Today, my Senator \u2014 Susan Collins \u2014 failed in her oath and duty to uphold the Constitution. She voted for the appointment of a traitor to head national intelligence, and is supporting someone for director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) who openly wants to dismantle the foundations of American government. She has done nothing to oppose the Administrative coup we’ve been witnessing since POTUS 47 took office. She is now, fully, a willing collaborator. The Executive branch is now nigh irreparably and wholly corrupted, and the Congress is \u2014 effectively \u2014\u00a0on a leash wielded by the POTUS.<\/p>\n
The American system of government was designed with multiple layers of protection against the concentration and abuse of power. While we typically focus on federal checks and balances, states play a paramount role as independent sovereigns in our federal system, particularly when federal safeguards falter. Understanding these state powers is essential for maintaining constitutional governance.<\/p>\n
The architects of American federalism deliberately created a system where states retain significant independent authority. This includes control over their law enforcement agencies, National Guard units, and the ability to refuse state resources for federal actions. Perhaps most importantly, states maintain the power to prosecute federal officials who act outside their legal authority and violate state laws. These powers weren’t accidents of history \u2014 they were deliberately preserved to prevent federal overreach.<\/p>\n
Individual states become even more effective when they work together. Through formal interstate compacts and informal coordination, states can create powerful counterweights to federal overreach. This might involve sharing intelligence about illegal federal activities, coordinating legal responses, or pooling resources to resist unconstitutional actions. When multiple states stand together, their collective influence often exceeds the sum of their individual powers.<\/p>\n
States control critical infrastructure and resources that federal authorities rely upon to function effectively. This gives states significant practical leverage through their ability to withhold cooperation on federal programs or impose economic consequences on entities that support illegal federal actions. While these powers should be used judiciously, they provide states with concrete tools to resist federal overreach.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, the effectiveness of state resistance to federal overreach depends on democratic legitimacy and public support. State officials must be willing to uphold their constitutional oaths, local law enforcement must maintain order under state authority, and citizens must engage in civil resistance to support legitimate government. This democratic foundation is what transforms state powers from theoretical authorities into practical tools for preserving constitutional order.<\/p>\n
It’s important to note that state resistance powers come with significant responsibilities. States must exercise these authorities carefully and only in response to genuine constitutional violations, not mere policy disagreements. The goal is to preserve constitutional order, not to create chaos or unnecessarily disrupt legitimate federal operations.<\/p>\n
The distributed nature of American governance remains one of our strongest protections against tyranny. While a corrupt federal official might attempt to misuse power, success would require complicity from state and local institutions across the country. By understanding and preserving state powers to resist federal overreach, we maintain essential safeguards for constitutional governance.<\/p>\n
The system of checks and balances becomes most critical precisely when it appears to be failing at the federal level. In these moments, state powers of resistance \u2014 exercised responsibly and with democratic support \u2014 provide crucial backup systems for preserving constitutional order. Understanding these powers helps ensure they remain available when needed most.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, the \u201cTrump 25\u201d states form a solid base of support across four geographic regions:<\/p>\n
Several states are taking concrete actions to support federal initiatives:<\/p>\n
Republican-led states are advancing legislation to:<\/p>\n
This is just the beginning of their willing capitulation to a corrupt regime. It will only get worse.<\/p>\n
I call on Maine’s Governor, Janet Mills, to work with the remaining states to do whatever it takes to uphold democratic principles and the rule of law. Without such a coalition, we will most certainly lose our Republic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Today, my Senator \u2014 Susan Collins \u2014 failed in her oath and duty to uphold the Constitution. She voted for the appointment of a traitor to head national intelligence, and is supporting someone for director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) who openly wants to dismantle the foundations of American government. She has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"activitypub_content_warning":"","activitypub_content_visibility":"","activitypub_max_image_attachments":3,"activitypub_interaction_policy_quote":"anyone","activitypub_status":"federated","footnotes":""},"categories":[775],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"yoast_head":"\n