Trump administration’s overreach requires immediate pushback

Like many, I am horrified by the sweeping, cruel, and in many cases illegal actions taken by Trump administration officials, and deeply disappointed at the apparent acquiescence of elected officials who are either on board with Trump’s illegal actions or who care more about holding their own positions of power than speaking out for what is right.

A few things are important to note:

• Whether or not Donald Trump “gets away” with these actions, many are still illegal.

• President Trump, Elon Musk, and the Republican enablers of this chaos and cruelty are acting to enhance their own power and wealth, ignoring many protections put in place by our founding fathers, and acting against the interests of the majority of Americans.

• Beyond causing profound harm to individuals, these actions will hurt the American economy, the world economy, and the world as a whole.

• The actions being taken by the Trump administration do not do anything to address the most urgent challenges that we face right now –high prices, low wages, climate change, environmental degradation, and the structural budget deficit.

New Jersey is one of the most diverse states in the nation, and that diversity is a strength, not something to fear. But the Trump administration is creating an atmosphere in which any woman or minority who plays a significant role in business or government can be written off as a “diversity hire” – or blamed if thing go wrong (as in the Washington, DC airplane and helicopter collision). While arguing in support of merit-based decision-making, the administration is nominating and appointing one of the least qualified cabinets.

Of course, it is important that our borders are controlled. Sadly, the Trump administration’s campaign against all immigrants - rather than making us safer - is creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation within immigrant communities, using language that rejects the humanity even of children in this community and putting legal, law-abiding residents at odds with our police departments.

We should aggressively go after immigrants (and citizens) who are criminals, but mass deportation of 11 million people – many of whom were brought here as children - would create tremendous inflationary pressure on the economy without making us any safer.

Beyond that, the logistics of an operation of this scale make it unrealistic in the extreme. As a dark point of reference, the Nazis first corralled and then murdered six million Jewish people. Trump proposes to somehow humanely deport almost twice that number.

While Governor Murphy was widely criticized for implying that he was “harboring” an “illegal” … the subsequent threats against him by members of the Trump administration were menacing. Does this mean that ordinary New Jerseyans helping someone who is undocumented – perhaps a dreamer attending a local university - are next in line? Will threats like this continue to be used to target and silence outspoken opponents of the Trump regime?

America is the most powerful nation in the world, not only because of our economy and military, but because of the soft power we have gained by our leadership role in world organizations and the goodwill that our humanitarian work globe engenders. The Trump Administration is sacrificing this soft power to no purpose by threatening our allies and withdrawing from important global initiatives, including anti-poverty and vital health programs. The illegal shuttering of USAID is just one example, and it will not be the last. Foreign aid programs make up less than 1% of our budget, but they have helped lift developing nations out of poverty, created markets for US goods, and allowed the US to take a leadership role in important world issues.

Many U.S. government employees have chosen careers in government because they want to make a difference in the world. They believe in the mission of their work. Elon Musk, an unelected South African billionaire and supporter of fascism, is not only all denigrating civil servants as evil and incompetent, but is sending them mass communications urging them to quit and making illegal promises offering months of leave without compensation and stating that they can work other jobs while receiving severance – a felony by law in some cases. These civil servants include doctors, scientists, case workers, and park rangers and they deserve to be treated with basic humanity, just as we all do.

Musk has now set his sights on the Department of Education. If he utilizes the same sledgehammer approach as he has elsewhere, we will all feel the impacts almost immediately as federal dollars that flow to our schools to fund important special education programs evaporate.

We all agree that government should be efficient and effective in providing services, but most Americans do want government to provide basic protections – preventing businesses from poisoning groundwater or swindling consumers, ensuring that airplanes take off and land safely, making sure toys our kids play with don’t have dangerous amounts of lead, keeping salmonella and e-coli out of our food supply, confirming that drugs are safe and effective before they can be prescribed, and anticipating and addressing a wide range potential catastrophes before they happen (such as the next phase of the bird flu outbreak, which is already responsible for devastation for many poultry farmers and high costs for consumers).

Taking a wrecking ball to entire agencies with no thought to their purpose and no assessment of what is and is not working at those agencies opens us up to incredible risks, while having a negligible impact on the government’s bottom line, since most of the programs the Trump administration has chosen to target make up less than 1% of the Federal budget.

Musk is also accessing incredibly sensitive data systems across numerous agencies, including Treasury, the Office of Personnel Management, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Education, USAID, and more, risking potentially devastating security breaches as well as providing his young idealogue staffers with access to the private data of millions of people.

Republicans used to be leaders in issues of environmental conservation. Those of us who were kids in the 1970s remember breathing filthy air, being prohibited from swimming in many waterways, and the emergence of cancer clusters near industrial areas, including in New Jersey. Our government, with Republicans as leaders, successfully identified policies that allowed businesses to thrive while protecting our environment and improving our health. Now, Republicans in office seem almost gleeful in seeing how far they can damage the very ecosystems on which we and our children all depend for our very survival – if only to “own the libs.”

Until recently there had been a widespread consensus that our system of justice decisions should be impartial and objective, without bias or favoritism. Officers from the FBI to the Justice Department have dedicated their careers to that principal, yet under this administration, it is those who seek to live up to that principal who are being attacked and threatened.

I know many voters – including Republican voters – who do not agree with what is happening, but they are at a loss as to how to respond.

While we feel powerless, we are not. By channeling our frustration and fear into productive action we can help build a better world. Below are a few suggestions.

Speak to your elected officials Every Republican in office at every level of government must be reminded that the actions being taken at the Federal level reflect on them and their party. Even at the town council level, when calls and e-mails come in, elected officials will let their party leaders know, especially if they are afraid of losing an election. Republicans in office need to be pressed to state their positions, and if they oppose what the Trump administration is doing, tell us what actions THEY will take to make sure they are heard.

Democrats in office also need to hear from you too, to understand that you want them to speak out and not capitulate to the bullying behavior that we are seeing – or to run away from these serious issues.

Get involved in this year’s elections 2025 is an election year in New Jersey, with the entire state assembly and the governorship up for grabs. Because few other states have such consequential races in an off year (Virginia is the only other one with a governor’s race), the country will be looking to New Jersey to see how voters are responding to the Administration’s actions. Please get involved with your local assembly races and the governor’s race, and make sure to vote in both the primary and general elections, and get your friends and family to do the same.

Talk to your mayors and your police chiefs* ICE lacks anything close to the capacity to implement the mass deportation program that Trump has initiated. Already, police departments are being pressured – or are willingly agreeing – to work with ICE in a way that injects fear and terror into immigrant communities without making any of us safer, using your local tax dollars. Being undocumented is a civil, not a criminal, issue, and leaders in public safety recognize that building good relationships with immigrant communities is a critical element of effective policing.

Let your mayor and police chief know that that you object to your local police being used as an extension of the immigration service and that even though you support immigration controls, they need to act in a way that recognizes everyone’s humanity – or they threaten their own.

Build bridges It has been incredibly painful over the past decade to see our country and even families torn apart for political reasons, with positions being hardened by social media algorithms designed to fuel disinformation. Many people voted for Trump because they felt that things were going awry in our country, and their feelings are valid. They are not the enemy, and in fact many will be on the receiving end of many of the worst consequences of this presidency.

In service to a more united country, we need to seek common understanding around basic values, as simple as recognizing the humanity of all people, valuing empathy, and respecting the rule of law and the constitution. And, we need to remind our Republican friends (and spouses!) that the Republican party has abandoned its core values – the Constitution, small government, the rule of law, low taxes (tariffs are taxes), and equal opportunity for all. We must urge those who long for the old Republican party to help prevent the new one from succeeding.

Unfortunately, too many Trump voters believe in the gross mischaracterizations made of their opponents. Human connection and open discussion, has hard as it is, can help address this.

Speak out For many years, people quietly rooted for “the resistance” against Trump’s lawlessness and corruption. However, many were uncomfortable taking visible action for fear of alienating neighbors and family members. It is uncomfortable to take a stand, but that discomfort is a small sacrifice if it makes a difference. And, consider whether you really want the regard of someone who would judge you negatively for opposing what is happening today. There are many non-confrontational ways to voice your concerns and opinions – they are valid and this is a historic time.

Connect with local activist organizations A number of extremely effective organizations were established in response to the first Trump presidency. Instead of reinventing the wheel and building new organizations, we can hit the ground running by making the existing ones stronger and injecting new energy into their activities. Specific groups to connect with include Chatham Moms for Change, Action Together New Jersey, NJ 11th for Change, Indivisible, and Red Wine and Blue.

Get yourself organized Sign up to vote by mail and make sure that you and your family and friends vote in the primary and general elections this year. Spend a few minutes a day making calls to lawmakers, sending e-mails, or following the guidance of local organizers on other productive steps to take. Trump won the presidential election in large part because of low turnout by Democrats and Republican registrations continue to outpace Democratic ones in the state. It takes work to understand why so many Democrats sat out the last election, and to make sure they show up this year.

Work for something Even though our current leaders in Washington seem to take joy in cruelty, the reality is that it feels good to do good in the world. We need to remember that and find ways to be part of a positive effort, not just a fight against what we see as negative. Politically, Democrats must be for something, and personally, we all need to feel that our brief time on this earth is making the world a better place in some way. There is no shortage of ways you can help – pick a cause and think about something you enjoy and marry the two.

Jocelyn Mathiasen

Chatham, New Jersey

Chatham Specific Information

Local: Both the Borough and the Township now are represented by Democrats, but often hear only from conservatives if they comment on national issues. Please come to a meeting or send and e-mail to your local representatives letting them know that you believe these issues are important. Two seats are up for election in each town this year, and continued Democratic success is critical. Reach out to the Chatham Democratic (Township or Borough) Committee to volunteer to host events, distribute literature, watch at the polls, and get out the vote.

County: The Morris County Commission is 100 % Republican, with three seats up for election this year. This body has weighed in on the conservative side of social issues against abortion rights and against respectful treatment of gay and trans kids in school, although they have also been supportive of events like Black History Month and Pride Month (something that Trump Republicans are seeking to do away with). Ask them if they plan to follow the lead of the President, and let them know that you will be disappointed if they do. Get involved with the Democrats running against them and make sure these issues are part of the election conversation.

Assembly: Both assembly seats are held by Republicans, and both seats are up this year. Get involved to support the Democrats opposing them, who truly have a change at capturing these seats this year. One of these Democrats is Andrew Macurdy, and incredibly impressive former federal prosecutor who has already gained significant traction. The other candidate is to be determined.

Governor: Governor Murphy is not able to run for re-election, so this is an open election on both sides. There are a number of strong Democrats running for the nomination, and once the nominee has been selected, we must unite behind him that candidate and turn out to vote for them.

Jocelyn Mathiasen

Jocelyn Mathiasen is a three-time elected official in Chatham Borough. She was born in Turkey, the daughter of one of the first Americans employed by USAID soon after it was established. The work of USAID, from then and until this presidency, has been a critical source of soft power for the USA, as well as effectively helping to lift millions out of poverty and creating critical markets for US exports. In addition to her volunteer work in Chatham Borough she has dedicated her professional career to making governments more effective, responsive, and efficient in the delivery of critical services.