In addition to cutting taxes to the wealthy, raising our deficit and cutting Medicaid, President Trump’s budget bill has these words embedded in it: “No court of the United States may use appropriated funds to enforce a contempt citation for failure to comply with an injunction or temporary restraining order if no security was given when the injunction or order was issued …”

In other words, federal courts’ contempt citations would become unenforceable.

Without the contempt power, judicial orders are meaningless and can be ignored. This would massively restrict the power of the federal courts. With this provision, no Congress and no court could stop Trump. Even if a future Congress were to try to stop him, it could not do so without the power of the courts to enforce their hearings, investigations, subpoenas and laws.

I urge voters to please write to our senators today to ask them to vote “No” or — at the very least — remove this language from the bill.

Margaret Duhamel
Woolwich