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U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah) wearing a face mask as a preventive measure walks towards the Republican caucus launch. (Photo illustration: Photo by Michael Brochstein/Echoes Wire/Barcroft Media via Getty Images)
GOP 'Plot to Gut Social Security Behind Closed Doors' Gains Steam in Senate Covid-19 Talks
"With seniors most at risk from Covid-19, we need to be increasing Social Security's modest benefits, not creating secret commissions to cut them."
May 22, 2020
A proposal by Sen. Mitt Romney to establish congressional committees with the specific goal of crafting legislative "solutions" for America's federal trust fund programs has reportedly resurfaced in GOP talks over the next Covid-19 stimulus package, sparking alarm among progressive advocates who warn the Utah Republican's bill is nothing but a stealth attack on Social Security and Medicare.
Politico's Burgess Everett reported Wednesday that Romney's TRUST Act, first introduced last October with the backing of a bipartisan group of senators, "is getting a positive reception from Senate Republicans" in coronavirus relief discussions, which are still in their early stages. The legislation, Everett noted, "could become part of the mix" for the next Covid-19 stimulus as Republicans once again claim to be concerned about the growing budget deficit.
Max Richtman, president and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare (NCPSSM), told Common Dreams in an interview that he is not at all surprised to see Romney's bill crop up again and said it should be diligently opposed.
"Obviously this is a way to push in cuts Social Security and Medicare without leaving fingerprints."
--Max Richtman, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
NCPSSM vocally condemned the TRUST Act when it was unveiled last year, warning that--if passed--the measure "would likely result in cuts to the earned benefits of seniors, people with disabilities, and survivors."
Richtman noted that in a House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee roundtable discussion this week, the idea of establishing commissions to study possible changes to Social Security--though not Romney's bill specifically--was floated by GOP members, an indication that the New Deal-era program is very much on the minds, and potentially in the crosshairs, of Republican lawmakers.
"Social Security is the piggy bank that Republicans seem to go to whenever it dawns on them that we've gotta do something about the debt," Richtman said, "notwithstanding the fact that they passed a huge tax cut that added trillions to the debt and benefited mostly wealthy individuals and corporations."
Speaking to Politico this week, two Republican congressmen--Reps. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) and Steve Womack (R-Ark.)--cited the coronavirus pandemic's possible effects on Social Security to call for a commission to study the program and recommend reforms. Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.), meanwhile, is pushing for an expansion of benefits funded by lifting the payroll tax cap, which would make wealthier Americans pay more.
"I don't know when we're going to decide to take up the issue," said Womack. "I hope and I pray that it's not when we have no other real options other than something draconian like big cuts."
Richtman warned that in the near future the public is likely "going to start hearing more and more" GOP proposals to cut Social Security under the guise of "entitlement reform" as the party suddenly rediscovers its concern for the mounting deficit.
"Obviously this is a way to push in cuts to Social Security and Medicare without leaving fingerprints, or not many fingerprints," Richtman said of the TRUST Act.
\u201c"If history is a guide, retirees should not trust Romney with their #SocialSecurity benefits." https://t.co/9fxgJvXQ1g\u201d— Nat. Cmte. to Preserve Social Security & Medicare (@Nat. Cmte. to Preserve Social Security & Medicare) 1573678155
Romney's legislation--which currently has 10 Senate co-sponsors, including five Democrats--would give the Treasury Department 45 days to present Congress with a report on the federal government's "endangered" trust funds. Congress would then establish one "rescue committee" per trust fund with a "mandate to draft legislation that restores solvency and otherwise improves each trust fund program."
"If a Rescue Committee reports a qualifying bill for its trust fund program, it would receive expedited consideration in both chambers," according to a summary of Romney's bill. "While 60 votes would be required to invoke cloture for final passage in the Senate, only a simple majority would be needed for the motion to proceed, which would be privileged."
"If Republicans cared about the American people, especially seniors, they'd be passing legislation to get PPE to essential workers, help the unemployed, and rush assistance to the nursing homes that are turning into death traps."
--Alex Lawson, Social Security Works
The Utah Republican's role as lead sponsor of the TRUST Act was sufficient reason for activists to raise serious concerns about the bill's intentions when it was first unveiled last year.
During his 2012 presidential run, Romney proposed raising the Social Security retirement age and privatizing Medicare. Romney's running mate, former House Speaker Paul Ryan, was long considered the poster child for Republican efforts to gut what's left of America's social safety net.
Romney's bill was endorsed by former Republican Sen. Alan Simpson and former Clinton Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles, the leaders of the notorious Obama-era commission that--among other sweeping changes--recommended raising Social Security's eligibility age and slashing benefits.
"The last thing seniors need is for Mitt Romney to get his hands on Social Security," Richtman said in October.
Social Security Works, a progressive advocacy group, warned in a tweet on Wednesday that the TRUST Act is "a plot to gut Social Security behind closed doors." The group told Common Dreams that it is closely monitoring Senate talks and actions related Romney's bill.
\u201cThe bill in question is the TRUST Act, and it's a plot to gut Social Security behind closed doors: https://t.co/n4ubqjR26U\n\nWith seniors most at risk from COVID-19, we need to be increasing Social Security's modest benefits, not creating secret commissions to cut them.\u201d— Social Security Works (@Social Security Works) 1590004516
Alex Lawson, executive director of Social Security Works, said in an emailed statement to Common Dreams that "at a time when current Republican policy is to let seniors die of Covid-19 by the tens of thousands without lifting a finger to help, it is beyond shameful that Mitt Romney's focus is to rob those same older Americans of their earned Social Security and Medicare benefits."
"Romney's TRUST Act would create a fast-track, closed door commission to cut Social Security and Medicare," Lawson said. "If Republicans cared about the American people, especially seniors, they'd be passing legislation to get PPE to essential workers, help the unemployed, and rush assistance to the nursing homes that are turning into death traps."
"Instead," Lawson added, "they are focused on using this pandemic as an excuse to gut our most popular and effective government programs."
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A proposal by Sen. Mitt Romney to establish congressional committees with the specific goal of crafting legislative "solutions" for America's federal trust fund programs has reportedly resurfaced in GOP talks over the next Covid-19 stimulus package, sparking alarm among progressive advocates who warn the Utah Republican's bill is nothing but a stealth attack on Social Security and Medicare.
Politico's Burgess Everett reported Wednesday that Romney's TRUST Act, first introduced last October with the backing of a bipartisan group of senators, "is getting a positive reception from Senate Republicans" in coronavirus relief discussions, which are still in their early stages. The legislation, Everett noted, "could become part of the mix" for the next Covid-19 stimulus as Republicans once again claim to be concerned about the growing budget deficit.
Max Richtman, president and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare (NCPSSM), told Common Dreams in an interview that he is not at all surprised to see Romney's bill crop up again and said it should be diligently opposed.
"Obviously this is a way to push in cuts Social Security and Medicare without leaving fingerprints."
--Max Richtman, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
NCPSSM vocally condemned the TRUST Act when it was unveiled last year, warning that--if passed--the measure "would likely result in cuts to the earned benefits of seniors, people with disabilities, and survivors."
Richtman noted that in a House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee roundtable discussion this week, the idea of establishing commissions to study possible changes to Social Security--though not Romney's bill specifically--was floated by GOP members, an indication that the New Deal-era program is very much on the minds, and potentially in the crosshairs, of Republican lawmakers.
"Social Security is the piggy bank that Republicans seem to go to whenever it dawns on them that we've gotta do something about the debt," Richtman said, "notwithstanding the fact that they passed a huge tax cut that added trillions to the debt and benefited mostly wealthy individuals and corporations."
Speaking to Politico this week, two Republican congressmen--Reps. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) and Steve Womack (R-Ark.)--cited the coronavirus pandemic's possible effects on Social Security to call for a commission to study the program and recommend reforms. Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.), meanwhile, is pushing for an expansion of benefits funded by lifting the payroll tax cap, which would make wealthier Americans pay more.
"I don't know when we're going to decide to take up the issue," said Womack. "I hope and I pray that it's not when we have no other real options other than something draconian like big cuts."
Richtman warned that in the near future the public is likely "going to start hearing more and more" GOP proposals to cut Social Security under the guise of "entitlement reform" as the party suddenly rediscovers its concern for the mounting deficit.
"Obviously this is a way to push in cuts to Social Security and Medicare without leaving fingerprints, or not many fingerprints," Richtman said of the TRUST Act.
\u201c"If history is a guide, retirees should not trust Romney with their #SocialSecurity benefits." https://t.co/9fxgJvXQ1g\u201d— Nat. Cmte. to Preserve Social Security & Medicare (@Nat. Cmte. to Preserve Social Security & Medicare) 1573678155
Romney's legislation--which currently has 10 Senate co-sponsors, including five Democrats--would give the Treasury Department 45 days to present Congress with a report on the federal government's "endangered" trust funds. Congress would then establish one "rescue committee" per trust fund with a "mandate to draft legislation that restores solvency and otherwise improves each trust fund program."
"If a Rescue Committee reports a qualifying bill for its trust fund program, it would receive expedited consideration in both chambers," according to a summary of Romney's bill. "While 60 votes would be required to invoke cloture for final passage in the Senate, only a simple majority would be needed for the motion to proceed, which would be privileged."
"If Republicans cared about the American people, especially seniors, they'd be passing legislation to get PPE to essential workers, help the unemployed, and rush assistance to the nursing homes that are turning into death traps."
--Alex Lawson, Social Security Works
The Utah Republican's role as lead sponsor of the TRUST Act was sufficient reason for activists to raise serious concerns about the bill's intentions when it was first unveiled last year.
During his 2012 presidential run, Romney proposed raising the Social Security retirement age and privatizing Medicare. Romney's running mate, former House Speaker Paul Ryan, was long considered the poster child for Republican efforts to gut what's left of America's social safety net.
Romney's bill was endorsed by former Republican Sen. Alan Simpson and former Clinton Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles, the leaders of the notorious Obama-era commission that--among other sweeping changes--recommended raising Social Security's eligibility age and slashing benefits.
"The last thing seniors need is for Mitt Romney to get his hands on Social Security," Richtman said in October.
Social Security Works, a progressive advocacy group, warned in a tweet on Wednesday that the TRUST Act is "a plot to gut Social Security behind closed doors." The group told Common Dreams that it is closely monitoring Senate talks and actions related Romney's bill.
\u201cThe bill in question is the TRUST Act, and it's a plot to gut Social Security behind closed doors: https://t.co/n4ubqjR26U\n\nWith seniors most at risk from COVID-19, we need to be increasing Social Security's modest benefits, not creating secret commissions to cut them.\u201d— Social Security Works (@Social Security Works) 1590004516
Alex Lawson, executive director of Social Security Works, said in an emailed statement to Common Dreams that "at a time when current Republican policy is to let seniors die of Covid-19 by the tens of thousands without lifting a finger to help, it is beyond shameful that Mitt Romney's focus is to rob those same older Americans of their earned Social Security and Medicare benefits."
"Romney's TRUST Act would create a fast-track, closed door commission to cut Social Security and Medicare," Lawson said. "If Republicans cared about the American people, especially seniors, they'd be passing legislation to get PPE to essential workers, help the unemployed, and rush assistance to the nursing homes that are turning into death traps."
"Instead," Lawson added, "they are focused on using this pandemic as an excuse to gut our most popular and effective government programs."
A proposal by Sen. Mitt Romney to establish congressional committees with the specific goal of crafting legislative "solutions" for America's federal trust fund programs has reportedly resurfaced in GOP talks over the next Covid-19 stimulus package, sparking alarm among progressive advocates who warn the Utah Republican's bill is nothing but a stealth attack on Social Security and Medicare.
Politico's Burgess Everett reported Wednesday that Romney's TRUST Act, first introduced last October with the backing of a bipartisan group of senators, "is getting a positive reception from Senate Republicans" in coronavirus relief discussions, which are still in their early stages. The legislation, Everett noted, "could become part of the mix" for the next Covid-19 stimulus as Republicans once again claim to be concerned about the growing budget deficit.
Max Richtman, president and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare (NCPSSM), told Common Dreams in an interview that he is not at all surprised to see Romney's bill crop up again and said it should be diligently opposed.
"Obviously this is a way to push in cuts Social Security and Medicare without leaving fingerprints."
--Max Richtman, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
NCPSSM vocally condemned the TRUST Act when it was unveiled last year, warning that--if passed--the measure "would likely result in cuts to the earned benefits of seniors, people with disabilities, and survivors."
Richtman noted that in a House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee roundtable discussion this week, the idea of establishing commissions to study possible changes to Social Security--though not Romney's bill specifically--was floated by GOP members, an indication that the New Deal-era program is very much on the minds, and potentially in the crosshairs, of Republican lawmakers.
"Social Security is the piggy bank that Republicans seem to go to whenever it dawns on them that we've gotta do something about the debt," Richtman said, "notwithstanding the fact that they passed a huge tax cut that added trillions to the debt and benefited mostly wealthy individuals and corporations."
Speaking to Politico this week, two Republican congressmen--Reps. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) and Steve Womack (R-Ark.)--cited the coronavirus pandemic's possible effects on Social Security to call for a commission to study the program and recommend reforms. Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.), meanwhile, is pushing for an expansion of benefits funded by lifting the payroll tax cap, which would make wealthier Americans pay more.
"I don't know when we're going to decide to take up the issue," said Womack. "I hope and I pray that it's not when we have no other real options other than something draconian like big cuts."
Richtman warned that in the near future the public is likely "going to start hearing more and more" GOP proposals to cut Social Security under the guise of "entitlement reform" as the party suddenly rediscovers its concern for the mounting deficit.
"Obviously this is a way to push in cuts to Social Security and Medicare without leaving fingerprints, or not many fingerprints," Richtman said of the TRUST Act.
\u201c"If history is a guide, retirees should not trust Romney with their #SocialSecurity benefits." https://t.co/9fxgJvXQ1g\u201d— Nat. Cmte. to Preserve Social Security & Medicare (@Nat. Cmte. to Preserve Social Security & Medicare) 1573678155
Romney's legislation--which currently has 10 Senate co-sponsors, including five Democrats--would give the Treasury Department 45 days to present Congress with a report on the federal government's "endangered" trust funds. Congress would then establish one "rescue committee" per trust fund with a "mandate to draft legislation that restores solvency and otherwise improves each trust fund program."
"If a Rescue Committee reports a qualifying bill for its trust fund program, it would receive expedited consideration in both chambers," according to a summary of Romney's bill. "While 60 votes would be required to invoke cloture for final passage in the Senate, only a simple majority would be needed for the motion to proceed, which would be privileged."
"If Republicans cared about the American people, especially seniors, they'd be passing legislation to get PPE to essential workers, help the unemployed, and rush assistance to the nursing homes that are turning into death traps."
--Alex Lawson, Social Security Works
The Utah Republican's role as lead sponsor of the TRUST Act was sufficient reason for activists to raise serious concerns about the bill's intentions when it was first unveiled last year.
During his 2012 presidential run, Romney proposed raising the Social Security retirement age and privatizing Medicare. Romney's running mate, former House Speaker Paul Ryan, was long considered the poster child for Republican efforts to gut what's left of America's social safety net.
Romney's bill was endorsed by former Republican Sen. Alan Simpson and former Clinton Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles, the leaders of the notorious Obama-era commission that--among other sweeping changes--recommended raising Social Security's eligibility age and slashing benefits.
"The last thing seniors need is for Mitt Romney to get his hands on Social Security," Richtman said in October.
Social Security Works, a progressive advocacy group, warned in a tweet on Wednesday that the TRUST Act is "a plot to gut Social Security behind closed doors." The group told Common Dreams that it is closely monitoring Senate talks and actions related Romney's bill.
\u201cThe bill in question is the TRUST Act, and it's a plot to gut Social Security behind closed doors: https://t.co/n4ubqjR26U\n\nWith seniors most at risk from COVID-19, we need to be increasing Social Security's modest benefits, not creating secret commissions to cut them.\u201d— Social Security Works (@Social Security Works) 1590004516
Alex Lawson, executive director of Social Security Works, said in an emailed statement to Common Dreams that "at a time when current Republican policy is to let seniors die of Covid-19 by the tens of thousands without lifting a finger to help, it is beyond shameful that Mitt Romney's focus is to rob those same older Americans of their earned Social Security and Medicare benefits."
"Romney's TRUST Act would create a fast-track, closed door commission to cut Social Security and Medicare," Lawson said. "If Republicans cared about the American people, especially seniors, they'd be passing legislation to get PPE to essential workers, help the unemployed, and rush assistance to the nursing homes that are turning into death traps."
"Instead," Lawson added, "they are focused on using this pandemic as an excuse to gut our most popular and effective government programs."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
LATEST NEWS
Trump Bombs Yemen After Houthis Revive Blockade on Israeli Ships
"U.S. officials are escalating deadly attacks on one of the poorest and most devastated nations in the Middle East, while recklessly pushing the U.S. toward a wider regional war with Iran," said one peace group.
Mar 15, 2025
This is a developing news story... Please check back for possible updates.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced Saturday that he had ordered the military to "launch decisive and powerful" action against the Houthis in war-torn Yemen, a glaring contradiction of what critics have called the Republican's "anti-war charade."
The U.S. bombing follows Trump redesignating the Houthis—also known as Ansar Allah—as a terrorist organization shortly after returning to office in January and comes just days after the group renewed a blockade on Israeli ships.
Shuaib Almosawa reported earlier this week for Drop Site News that "the military spokesperson for the Houthi-led government in Yemen on Tuesday announced the resumption of the naval blockade targeting Israeli ships traversing Yemen's waterways, following the expiration of its deadline for Israel to allow aid into the besieged Gaza Strip."
"In a televised statement broadcast by Almasirah TV channel, Houthi spokesperson, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, said that the blockade on Israeli ships now covers Yemen's waterways in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait," according to Almosawa, a freelance journalist based in the Yemeni capital Sanaa.
Trump's lengthy Saturday post on his Truth Social platform did not explicitly mention Israel or Gaza. He said in part that "funded by Iran, the Houthi thugs have fired missiles at U.S. aircraft, and targeted our Troops and Allies. These relentless assaults have cost the U.S. and World Economy many BILLIONS of Dollars while, at the same time, putting innocent lives at risk."
Almosawa reported Saturday that at least nine civilians have been killed in Trump's new bombing campaign.
According to The Associated Press:
The Houthi media office said the U.S. strikes hit "a residential neighborhood" in Sanaa's northern district of Shouab. Sanaa residents said at least four airstrikes rocked the Eastern Geraf neighborhood in Shouab district, terrifying women and children in the area.
"The explosions were very strong," said Abdallah al-Alffi. "It was like an earthquake."
The United States, Israel, and Britain have previously hit Houthi-held areas in Yemen. Israel's military declined to comment.
Trump noted the bombings under former U.S. President Joe Biden, saying Saturday that his predecessor's "response was pathetically weak, so the unrestrained Houthis just kept going."
The U.S.-based peace group CodePink called out another part of Trump's post, saying that he "claimed that the Houthis have waged an 'unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism' against America and other ships, aircraft, and drones. However, he conveniently ignores critical context behind these actions. The Houthis' attacks on foreign cargo ships began in response to the ongoing genocide in Gaza, aimed at deterring the continuation of Israel's ongoing plan to ethnically cleanse Palestine."
"This campaign ceased when a cease-fire was finally put in place, only to resume due to Israel's ongoing violations of the cease-fire agreement," CodePink continued, noting Israeli strikes that just reportedly killed aid workers and journalists in Gaza. "Instead of confronting the root causes of this violence, U.S. officials are escalating deadly attacks on one of the poorest and most devastated nations in the Middle East, while recklessly pushing the U.S. toward a wider regional war with Iran."
"CodePink and its allies demand an immediate halt to U.S. military intervention in Yemen and across the Middle East," the group concluded. "We call on the government to prioritize peace and justice by immediately ending all military aid and funds to Israel and holding Israel accountable for breaking the cease-fire."
Members of Congress across the political spectrum have a history of criticizing U.S. bombings of Yemen throughout its decadelong civil war as illegal. Justin Amash, a libertarian former Michigan congressman, slammed the Saturday strikes on social media.
"I'll say it again. It is unconstitutional for President Trump to engage in acts of war in Yemen," Amash explained. "It doesn't matter how appropriate you think it is for the U.S. to take on Houthis or terrorists or anyone. Congress has not authorized war in Yemen. Engaging in war there is unlawful."
Rubio Slammed for Expelling South African Ambassador Over Trump Criticism
"It underscores that his critiques of white supremacy in the Age of Trump are perceived as threatening for one simple reason: He's right."
Mar 15, 2025
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has faced a flood of condemnation since announcing on social media Friday that "South Africa's ambassador to the United States is no longer welcome in our great country."
"Ebrahim Rasool is a race-baiting politician who hates America and hates President Donald Trump," the secretary claimed. "We have nothing to discuss with him and so he is considered PERSONA NON GRATA."
In the post on X—the social media site owned by Elon Musk, Trump's South Africa-born billionaire adviser—Rubio linked to an article by the right-wing news site Breitbart about Rasool saying during a Friday webinar that the U.S. president is leading global a white supremacist movement.
As examples of Trump's "Make America Great Again" movement exporting its "supremacist assault," Rasool pointed to Musk elevating Nigel Farage, leader of the far-right Reform U.K. party, and Vice President JD Vance meeting with the leader of the neo-Nazi Alternative for Germany party.
Responding to Rubio on X, North Carolina State University assistant teaching professor Nathan Lean said: "Ebrahim Rasool is a man of genuine decency, moral courage, and is a friend. This makes me absolutely embarrassed to be an American. And it underscores that his critiques of white supremacy in the Age of Trump are perceived as threatening for one simple reason: He's right."
The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) similarly responded: "Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool is a principled leader who fought alongside Nelson Mandela against apartheid and has dedicated his career to democracy, interfaith cooperation, and justice. Baseless attacks like this only serve to divide. We stand by him and his lifelong commitment to building a more just and inclusive world."
Laila Al-Arian, executive producer of Al Jazeera's "Fault Lines," declared that "this administration is virulently and unabashedly Islamophobic, not even trying to hide how unhinged they are as they go after people for speech."
Rasool previously served as ambassador during the Obama administration and returned to the role shortly before Trump began his second term. Earlier this week, Semafor reported on his difficulties dealing with the current administration:
He has failed to secure routine meetings with State Department officials and key Republican figures since Trump took office in January, Washington and South African government insiders told Semafor, drawing frustration in Pretoria.
Rasool is likely to have been frozen out for his prior vocal criticism of Israel, a South African diplomat, based in Washington, told Semafor. "A man named Ebrahim, who is Muslim, with a history of pro-Palestine politics, is not likely to do well in that job right now," said one of them. While South Africa brought a case against Israel to the International Court of Justice in December 2023, accusing it of genocide in Gaza, Rasool is nevertheless widely considered to be among the government's most ardent pro-Palestine voices.
South African political analyst Sandile Swana told Al Jazeera on Friday that the "core of the dispute" with the diplomatic was the genocide case against U.S.-armed Israel. In the fight against apartheid, the U.S. "supported the apartheid regime," said Swana. "Rasool continues to point out the behaviour of the United States, even now is to support apartheid and genocide."
Other critics also pointed to the ongoing court battle over Israel's utter destruction of Gaza and mass slaughter of Palestinians.
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) national executive director Nihad Awad told Rubio: "Your declaration of Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool as persona non grata is a racist, Islamophobic, transparent act of retaliation for South Africa's opposition to Israel's genocide in Gaza."
Imraan Siddiqi, a former congressional candidate in Washington who now leads the state's branch of CAIR, said that "he stood up firmly against apartheid, so it's no coincidence you're punishing him in favor of an openly apartheid state."
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's office said in a statement Saturday that "the presidency has noted the regrettable expulsion of South Africa's ambassador to the United States of America, Mr. Ebrahim Rasool.
"The presidency urges all relevant and impacted stakeholders to maintain the established diplomatic decorum in their engagement with the matter," the office added. "South Africa remains committed to building a mutually beneficial relationship with the United States of America."
The diplomat's expulsion follows Trump signing an executive order last month that frames South Africa's land law as "blatant discrimination" against the country's white minority. Writing about the order for Foreign Policy in Focus, Zeb Larson and William Minter noted that "his actions echo a long history of right-wing support in the United States for racism in Southern Africa, including mobilization of support for white Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) as well as the apartheid regime in South Africa."
##
'Dark Day for American Democracy': Alarm Over Trump DOJ Speech
"It's increasingly clear that we're entering a modern McCarthy moment," said the head of the ACLU.
Mar 15, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump's campaign-like speech at the Department of Justice on Friday sparked a fresh wave of alarm over the Republican's attacks on his critics, disrespect for the rule of law, and plans for his second term.
Trump—who was convicted of 34 felonies in New York before returning to the White House—slammed his perceived opponents as "scum" and "thugs," called efforts to hold him accountable for alleged criminal activity "bullshit," and declared: "We will expel the rogue actors and corrupt forces from our government. We will expose... their egregious crimes and severe misconduct."
Trump's appearance with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and props promoting drug enforcement displayed his intent to remake the federal judiciary and fueled speculation that he will appoint Florida-based District Judge Aileen Cannon, who dismissed the classified documents case against him, to the nation's Supreme Court.
"Some of the most hallowed halls of justice in America were disgraced by the president of the United States, who has inappropriately installed his personal lawyers and other loyalists into leadership roles at the Department of Justice," said Lena Zwarensteyn, senior director of the fair courts program and an adviser at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
"This reinforces what we knew: The independence of the department has been compromised. During his remarks, the president sought to undermine faith in our judicial system, attacked lawyers who support due process and the rule of law, and made it clear that he expects the attorney general and other leaders to use the full force and resources of the Justice Department to roll back our civil and human rights, target his enemies, and operationalize a worldview that perpetuates white supremacy," she said. "The anti-immigrant rhetoric that both he and the attorney general used was reprehensible and unacceptable."
Zwarensteyn stressed that "in our democracy, Justice Department lawyers—including the attorney general—are the people's lawyers, not the president's lawyers, and they have a sacred duty to enforce our nation's laws without prejudice and with an eye toward justice. The DOJ must be seen by the public—every member, from every community—as fair and independent arbiters of our legal system. Today's appearance at the DOJ by the president, during which he thanked and called out his appointees and personal lawyers, will further tarnish the public's trust of the department and undermine our democracy."
"This cannot be the way that the DOJ—the nation's signature agency for the enforcement of our federal civil rights laws—functions moving forward. We need a DOJ that is working for the people, not the president, and we demand better of our federal government and its leaders," she concluded, calling on the Senate to reject his nomination of Harmeet Dhillon to a key department post.
One of Trump's targets during the speech was Norm Eisen, who was involved with the president's first impeachment and previously served as White House special counsel for ethics and government reform, U.S. ambassador to the Czech Republic, and board chair of the watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).
Eisen responded with a video on social media, highlighting his work with State Democracy Defenders Action, which he co-founded.
ACLU executive director Anthony Romero said in a statement that "Ambassador Norman Eisen is a great American patriot, with an extraordinary career in public service. He has served the American people for decades inside and outside of government. He has worked to defend democracy at home and abroad."
"It is a sad day when the president of the United States personally attacks an individual of such character," Romero continued. "When charitable organizations like CREW, the ACLU, and others sue the federal government to uphold the law, we are playing a vital role in upholding American values."
The ACLU leader also warned that "it's increasingly clear that we’re entering a modern McCarthy moment. When the government is targeting a former ambassador, a legal permanent resident, law firms, and even universities and treating them like enemies of the state, it is a dark day for American democracy."
Since Trump returned to power in January, his administration has not only empowered billionaire Elon Musk to dismantle the federal government but also targeted news outlets, student protesters, and education institutions while signaling a willingness to ignore court orders—fueling calls for Congress to hit him with a historic third impeachment.
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