Call the Fascist Four Democrats Now!
Call these 4 Democrats who picked the side of Trump’s fascist surveillance agenda and blatant civil liberties abuses, voting IN FAVOR of authorizing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) without critical privacy reforms.
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Introduce yourself, be polite, and say:
“I am calling to voice my disappointment in the Representative's vote on Section 702. They were only one of four Democrats that voted to push forward a critical tool to enable Trump's fascist surveillance agenda. Reauthorizing Section 702 would essentially enable ICE and other federal agencies to continue warrant-less, real-time tracking of Americans. The harms of Section 702 are well documented, but even clearer under this administration. I urge the Representative to change their vote and stand on the right side of history. Thank you.”
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- Mention your name, and state (especially if you live in one of the representatives’ states or districts).
- Let their office know you are disappointed in their vote to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act – they were only one of four Democrats supporting this fascist legislation.
- Talk about how this issue affects you and your community.
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The Fascist Four
In a stunning betrayal, these 4 Democrats picked the side of Trump’s fascist surveillance agenda and blatant civil liberties abuses, voting IN FAVOR of authorizing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) without critical privacy reforms. Section 702 allows the government to collect communications between Americans and foreigners, which agents then use to search for information about Americans–without warrants. Meanwhile ICE and other federal agencies are bypassing constitutional protections by directly buying sensitive data including your location from data brokers.
Last week, Senator Wyden sent a classified document to colleagues on the dangerous abuses of Section 702. Representative Jayapal publicly responded:
The abuses of Section 702 are already well-documented, but we now know representatives Suozzi (D-NY), Glusenkamp-Perez (D-WA), Gottheimer (D-NJ), and Golden (D-ME) have seen even more proof of how it is used to abuse our privacy. They have no excuse voting for Trump’s fascist surveillance agenda. We can’t let them off the hook.
Representative Thomas Suozzi
Our first offender is Representative Suozzi (representing NY’s 3rd Congressional district), a complete hypocrite who introduced a bill trying to “reform” ICE. The irony is that the bill Suozzi tried to champion is self-described as “protect[ing] due process and prevent[ing] abusethrough probable-cause and warrant requirements in key enforcement contexts, including protections against the knowing detention of U.S. citizens without probable cause.” So why does Suozzi support warrant-less and harmful surveillance of U.S. citizens by the federal government?
Representative Marie Glusenkamp-Perez
Next we have Representative Marie Glusenkamp-Perez (representing WA’s 3rd Congressional district). Glusenkamp-Perez describes herself “as the daughter of an immigrant and pastor” who knows the importance of supporting her community. Not only did she vote in support of FISA, but she was also one of the handful of Dems that voted in favor of funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Might as well call her “Invisible Woman” for her ability to disappear from holding down her community whenever it’s politically convenient.
Representative Josh Gottheimer
Representing New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District, Gottheimer is no stranger to openly supporting war, policing, and surveillance. Sadly this vote seems pretty consistent with other moves he’s taken to suppress Americans’ civil liberties, like when he tried to pressure Rutgers University President to censor guest speakers that he didn’t agree with personally on Palestine/Israel. In a lot of ways, Gottheimer’s dangerous and spiteful record on free speech and civil liberties issues demonstrates very clearly why we can’t write blank surveillance checks to the government, which will inevitably be used to crack down on their political dissidents of choice.
Representative Jared Golden
Representative Golden is a shameless supporter of increased policing. But in response to increased ICE activities in his state (Maine, 2nd Congressional District), Representative Jared Golden said:
“DHS should prioritize its enforcement actions on public safety and must themselves comply with federal laws. Immigrants with legal status should not be targeted, court authorities should be obeyed and due process must be followed.“
Well apparently for Rep Golden, “due process” includes letting the federal government and ICE agents spy on anyone without a warrant. He had the audacity to go on in that same statement to say “Free speech and lawful protest are protected rights.” But when it comes to 702–one of the biggest modern threats to Americans’ right to protest–Golden’s actions speak louder than words.
Honorable Mention: Representative Jim Himes
Although ultimately choosing to vote along party lines against FISA reauthorization, Representative Jim Himes earns an honorable mention for his several false claims about FISA, the data broker loophole, and the role of AI, which organizers fact-checked here. He was seen lobbying colleagues to vote for Trump’s request on the House floor, but switched camps when the vote wasn’t going his way.
