Sam's Newsletter - March 3, 2025
Hello Friends,
Thank you to everyone who attended our town hall meetings. On Tuesday, over 5,000 of you participated in our telephone town hall; on Friday, more than 400 of us gathered at the West Valley College Theater. In this profoundly difficult moment for our nation, I treasure these opportunities to connect. Your questions, insights, and passion for our community make democracy thrive.
If you couldn’t join us, don’t worry—our next town hall will be on March 9th from 2 PM to 3:30 PM at Mountain View Gymnasium (3535 Truman Ave, Mountain View, CA 94040). I hope to see even more of you there. RSVP here.
Making Corruption Criminal Again
On Thursday, I introduced the Modern Emoluments and Malfeasance Enforcement (MEME) Act. This legislation would halt the financial exploitation of the public by corrupt federal officeholders—that is, it makes corruption criminal again.
Three days before his inauguration, then-President-elect Trump launched the Trump meme coin. Insiders—including Trump’s business partners and some Chinese investors—pumped up the price, cashing in hundreds of millions of dollars before the value plummeted. He duped more than 800,000 Americans, who collectively lost more than $2 billion. Insiders call this a "rug pull.” When I was a criminal prosecutor, we used a different word: "fraud."
Learn more about the bill in my press release or by reading my exclusive interview with the Associated Press.
When I was elected, I didn’t set out to introduce anti-corruption legislation, but the president’s gross misconduct left me no choice. I will not ignore public officials who abuse their power for personal financial gain—public offices belong to the people, not officeholders.
Rapid Response Taskforce Update
I wanted to update you on the latest from the Rapid Response Task Force & Litigation Working Group. To date, we've worked with partners like Public Citizen and Democracy Forward to file 96 cases against the Trump administration, and already, 35 have resulted in injunctions that have constrained or halted executive action. Which leads me to…
Joint Address Preview
Tomorrow, Donald Trump will deliver his first joint address to Congress, and I’ll be there with a special guest: Daniel Sandecki. Daniel is a veteran with 10 years of active-duty service who most recently served our community as a VA Palo Alto Health Care System employee. Now, Daniel is one of thousands of federal employees unjustly terminated as a result of Trump’s unlawful dismantling of the federal workforce.
Daniel deserves better than a cold termination email, left high and dry by the country he risked his life to protect. Our veterans served by the Palo Alto VA deserve better, too. Without Daniel, continuity of care for our veterans is at greater risk. These so-called cuts don’t make us more efficient; they put our agencies at risk of systemic failure.
Many of my House Democratic colleagues are bringing Americans directly impacted by Trump’s executive orders. I’m glad the president will have to look out at a sea of faces—the people he has hurt—and explain himself.
Photo Finish
This week, the New Democrat Coalition leadership named me Chair of the Innovation & Technology Working Group. I’ll spearhead efforts to advance policies that foster American leadership in emerging technologies, and I’ve begun fashioning an agenda. I welcome your insights about how we can win the 21st century
I’m honored to serve alongside talented colleagues who share a commitment to driving an innovation agenda.
America stands at a pivotal moment. We need a Congress that supports entrepreneurs, inventors, and the industries of tomorrow. I’m eager to keep you updated on this critical work. More to come…
Sam's Reading Corner
- Still curious about the MEME Act? Check out San Jose Spotlight’s coverage.
- Donald Trump’s treatment of President Zelenskyy certainly had Eisenhower and Reagan rolling in their graves. Watching an American president feebly prostrate himself before a Russian dictator was a disgrace. History will not forgive us for appeasing Putin—not just for betraying the Ukrainian people and our allies but for betraying America’s deepest-held values. Read more in my interview with ABC7.
Sincerely,
Sam