In the space of about a month, we’ve heard about: invading Mexico and Panama, and taking over Greenland and Canada; ethnic cleansing and “owning” Gaza; withdrawal from the Paris climate accords; beginning peace negotiations with Russia over Ukraine without Ukraine’s leaders; withdrawal from NATO; trade wars with allies; and J.D. Vance and Musk’s support of neo-Nazi groups in Germany

We’ve also learned about major cuts to the Centers for Disease Control; the National Institutes of Health; the Agency for International Development; the Occupational Health and Safety Administration; the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration: the Education, Labor and Justice departments; the Environmental Protection Agency; and the Internal Revenue Service.

We’ve learned of the Republicans’ budget proposal giving massive tax relief to the wealthy and to corporations funded by cuts to popular programs including Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid, and by increasing the national debt. We’ve seen the president violate laws by impounding congressionally appropriated funds, firing inspectors generals, and by giving access to computer systems at the U.S. Treasury to DOGE employees lacking security clearances, thus violating our privacy.

We’ve seen the appointments or nominations of four of the least qualified individuals in American history to cabinet positions: Pam Bondi, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Kash Patel and Pete Hegseth. We’ve seen a president making the statement that “He who saves his country does not violate any law.”

Reaching out to those who may have voted for Trump but did not vote to destroy our federal workforce and end democracy will help. Unless we organize, contact our federal and state representatives, actively protest, and prepare for possible sustained civil resistance a lot more could go wrong. The radical right is just getting started.

Richard Brunswick

Northampton