and each listing includes background information and customizable sample scripts.
Finally, it’s important to call your representatives regularly. Consider saving all three contact numbers for each of your senators as well as the numbers for your representative to your contacts, which will make repeatedly contacting them much easier. If one of the numbers turns back a busy signal, call another one. You don’t always have to call when you’re upset, either; if your representatives do something you support, make sure to tell them so! Don’t be afraid to leave a voicemail—in fact, for those of us with phone anxiety, intentionally calling on weekends and after hours can be a great way to make your voice heard without having to actually talk to someone. Just be sure to leave your full address so your call is tallied. Even if you don’t hear back, keep calling. Even when times are dark, remember that We the People are many, and when we rise up together, we are unvanquishable.
Sample script for calling your House representative:
Hello,
My name is [FIRST AND LAST NAME], and I’m a constituent from [TOWN]. I’m calling to express my outrage over the Trump Administration’s repeated and on-going abuses of power and unlawful actions, including the kidnapping of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and Trump’s threats to attack several other nations. The president does not have the power to declare war, and Trump must be stopped from doing so.
I ask that Representative [REPRESENTATIVE’S LAST NAME] support articles of impeachment, forcefully condemn Donald Trump, and refuse to pass any federal spending bill until the Trump Administration has been held accountable for its illegal actions.
Thank you,
[YOUR NAME]
[IF LEAVING A VOICEMAIL, INCLUDE YOUR FULL STREET ADDRESS]
Sample script for calling your senators:
Hello,
My name is [FIRST AND LAST NAME], and I’m a constituent from [TOWN]. I’m calling to express my outrage over the Trump Administration’s repeated and on-going abuses of power and unlawful actions, including the kidnapping of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and Trump’s threats to attack several other nations. The president does not have the power to declare war, and Trump must be stopped from doing so.
I ask that Senator [SENATOR’S LAST NAME] forcefully condemn Donald Trump and demand he be removed from office and convicted for his crimes. I also ask that you refuse to pass any federal spending bill until the Trump Administration has been held accountable for its illegal actions.
Thank you,
[YOUR NAME]
[IF LEAVING A VOICEMAIL, INCLUDE YOUR FULL STREET ADDRESS]
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