Republicans Only Hope of Holding onto Power, is to Change the Game. Interview with Senator Alex Padilla

I had the opportunity to interview sitting US Senator from California Alex Padilla my “What Is Your Bagel Order?” series. Watch the full episode below, and see all episodes HERE, but with Senator Padilla we discussed what we can do to stop Trump, the importance of the midterm elections, what can be done to fix ICE, how Republicans are trying to strip away voting rights, and more!

Presidential Authority and Congressional Oversight

Jeremy: We’ve seen Trump go well beyond his authority as president, this war (Iran) included. I think there’s a lot of confusion to people of just like, why is he able to do this? How can you, how can we stop it? And like, is the midterms the answer? Or what’s happening here?

Alex: Yeah. Well, look, the midterms is a big part of the answer, and I’ll explain why. A question I get pretty often are, “are the institutions broken? Are the rules broken?” I think they’re being tested like they’ve never been tested before. And it’s going to be up to us to decide whether we sort of push back, reign things back in, or not. And the best way to do it is the people coming out to vote this November. The big frustration I have, look, I’m not shocked with anything that Trump says or does anymore, because we know.

I’m not shocked or disappointed by anything the cabinet says or does, because they’re all a reflection of him. Initially, I was surprised that Republicans in Congress not living up to their oath of office, right? Congress is a co-equal branch of government, where our job is oversight and accountability. Republicans have ceded so much power to Donald Trump, and the American people are seeing it for what it is. It is out of control with this unauthorized war in Iran. Prices are way up, out of control in terms of how they’re going about immigration enforcement in America, on and on and on.

Republican Accountability

Jeremy: I mean, do you think there’s a breaking point with Republicans and MAGA of just like, we’re not even going to be able to win anything in our own districts, which is what we’re sort of seeing happening. Like, is it going to be a wake-up call at any point to stand up to him? Or you just think they’re just, they’re so deep in it at this point, this is it?

Alex: Look, well, you would think so, especially the, you know, the senators or especially House members who are in those swing districts. They have to pay attention to both sides. So, ultimately, it’s, it’s just a test, right?

How true are you to yourself, your values that you preach, your own integrity, or will you just say anything, do anything to try to get, you know, stay in Trump’s good graces and try to get reelected that way?

Voting Rights and Election Integrity

Jeremy: You’ve been very vocal about voting rights. What concerns you the most about what the Trump administration is trying to do to voting rights, especially coming up with the midterms?

Alex: And let’s be clear, the context for their attack on voting rights. Their record, their policies have not just been unpopular, they’ve been damaging to families across the country. Republicans and Trump, their only hope of holding on to power in November is to change the rules of the game. You’ve seen it with redistricting, right? Five more seats in Texas. They’re proposing changes to how people can register to vote, how people can stay on the voter registration rolls, how people can cast their ballot, making it harder. And they’re saying the quiet part out loud, when Kristi Noem was in Arizona, several weeks ago. She says, quote, “We want the right people voting.”

So that the, quote, “right leaders get elected.” Right? That’s their game plan. They’ve tried it with executive orders, knocked down by the courts. This Save Act legislative proposal, it’s not a voter ID bill as much as they want to paint it that way. It’s a voter suppression, a voter purging bill. So, we’re standing up to it in Congress, but it’s a big wake-up call. We have to start organizing for November today, not wait till the last minute.

Immigration Enforcement and ICE Reform

Jeremy: Yeah. Do you think ICE can be saved at all? Or is this say, we need to scrap this and think about this in a totally different way?

Alex: Yeah, we’re, we’re at that point. Look, we are a nation of laws, a rule of law, and we should enforce our immigration laws, but how you do it matters. So the concern with ICE and other agencies, by the way, that have been sort of redeployed to do immigration enforcement is how they’re going about it is way out of bounds.

That’s why we’ve held up the Department of Homeland Security funding and ICE and CBP specifically until they implement reforms like every other state and local law enforcement agency in the country has to abide by. You can’t hide behind masks. You have to identify yourself. Let’s use body cameras for the safety of the public and the safety of the officers. You need a judicial warrant before you enter somebody’s home. And no shooting into cars with families in them. I mean, the examples go on and on and on, right? And so, whether it’s ICE or an agency by any other name, yes, we need somebody doing that job, but it’s got to be done in accordance with the law and in accordance with the Constitution, not the way we’re seeing the Trump administration do it.