Congress swears the same oath as every single service member — they share this commitment. So it’s no surprise that in this crucial moment for our country, many of our Courage Candidates are veterans. They understand the cost of war. And they understand their oath of office. National Guard members Demi Palecek (IL, State Rep) and Dylan Blaha (IL-13) spoke up more than a month ago to say they would not follow unlawful orders.
Their statement was essential. It reframed the national conversation.
Just one week ago, six sitting lawmakers followed their lead and reminded the military and the intelligence community not to follow illegal orders. The lawmakers were all veterans or former intelligence officers. The video reaffirmed that servicemembers swore an oath to the Constitution, not to any one person or party. That simple reminder prompted the President to call these lawmakers seditious and triggered an FBI investigation. It also prompted a much, much wider discussion of the legality of orders being issued by the executive branch.
This administration is issuing illegal orders to the military. When members of the National Guard were shot in DC last week, it was not simply another gun violence tragedy in a country full of them. As candidate Jeremy Devito (AL-05) said, the shooting was a real world consequence of the President’s illegal orders to deploy the National Guard to U.S. cities. When Secretary of Defense Hegseth ordered yet another extrajudicial killing of yet another boat — and followed that up with explicit orders to “kill them all,” OTHER, sitting lawmakers joined the discussion saying “war crimes may have been committed.”
Courage is contagious. Speaking up matters. Today, we’re calling to tell ask our representatives to stand with servicemembers and publicly re-affirm their shared oath of office, to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
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It’s time for Congress to have courage — and do their job
Public servants — Congress and military members alike — swear their oath to the Constitution. Full stop.
The Supreme Court has abdicated its ability to determine the legality of actions taken by President Trump — that’s what immunity means. Without the judiciary willing or able to reign in the executive branch, it is truly up to Congress to speak out and take action. This includes impeachment. Trump may not face criminal liability for his actions in office, but he can — and will — face civil consequences like impeachment if we have anything to do with it.
Following the lead of the President, uninformed people will argue vehemently that simply reminding military members of their oath of office is somehow a violation of law and order. It is not. If you have 10 minutes, take a look at 21 year Army veteran and Courage Candidate (FL-15) Robert People’s response to Stephen A. Smith. A warning: There is strong language throughout. It’s warranted given the level of ignorance on display.
We desperately need more Congressional leaders to speak out about basic, simple truths. Thank you for making today’s phone call and reminding Congress of their responsibility to the people and the Constitution.