Democracy is not guaranteed. Every generation must defend it. On Feb 7th, we face the greatest threat to American democracy in modern history: Donald Trump’s second term. Just weeks in, he is illegally consolidating power, letting billionaires loot our institutions, and dismantling the pillars of democracy. The silence from Idaho’s Republican leaders is deafening.

Elon Musk, an unelected billionaire benefiting from government contracts, now controls key payment systems. Your data and services are at his mercy. His gutting of the Agency for International Development isn’t just an attack on humanitarian aid—it’s a test run for bypassing Congress. In America, you don’t shut down an agency by seizing its servers or eliminating it with an executive order. You pass a law.

Senator Mike Crapo has the power to push back. As Senate Finance Chair, he could hold Musk accountable and protect taxpayer funds. Instead, he rubber-stamps Trump’s agenda, even casting the deciding vote to confirm conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to oversee public health.

Meanwhile, Trump plans to dismantle the Department of Education. Idaho depends on federal resources to keep rural schools open and give low-income students a fair shot. His plan would strip civil rights protections for students with disabilities, making it harder for them to get support. Shortfalls would fall on neighborhood schools already struggling under Republican neglect. Still, State Superintendent Debbie Critchfield and Governor Brad Little refuse to speak.

The attacks on democracy don’t stop there. Trump has vowed to weaponize the government against his enemies. Freeing violent rioters wasn’t enough. Now he’s purging the FBI of agents who investigated those criminals. The message to law enforcement is clear: investigate Trump or his supporters, and you’ll be punished.

Then there’s the economic fallout. Trump’s $100 billion national sales tax, disguised as tariffs, will skyrocket costs. Medicaid cuts will devastate rural healthcare. The federal funding freeze has already pushed Head Start preschools across southwestern Idaho into crisis, jeopardizing early education and forcing parents out of the workforce.

Trump isn’t governing. He’s hoarding power and wealth for himself and his billionaire backers. Most of it is illegal and unconstitutional. That’s why he’s installing loyalists instead of qualified leaders at the Department of Justice and FBI. And Senators Crapo and Risch are going along with it, approving even the most unfit nominees.

Idaho’s GOP leaders are complicit in this assault on working families and democracy itself. When Trump ignores Congress, defies court orders, and dismantles the checks and balances our Founders designed, Republican senators will be to blame for clearing his path.

Idaho Democrats won’t stand by. We will fight for democracy and the rule of law. If Republican leaders refuse to do their jobs, it’s time to elect leaders who will.

Onward,

-- Lauren Necochea
Idaho Democratic Party Chair.