Senator tells overflow audience of more than than 1,000 he voted ‘hell no’ on budget bill, says the country is already in a Constitutional crisis

By Damian Mann for Ashland.news

An overflow audience at the Ashland High School gymnasium Sunday afternoon erupted into thunderous applause as U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) blasted the “tyrannical” actions of the Trump administration.

At the boisterous town hall, with at least 1,000 in attendance, Merkley laid out a stark, apocalyptic critique of President Donald Trump.

Audience members clapped, stamped their feet and voiced their condemnation after Merkley repeatedly called Trump a tyrant, a “would-be king,” or a “Russian agent.”

Merkley said he couldn’t go along with minority leader Sen, Chuck Schumer’s support for a budget deal last Friday to avert a federal shutdown.

“That’s always a losing argument against a tyrant,” Merkley said. “I am very worried about our country.”

Merkley, who didn’t call for Schumer to step down as minority leader as some Democrats have demanded, said the budget deal last Friday will only give more power to President Donald Trump, pointing out that Trump got “scorched” during his first term in office for a 35-day federal shutdown.

Both Merkley and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) voted against the legislation that funds government through the end of September, and many Democrats fear it will give the Trump administration additional power to make more federal cuts.

“I am fiercely opposed to what happened Friday,” he said. “I shouted out, ‘hell no’ when I voted.”

Both Merkley and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) hold town halls in each county every year. Merkley held another town hall later in the day in Josephine County.

Merkley made a dig at Rep. Cliff Bentz, a Republican representing the Congressional district that encompasses Jackson County. Bentz voted “yes” on the budget deal.

“I’m sure Cliff would love to come here and answer your questions,” Merkley said.

Local civic leaders and both state Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland, and state Rep. Pam Marsh, D-Ashland, were in attendance.

“This gym is packed,” said Ashland Mayor Tonya Graham, who introduced the “boots and roots senator” to the audience.

At the beginning of the town hall, Merkley welcomed more than two dozen members of Lomakatsi Restoration Project up to the podium. Lomakatski, an Ashland nonprofit, has been forced to halt much of its work and lay off employees because of Trump administration budget cuts.

Many of Lomakatsi’s workers are from Latin America.

Merkley said Lomakatsi needs more federal support, not less, and applauded their efforts thinning local forests.

Ashland resident Patty Snow said she wants to know what can be done to ensure Congress doesn’t “bow down to a TV star and his demented billionaire (Elon Musk).”

“I’m not going to let democracy fall on my watch,” she said, expressing concern about the future for her grandchildren. “This is a hill I’m ready to die on.”

Merkley said the country is already in the midst of a Constitutional crisis, enabled by an acquiescent Congress and an acquiescent court, which he said is the product of 30-year effort toward a corporate takeover of the court system. Merkley said he worries that severe cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are in the works, and he said they would enable the Trump administration to create a “slush fund.”

He urged Snow and others to take action and to make their voices be heard.

Merkley said, while urging audience members to conduct peaceful protests, it sends a “powerful message” when people stand in front of doorways to let their representatives know their views.

He told the audience to join progressive groups such as Indivisible, MoveOn or local affinity groups which support inclusiveness and diversity.

Toby Pew, an Ashland High School 10th grader, said he questions whether national security is being undermined by the current administration.

“Some of the latest actions taken by the current commander-in-chief have made me raise questions of whether the United States will remain a safe, stable nation for my generation to grow up in,” he asked.

Merkley said he has similar questions about Trump’s actions, and during Senate hearings he asked prospective nominees for administration posts “whether or not Trump was a Russian asset.”

He said Trump has undermined American democracy and undermined our alliances, including spouting Russian propaganda, saying Ukraine is a dictatorship and that it is the aggressor in the war with Russia.

“Should we be concerned? Absolutely,” Merkley said.

Leah Lennon, a 10th grader at Ashland High, worried about ongoing efforts to weaken regulations that protect the environment under the Environmental Protection Act.

“What can you and your Democratic colleagues in the Senate do to minimize these actions?” she asked.

Merkley said there are efforts to undo many of the provisions of the EPA and the Environmental Protection Agency.

He said Democrats can pursue fast-track reviews of proposed rule changes, though he said it’s not yet clear what rules the administration might change that would cause damage to the environment.

“I think we need to immediately put that rule before the House and the Senate and make members take a stand if they are going to defend our treasures or destroy our treasures,” he said.

Merkley said the Trump administration has already shown a willingness to defy court orders, citing the recent deportation of hundreds of Venezuelans to El Salvador.

At the same time, Trump “cozies up to tyrants” and continues on “a momentum toward autocracy,” he said.

“It feels so unreal to have this conversation right now,” Merkley said. “We are about to lose 250 years of Constitutional democracy.”

He said ongoing intimidation by the Trump administration and from billionaire Elon Musk calls for a strong pushback from Congress.

Many audience members voiced concern about losing protections for the environment.

Merkley said Trump’s “drill baby, drill” comments are out of step with the need to deal with climate change and to protect national treasures, including the parks system and forests.

He said America has the power to lead the world in climate change policies.

“If the United States backs out, our planet is doomed,” he said.

Near the close of the town hall, Merkley urged audience members in this “dark and difficult world” to spend some time reconnecting with the natural beauty of Oregon, and to turn off phones and “restore your soul.”

After a time of reflection, Merkley said people need to “get off the couch” and hold the Trump administration and Congress accountable and “let them feel your wrath about what’s happening in the United States of America.”

Reach freelance writer Damian Mann at [email protected].

March 17: Added Patty Snow’s name to photo caption.