Bipartisan Senate caucus to save our democracy | Breaking Big Money's Grip on America

Last Saturday’s No Kings protest provided some hope that the American people can, and will, stop Donald Trump’s rush toward authoritarianism. While millions of Americans marching in the streets sent a strong message, that alone will not be enough to deter Trump. More must be done.

Recently, the youth-led Sunrise Movement announced the “End the Oligarchy, Save Our Futures” initiative, which aims to mobilize millions of people against the Trump administration and its backers in the fossil fuel industry.[1] It seeks to make the U.S. environmental and labor movements into a powerful political force.

“We intend to make sure millions of students are ready to join workers in demanding an overhaul of our political and economic system so that it finally works for everyday people,” proclaimed Aru Shiney-Ajay, executive director of the Sunrise Movement.[2] Once again, it’s the people, not the politicians, who are leading the fight.

At the same time, Indivisible Santa Fe is lobbying for a bipartisan Senate caucus to save our democracy. This caucus would work to stop Trump from taking actions that would directly threaten our democracy, such as denying the right of habeas corpus or ignoring Supreme Court rulings and possibly preventing a war with Iran. This caucus could be a very effective antidote to Trump’s unethical and unlawful edicts.

Indivisible members from New Mexico will be meeting with staff from Sen. Ben Ray Lujan’s office on Thursday, June 26, on a number of matters, including the possible formation of a bipartisan Senate caucus to save our democracy. Specifically, we are asking Sen. Lujan to approach Alaskan Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski and suggest they co-chair the caucus together.

The greater the number of New Mexicans who call or email Lujan urging him to support our proposal, the more likely he will agree to forming the caucus and asking Sen. Murkowski to co-chair it with him. So, here’s something you can do right now to help stop Trump. Call (202-224-6621) or write (https://www.lujan.senate.gov/contact/contact-form/) to Ben Ray and urge him to reach out to Sen. Murkowski and ask her to co-chair a bipartisan Senate caucus to Save Our Democracy with him. Once you’ve done that, forward this email to all your friends and colleagues, and ask them to contact Lujan as well.

Together, we will stop Trump.

Bruce Berlin J.D.

A retired, public sector ethics attorney, Berlin is the author of Breaking Big Money’s Grip on America (See breakingbigmoneysgrip.com.), the founder of New Mexicans for Money Out of Politics, a former U.S. Institute of Peace fellow, and the founder and former executive director of The Trinity Forum for International Security and Conflict Resolution. He can be reached at breakingbigmoneysgrip@gmail.com.

Subscribe to this blog at https://breakingbigmoneysgrip.com/my-blog-3/.

[1] https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-climate-protest-oligarchy

[2] Ibid.

In an outrageous, blatant display of corruption, President Trump is selling access to the White House. He is using “his office for personal enrichment…selling face time to those who put money into his bank account by purchasing nearly $200 million worth of his branded souvenir crypto coins.”[1]

In addition, his overreach is totally out of control. Two federal courts have now ruled that Trump does not have the authority to issue “emergency tariffs on imports from around the world…”[2] (However, a federal appeals court has just put a temporary stay on that ruling.[3])

While this is par for the Trump we’ve come to know too well, some Senate Republicans are finally pushing back. Until recently, practically all Congressional Republicans either have been too afraid of retribution to cross him; or they refuse risking their potentially significant financial gains from his “big, beautiful budget” bill by challenging him.[4]

Even conservative Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) is voicing concerns about changes to Medicaid in Trump’s big budget bill that could lead to millions of people losing coverage. He warned colleagues in an op-ed published in The New York Times this month that cutting health care to pay for tax breaks would be “morally wrong and politically suicidal.”[5] GOP Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Thom Tillis (N.C.) are objecting to measures in the budget bill as well.[6]

The Santa Fe chapter of the national, grassroots organization Indivisible is leading an effort to harness this nascent Republican backlash against Trump’s unlawful and unethical measures. We have put out a call to Americans across the country to urge Sen. Murkowski to form a bipartisan caucus to save our democracy. Most importantly, this effort is catching on with her Alaskan constituents. See my April 30^th post at https://breakingbigmoneysgrip.com/my-blog/ for a copy of the letter to the senator which you are free to copy or use in drafting your own letter.

Perhaps it’s time to broaden the appeal to these other Republican senators who don’t see eye-to-eye with Trump. If you believe your senators, Republican or Democratic, might be willing to help form a bipartisan caucus to save our democracy, write to them as well as to Senator Murkowski. And ask your friends and email connections to do the same.

Here in New Mexico, I’m writing to Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, a young, Hispanic Democrat requesting that he speak to Sen. Murkowski and offer to co-chair this bipartisan caucus to save our democracy with her. The two of them together would broaden the appeal for such an effort. If you live in New Mexico, I urge you to write to him as well. The more senators hear from their constituents that we want them to work together to save our democracy, the more likely they will do just that. Time is running out. We all need to get to work now!

Bruce Berlin J.D.

A retired, public sector ethics attorney, Berlin is the author of Breaking Big Money’s Grip on America (See breakingbigmoneysgrip.com.), the founder of New Mexicans for Money Out of Politics, a former U.S. Institute of Peace fellow, and the founder and former executive director of The Trinity Forum for International Security and Conflict Resolution. He can be reached at breakingbigmoneysgrip@gmail.com.

Subscribe to this blog at https://breakingbigmoneysgrip.com/my-blog-3/.

[1] https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-coin-dinner-corruption_n_682e52bae4b09130a584ec82?origin=top-ad-recirc

[2] https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/29/second-federal-court-rules-against-trumps-tariffs-00374377

[3] https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-tariffs-back-now-fights-194416188.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall

[4] https://www.commondreams.org/news/big-beautiful-bill

[5] https://www.newsweek.com/senate-republicans-demands-trump-big-bill-2077055

[6] https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5320674-senate-republicans-trump-bill-debate/