"We are at a defining moment in this nation. Republicans have made it clear that they are willing to gut Medicare and Medicaid, strip away fundamental protections for our most vulnerable, and allow the disastrous policies of the Trump/Musk administration to continue unchecked. They have shown no respect for the constitutional authority of Congress to allocate federal funds. If they want to set fire to the very foundation of our democracy, they can do that—but we, as Democrats, cannot be complicit, we cannot go through the motions as if this is normal - it is not normal. And we certainly cannot vote for weak compromises that betray the people we were elected to serve.

"Leader Schumer, this is not the time for half-measures. We cannot keep bringing a squirt gun to a forest fire. The stakes are too high. The people who put their trust in us - the workers struggling to make ends meet, the families in need of healthcare, the communities striving for the American dream - deserve leaders who will fight with the same passion and urgency that this moment demands. Anything less is unacceptable.

"If you are not willing to stand firm, if you are not willing to fight, then it is time to step aside and make room for those who will. We need leadership that refuses to meet extremism with moderation. If Republicans want this horrific funding bill, do not give them cover, hold the line, and remind the American people that Democrats are the party that fights for them -  not the party that surrenders."