[Pages S3003-S3005]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             RECOGNIZING ``ASSAULT ON AMERICAN DIPLOMACY''

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, since the start of his second term, 
President Trump has upended the international world order and America's 
leadership on the global stage. He and his allies are working 
decisively to erode the values that are central to our Nation. Notably, 
retired diplomats, military leaders, national security experts, and 
even former Trump administration officials have denounced these actions 
as undermining our democratic norms and traditions, and I would like to 
highlight one such open letter from former U.S. leaders.
  I ask unanimous consent that this letter be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

          The Assault On American Democracy: A Call to Action

       As American diplomats around the world and national 
     security leaders here at home, we saw no greater cause than 
     serving our fellow citizens. We swore to support and defend 
     the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. 
     Foreign and domestic. None of us thought the second part of 
     that phrase would ever come into play--until now.
       American global leadership has depended on many factors, 
     including political, economic, and military power. But most 
     important was the moral foundation for that power--America as 
     an example to others. Though our actions didn't always live 
     up to our ideals, we stood for simple but powerful ideas that 
     people everywhere embraced: democracy, equality, individual 
     liberty, and human rights.
       That moral foundation is now in grave danger. The challenge 
     comes from within, as President Trump and his administration 
     have assaulted the pillars of our democracy here at home and 
     our strength around the world.
       Internationally, Trump has questioned the value of long-
     standing alliances in Europe and Asia. On our borders, he has 
     poisoned ties with our closest neighbors. He has undermined 
     the bedrock principle of world peace that sovereign borders 
     will be respected. The United States now seeks to lay claim 
     to Greenland, the Panama Canal, and Canada, greenlighting 
     other countries to proceed as they see fit, most notably 
     Russia in Ukraine. The global economic order that

[[Page S3004]]

     ushered in a period of unparalleled prosperity for Americans 
     is being undermined by Trump's senseless tariffs and war on 
     legally binding trade agreements. America as the first 
     responder to global humanitarian crises becomes a distant 
     memory with the dismantling of USAID.
       Domestically, Trump is aggressively eliminating constraints 
     on his power and fomenting fear. He is intimidating 
     independent media outlets with frivolous lawsuits. Our 
     universities are retreating from freedom of speech because of 
     explicit threats to withdraw federal monies. Our law firms 
     are being bludgeoned into denying representation to anyone 
     whom this administration does not like. Our medical research 
     centers are seeing an exodus of experts forced out by an 
     administration that does not believe in basic science. 
     Congress and the Department of Justice threaten to impeach 
     sitting judges that rule against the government. Federal 
     trade unions have been shut down by executive order. State 
     governments that challenge the administration face cuts in 
     federal funding. A racist, misogynistic and homophobic 
     mindset is leading to the erasure of history and national 
     heroes at our cultural institutions. In a country with a 
     proud history of immigration, legal residents are being 
     illegally deported for expressing an opinion. People are 
     whisked off the street by masked officials in unmarked cars 
     or sent off to imprisonment abroad without due process. Trump 
     talks publicly about an unconstitutional third term without a 
     word of concern from his own party.
       American democracy and American security are inextricably 
     linked; weaken one and the other inevitably begins to fail. 
     As patriots and public servants from both parties who worked 
     to protect America over many decades, we see that link 
     unraveling at lightning speed. Many of us have served in 
     countries where democratically elected leaders followed a 
     path to autocracy, and we know this crisis requires an urgent 
     and unified response. As a result, we call for the following:
       --Former senior officials, including presidents, 
     secretaries of state, secretaries of defense, and chiefs of 
     staff of our military services must jointly and publicly 
     challenge the administration's dangerous policies and 
     dismantling of essential institutions.
       --Business leaders must condemn Trump's disastrous trade 
     policy which is plunging the global economy into chaos and 
     disrupting supply chains that support millions of jobs.
       --Medical institutions, like the CDC, NIH, and major 
     research centers around the country must defend science with 
     non-partisan funding of medical investigation and warn of the 
     dangers of abandoning global engagement on pandemic 
     prevention.
       --Universities and media must protect free speech. Without 
     a unified stance, they will be picked off one-by-one and 
     first amendment rights for every American will be in peril.
       --Our largest law firms must remain guardians of the rule 
     of law by resisting administration pressure to undermine the 
     legal system of checks and balances which is so fundamental 
     to our democracy.
       --Finally, politicians on both sides of the aisle who 
     believe in the core values of our constitution must actively 
     oppose the administration's efforts to undermine our national 
     security, our freedoms, and our democracy. Waiting passively 
     for the electoral calendar to fight back does nothing more 
     than give the administration additional time and running room 
     to impose its authoritarian stamp ever more securely on 
     government and on all of us.
       No American should be silent. No American who cares about 
     our freedoms, our institutions, and our identity as a nation 
     can afford to be a bystander. Each of us in different walks 
     of life must do what we can--speak out, mobilize, defend our 
     way of life. The moment requires nothing less. We must 
     recognize the seriousness of what is taking place and act 
     collectively to restore our democracy and our security. If we 
     do not, the American ideals of liberty, prosperity, and 
     equality will quickly become relics of the past.
       Bernadette Allen, US Ambassador, retired; Rand Beers, 
     Former Deputy Homeland Security Advisor; Mark Bellamy, US 
     Ambassador, retired; John Beyrle, US Ambassador, retired; 
     James Bishop, US Ambassador, retired; Charles Blaha, Senior 
     Foreign Service Officer, retired; Anne Bodine, Senior Foreign 
     Service Officer, retired; Avis Bohlen, US Ambassador, 
     retired, Former Assistant Secretary of State; Michele Bond, 
     US Ambassador, retired, Former Assistant Secretary of State; 
     Paul L. Boyd, Senior Foreign Service Officer, retired.
       Aurelia Brazeal, US Ambassador, retired; Sue Bremner, 
     Senior Foreign Service Officer, retired; Steven Browning, US 
     Ambassador. retired, Former Principal Deputy Assistant 
     Secretary of State; David Buckley, Former Inspector General, 
     Central Intelligence Agency; Susan F. Burk, Former Special 
     Representative of the President; Peter Burleigh. US 
     Ambassador, retired; Scott Busby, Former Deputy Assistant 
     Secretary of State; Prudence Bushnell, US Ambassador, 
     retired; John Butler, Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy, retired; 
     Constance Carrino, Senior Foreign Service Officer, USAID, 
     retired; Steven Cash, Former Senior Advisor, DHS, Former 
     Chief Counsel to Senator Feinstein, Former CIA Officer.
       Asha Castleberry-Hernandez, Senior Executive Service, DOD, 
     retired; Judith Chammas, Senior Foreign Service Officer, 
     retired; Phillip Chicola, Senior Foreign Service Officer, 
     retired; Roberta Cohen, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of 
     State; Ellen Conway, Senior Foreign Service Officer, retired; 
     Frances Cook, US Ambassador, retired; Sarah Cook, Senior 
     Foreign Commercial Service Officer, retired; Thomas 
     Countryman, Former Assistant Secretary of State; Ruth Davis, 
     US Ambassador, retired, Former Director General of the US 
     Foreign Service; David Davison, Senior Foreign Service 
     Officer, retired.
       Greg Delawie, US Ambassador, retired; Christopher Dell, US 
     Ambassador, retired; Anne E. Derse, US Ambassador, retired; 
     Vicki Divoll, Former General Counsel, Senate Select Committee 
     on Intelligence; Mary Draper, Senior Foreign Service Officer, 
     retired; Melvin Dubee, Former Deputy Staff Director, Senate 
     Select Committee on Intelligence; Martha Duncan, Senior 
     Executive Service, DOD, retired; William Eacho, Former 
     Ambassador to Austria; William Eaton, US Ambassador, retired; 
     Luigi Einaudi, US Ambassador, retired.
       Jonathan Elkind, Former Assistant Secretary of Energy; 
     Nancy Ely-Raphel, US Ambassador, retired; Gregory Engle, US 
     Ambassador, retired; Joseph Fallone, Captain, US Navy, 
     retired; John Feeley, US Ambassador, retired, Former 
     Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State; Gerald 
     Feierstein, US Ambassador, retired, Former Principal 
     Deputy Assistant Secretary of State; Jeffrey Feltman, US 
     Ambassador, retired, Former Assistant Secretary of State; 
     Mark Fitzpatrick, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of 
     State; Kathleen Fitzpatrick, US Ambassador, retired; Mike 
     Fitzpatrick, US Ambassador, retired.
       Karen Freeman, Senior Foreign Service Officer, USAID, 
     retired; Bennett Freeman, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary 
     of State; Susan Kosinski Fritz, Senior Foreign Service 
     Officer, USAID, retired; Laurie Fulton, Former US Ambassador 
     to Denmark; Julie Furuta-Toy, US Ambassador, retired; 
     Rosemary Gallant, Senior Foreign Commercial Officer, retired; 
     Melvin Gamble, Senior Intelligence Officer, CIA, retired; 
     William Garvelink, US Ambassador, retired; Brian Goldbeck, 
     Senior Foreign Service Officer, retired; Juan Gonzalez, 
     Former Special Assistant to the President.
       Rose Gottemoeller, Former Undersecretary of State; Deborah 
     Graze, Senior Foreign Service Officer, retired; Eric Green, 
     Former Special Assistant to the President; Jennifer Gregg, 
     Senior Intelligence Officer, retired; Laura Griesmer, Senior 
     Foreign Service Officer, retired; Anne Gruner, Senior 
     Intelligence Officer, CIA, retired; Sheila Gwaltney, US 
     Ambassador, retired; Brent Hartley, US Ambassador, retired; 
     Patricia Haslach, US Ambassador, retired; William Haugh, 
     Senior Foreign Service Officer, retired.
       John Heffern, US Ambassador, retired; Robert Herman, Former 
     Policy Planning Staff, Department of State; Catherine Hill-
     Herndon, Senior Foreign Service Officer, retired; Heather 
     Hodges, US Ambassador, retired; Elizabeth Hopkins, Senior 
     Foreign Service Officer, retired; Sharon Houy, Former Chief 
     of Staff, Defense Intelligence Agency; Jeff Hovenier, US 
     Ambassador, retired; Vicki Huddleston, US Ambassador, 
     retired; Robert Hutchings, Former Chairman, National 
     Intelligence Council; Charles Ikins, Colonel, US Marine 
     Corps, retired.
       Robert Jackson, US Ambassador, retired, Former Principal 
     Deputy Assistant Secretary; Susan Jacobs, US Ambassador, 
     retired; Ali Jalili, Senior Foreign Service Officer, retired; 
     Oliver John, Senior Foreign Service Officer, retired; Kathy 
     Johnson, Senior Foreign Service Officer, retired; Deborah 
     Jones, US Ambassador, retired; Beth Jones, US Ambassador, 
     retired, Former Assistant Secretary of State; John Jones, US 
     Ambassador, retired; Denis Kaufman, Senior Chief Petty 
     Officer, US Navy, retired; Richard Kauzlarich, US Ambassador, 
     retired, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State.
       Yvonne Keeler, Senior Intelligence Officer, CIA, retired; 
     Ian Kelly, US Ambassador, retired; Herbert Kemp, Colonel, US 
     Air Force, retired; Laura Kennedy, US Ambassador, retired; 
     Patrick Kennedy, US Ambassador, retired, Former Under 
     Secretary of State; Donald Kerrick, Lieutenant General, U.S. 
     Army, retired, Former Deputy National Security Advisor; Scott 
     Kilner, Senior Foreign Service Officer, retired; Harold 
     Hongju Koh, Former Legal Adviser to the Secretary of State, 
     Former Assistant Secretary of State; Christopher Kojm, Former 
     Chair, National Intelligence Council; James Kovar, Senior 
     Foreign Service Officer, retired.
       Thomas Krajeski, US Ambassador, retired; Anne Kremidas, 
     Senior Foreign Service Officer, retired; James Kunder, Former 
     Deputy Administrator, U.S. Agency for International 
     Development; Daniel Kurtzer, US Ambassador, retired, Former 
     Assistant Secretary of State; Anthony Lake, Former National 
     Security Advisor; Eileen Laubacher, Rear Admiral, US Navy, 
     retired; James Lawler, Senior Intelligence Officer, CIA, 
     retired; Suzan LeVine, Former US Ambassador to Switzerland; 
     Dawn Liberi, US Ambassador, retired; Carmen Lomellin, US 
     Ambassador, retired.
       Frank Loy, Former Under Secretary of State; Deborah Malac, 
     US Ambassador, retired; Eileen Malloy, US Ambassador, 
     retired, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary State; Angela 
     Maloney, Senior Foreign Service Officer, retired; Noah 
     Marnet, Former US Ambassador to Argentina; Lawrence Mandel, 
     Senior Foreign Service Officer, retired; Steven Mann, US 
Ambassador, retired;

[[Page S3005]]

Niels Marquardt, US Ambassador, retired; Dennise Mathieu, US 
Ambassador, retired; Deborah McCarthy, US Ambassador, retired;

       Bill McCulla, Senior Foreign Service Officer, retired; 
     Nancy McEldowney, US Ambassador, retired; Former National 
     Security Advisor to the Vice President; Michael McFaul, 
     Former US Ambassador to Russia; Elizabeth McKune, US 
     Ambassador, retired; James Melville, Jr., US Ambassador, 
     retired; Leo Michel, Senior Executive Service, DoD, retired; 
     Thomas Miller, US Ambassador, retired; Derek Mitchell, Former 
     US Ambassador to Burma (Myanmar); Luis Moreno, US Ambassador, 
     retired; Joseph Myers, Former Chief Risk Officer, US 
     International Development Finance Corporation; James Nealon, 
     US Ambassador, retired.
       Brian H. Nilsson, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of 
     State; Suzanne Nossel, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of 
     State; Joseph Nye, Former Assistant Secretary of Defense; 
     Geoffrey Odlum, Senior Foreign Service Officer, retired; Ted 
     Osius, US Ambassador, retired; Maurice S. Parker, US 
     Ambassador, retired; David Passage, US Ambassador, retired; 
     Michael Pelletier, US Ambassador, retired; Robert Perry, US 
     Ambassador, retired; David Petri, Commander, US Navy, 
     retired; James Petti, US Ambassador, retired.
       Annie Pforzheimer, Senior Foreign Service Officer, retired; 
     Randal Phillips, Senior Intelligence Officer, CIA, retired; 
     William Piekney, Senior Intelligence Officer, CIA, retired; 
     Steven Pifer, US Ambassador, retired; Michael Polt, US 
     Ambassador. retired; Former Principal Deputy Assistant 
     Secretary of State; Michael Posner, Former Assistant 
     Secretary of State; Ned Price, Former Spokesperson, 
     Department of State; Charles Ray, US Ambassador, retired; 
     Helen Reed-Rowe, US Ambassador, retired; Stacy Rhodes, Senior 
     Foreign Service Officer, USAID, retired.
       Susan Rice, Former National Security Advisor, Former U.S. 
     Permanent Representative to the United Nations; John Ries, 
     Senior Foreign Service Officer, retired; Thomas Robertson, US 
     Ambassador, retired; Enrique Roig, Former Deputy Assistant 
     Secretary of State; Peter Romero, US Ambassador, retired, 
     Former Assistant Secretary of State; Jeremy Rosner, Former 
     Special Assistant to the President; Leslie Rowe, US 
     Ambassador, retired; Eric Rubin, US Ambassador, retired, 
     Former President, American Foreign Service Association; 
     Richard Sanders, Senior Executive Service, DoD, retired; 
     Janet Sanderson, US Ambassador, retired.
       Teresita Schaffer, US Ambassador, retired; Mark Schneider, 
     Former Assistant Administrator, USAID, Former Principal 
     Deputy Assistant Secretary of State; Eric Schwartz, Former 
     Assistant Secretary of State; Kyje Scott, US Ambassador, 
     retired; Tod Sedgwick, Former US Ambassador the Slovak 
     Republic; Michael Senko, US Ambassador, retired; Mattie 
     Sharpless, US Ambassador, retired; Dana Shell Smith, US 
     Ambassador, retired; Dilpreet Sidhu, Former Executive 
     Secretary of the National Security Council; Emil Skodon, US 
     Ambassador, retired.
       Adrian Snead, Former Counsel and Foreign Policy Advisor to 
     Senator Jeffrey Merkley; Sylvia Stanfield, US Ambassador, 
     retired; Gregory Starr, Former Assistant Secretary of State; 
     Adam Sterling, US Ambassador, retired; Clyde Taylor, US 
     Ambassador, retired; Harry Thomas, US Ambassador, retired, 
     Former Director General of the Foreign Service; Linda Thomas-
     Greenfield, US Ambassador, retired, Former U.S. Permanent 
     Representative to the United Nations; Susan Thornton, Former 
     Assistant Secretary of State; Thomas Tiernan, Senior Foreign 
     Service Officer, retired; Charles Uphaus, Senior Foreign 
     Service Officer, retired.
       Kurt van der Walde, Senior Foreign Service Officer, 
     retired; Alexander Vershbow, US Ambassador, retired, Former 
     Deputy Secretary General of NATO, Former Assistant Secretary 
     of Defense; Shari Villarosa, US Ambassador, retired; Patricia 
     Wagner, Senior Commercial Service Officer, retired; Alexander 
     Watson, Former Assistant Secretary of State; Linda Watt, US 
     Ambassador, retired; John Wecker, Senior Foreign Service 
     Officer, retired; Bruce Wharton, US Ambassador, retired; 
     Kevin Whitaker, US Ambassador, retired; Pamela White, US 
     Ambassador, retired.
       Stephanie Williams, Senior Foreign Service Officer, 
     retired, Former Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General; 
     Bisa William, US Ambassador, retired; Jonathan Winer, Former 
     Deputy Assistant Secretary of State; David Thomas Wolfson, 
     Senior Foreign Service Officer, retired; Marcia Wong, Former 
     Deputy Assistant Administrator, USAID; Kenneth Yalowitz, US 
     Ambassador, retired; Stephen Young, US Ambassador, retired; 
     Marie Yovanovitch, US Ambassador, retired, Former Principal 
     Deputy Assistant Secretary of State; Jane Zimmerman, Former 
     Deputy Assistant Secretary of State; Ricardo Zuniga, Former 
     Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State.

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