May 23, 2026
Dear Friends,
I have long believed President Trump to be among the most corrupt individuals to ever hold office. His actions, from his war of choice with Iran, to his tariff policies, to his so-called, One Big Beautiful Bill that decimated Medicaid and food assistance, have made life harder and more expensive for our communities, businesses, and working families. And his sardonic dismissal of the real pain so many Americans are feeling in the face of rising prices is nothing short of cruel.
So, imagine my surprise that Trump’s actions this week surpassed the levels of corruption that even I thought him capable of achieving.
This week, Trump and his Justice Department announced a deal that creates a more than $1.7 billion slush fund to pay allies of the president who believe they were unjustly targeted by the government, all on the dime of the American taxpayer. Chief among those who would be receiving these taxpayer dollars are the 1,600 convicted insurrectionists who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. So, convicted criminals who desecrated the halls of the Capitol and brutally beat police will now be entitled to funds that are paid for by the American people. This is theft, plain and simple. I joined my Democratic colleagues to cosponsor legislation that expressly prohibits the use of public dollars for this slush fund, and I’ll do all in my power to prevent this egregious scheme.
On top of that slush fund for his allies, Trump also made sure he and his family directly benefit from the corrupt deal with his own Justice Department. Also included in this settlement is a ban to stop the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from ever investigating the tax filings of Trump, his family, and his businesses. The deal explicitly states that the government is “FOREVER BARRED AND PRECLUDED" from reviewing or prosecuting the tax returns of the President, his sons, and all of his trusts and businesses. The stark self-dealing on display has shocked watchdogs and even some Republicans. But Trump’s corruption still didn’t stop there.
News also came out this week that the president traded thousands of stocks in recent months — using his position to directly profit to the tune of millions of dollars. Reporting found that Trump or his investment managers made more than 3,700 stock trades in the first quarter of this year. Some of the biggest trades were in companies that have major dealings with him and his administration, like Warner Bros and Paramount Skydance Corp, whose controversial merger was recently approved by his administration. Other trades included Nvidia, Palantir — which Trump praised shortly after buying shares — Big Pharma companies, and even energy stocks as his war of choice against Iran spikes gas prices for Americans. This level of corruption is unheard of in the presidency. Since the 1970s, every single president put their stocks and other assets in a blind trust. Every president except Trump.
The most basic edict citizens of any democracy should be able to trust is that their government is working on behalf of the people, not individual interests. That trust has been shattered. Time and again Trump has shown, in words and deeds, that he doesn’t care that millions of Americans are struggling to put food on the table, and cannot pay their bills; his focus is, as ever, on enriching himself, his family, and his most loyal supporters.
Despite that broken trust, I believe we can, and must work to put the pieces back together and restore public trust and belief in our government. That is why I’m fighting against this Trump ally slush fund, why I’m seeking an end to this deeply unpopular war of choice with Iran, why I support legislation to get dark money and special interests out of our politics, and why I co-sponsor the TRUST in Congress Act and a number of other bills that would ban stock trading of any public official and their families outright. While far from solving every problem, these are vital steps in the process to restore faith in our nation.
In the sagely words of my late friend and dear former colleague John Lewis: “ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble.” I hope you will join me in making that good trouble. Know that I won’t stop or slow in the pursuit of a brighter, fairer, more just vision of America.
As always, thank you for reading.
Your friend,
DID YOU KNOW?
My office and I are working to make sure you remain informed with the latest updates and recommendations from governments and agencies. With that in mind, here is some information that may be of interest to you:
- The Fiscal Year 2025 Assistance to Firefighters Grants, Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) and Fire Prevention & Safety (FP&S) Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) are now available!
- Every year, I’m honored to assist numerous local fire departments and EMS organizations by writing letters of support and helping to prepare their applications for these critical grants.
- The application periods opened this week, TUESDAY May 19 at 9:00AM ET and close MONDAY June 22 at 5:00PM ET.
- FEMA is hosting Application Workshops, find the schedule here!
- If you have any questions, concerns, or need assistance – please contact my office.
