Danielle, This Fourth of July is different. As America marks 250 years since declaring independence, we'll gather with family, watch fireworks, fly flags, and celebrate the birth of our democracy. But it's also worth remembering what we were celebrating in the first place. America was born because its people fought back against a king and an empire to form a new republic. We demanded our freedom. We declared our independence. And we built a government designed to make sure no one person could ever hold unchecked power again. Our founders rejected the idea that power belongs to one man. They built a system of checks and balances because they knew freedom depends on accountability — not blind loyalty. That's what real patriotism is. Real patriotism is standing up for the dignity and freedom of your fellow Americans. It's believing that our democracy is worth protecting — even when it's hard or feels impossible. Throughout our history, the American people have done exactly that. We fought to end slavery. We fought for workers' rights, for civil rights, for voting rights. We built Medicare and Social Security because we believed that government should work for ordinary people — not just the wealthy and well-connected. Every single one of those victories was won by ordinary people who were told they were powerless. They were told to wait and stay quiet. But they didn’t listen, and they changed the course of history. Trump wants us to believe that dissent is somehow un-American — that the people who march, organize, and peacefully speak out care less about this country than those who simply fall in line. That's nonsense. Dissent isn't a threat to America. Dissent built America. Because the American people do not bow to kings. That’s why as Republicans roll back rights that generations of Americans fought to secure, we will continue fighting back for our country. The consequences of putting the wealthy and well-connected ahead of everyone else aren't hypothetical. They're already here. Trump's so-called One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB), whose birthday is also today, is proof. The OBBB constitutes the largest transfer of wealth from working people to the wealthy in a single law in modern American history. It handed more than $1 trillion in tax breaks to the richest 1% while ripping more than $1 trillion out of Medicaid and nutrition assistance. And made it so that next year, a family making $50,000 will get less than $2 a day from this bill's tax cuts — while a household in the top 0.1% will receive more than $300,000. It's legalized theft from working people to reward the ultra-rich. And it's yet another reason we must never stop fighting back. Because history tells us that we can take on kings. Two hundred and fifty years ago, ordinary people believed they could end tyranny and build a democracy that worked for all. I still believe this country is capable of big change. I still believe working people deserve a government that fights for them rather than for billionaires and giant corporations. And I still believe that the American people together are stronger than any knock-off, wannabe king. This Fourth of July, I invite you not only to celebrate our independence. But to defend it. Speak up. Organize. Stand with your neighbors. Stay in this fight. Because it is people like you, Danielle, who truly hold the power. Thanks for being a part of this, Elizabeth  |
