Rep. Celeste Maloy, 2nd District, Utah

 Ms. Maloy,

When a member of Congress states: “We must ensure government agencies and actions align with the wants and needs of American citizens,” and “We must focus on creating a government that is effective and responsive without infringing upon the rights of U.S. citizens or overstepping its constitutional bounds,” most would recognize the word “We” as referring to Congress itself, as per its designated role in Article I of the Constitution.

You, Ms. Maloy, and your Republican colleagues have made it clear, through your collective inaction, that you’re okay with the Executive branch usurping Congress’s power. You can rationalize it however you want, but I don’t think you’ve considered the consequences of your inaction.

I’m talking about the economic consequences.

Since you “have been closely monitoring the president and DOGE’s actions,” you must know that thousands of federal workers are now unemployed, and more firings are expected. Of the 33,000+ federal workers in Utah, about a third reside in District 2. Statistically, these actions are going to impact your constituents if they haven’t already.

Cost-cutting is only one factor to be considered when it comes to efficiency. There’s also the matter of revenue. Federal employees are tax-payers—at least up to the point when they’re fired; then, they have no income to be taxed. No income to pay their rent or mortgage, nothing to purchase groceries and other goods and services. This affects the lives of others who earn taxable income through the goods and services they provide for their communities. Without that income, they can’t pay for their goods and services either. So, it doesn’t just impact tax revenue; at the most basic levels, it negatively impacts—to use your words: “...the wants and needs of American citizens.”

As newly unemployed people, they should qualify for unemployment insurance, which will barely offset the economic damage being unleashed—unless that also gets illegally gutted in the name of cost-cutting.

Plenty of people are “closely monitoring” what’s happening quite effectively without you—especially those enduring the real pain of these actions.

What are you going to DO to mitigate that pain?

The President and his minions are actively harming people. Until you step up and do something, your inaction enables that harm, so you share the responsibility for the human suffering that’s being caused.

Sincerely,

Mr. Puente.

Senator John Curtis (R) Utah

February 10, 2025

According to New York Magazine, “Republicans Let Trump and Musk Roll Right Over Them.”

Does this include Utah’s congressional delegation?

It’s always been my understanding that the legislative and judicial branches of government are supposed to keep the executive branch in check, regardless of which political party happens to be in office. If a Republican president is overstepping their constitutional authority, a Republican-controlled congress and the Supreme Court still have a constitutional duty to reign in that executive overreach.

[Senators Lee and Curtis, and Representative Maloy (District 2) were] elected to represent Utah and I’m concerned that the power of [their] office, as defined by the Constitution, is being usurped by The Executive branch and an unelected Elon Musk.

As a constituent, I’m not okay with that, [they] shouldn’t be okay with that either.

Letter to my "representatives" in Washington, D.C.

From one of several digital devices in the possession of…

Joseph L. Puente , Salt Lake City, Utah

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Feb 5, 2025

[Congressional Delegation from Utah]

Washington, D.C.

Subject: Failure to respond to a security breach

[Senators Lee and Curtis, and Representative Maloy (District 2)]

I am a disabled U.S. Navy veteran. While serving as a Cryptologic Technician, I held a Top Secret SCI (Sensitive Compartmented Information) security clearance. Having gone through the lengthy and arduous process of an FBI background investigation and all associated due diligence required to be granted such a clearance, I’m more than a little concerned that a group of civilians, with no security credentials to my knowledge, attempted to access a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) within the U.S. Treasury Department.

While it has been claimed that no classified material was accessed, the possibility that any individual not employed by the federal government—or the Department of the Treasury in particular—and lacking a legitimate need to know could be given access to any sensitive, privileged, or private information is alarming, to say the least.

This is a clear breach of security, raising serious concerns about the potential damage that can be done not only to our government but to the citizens of our nation. Should unauthorized parties, including at least one foreign national, gain access to our country’s institutional systems to deliberately inflict unnecessary “hardship” for the sake of ideology and ego, millions of disabled Americans—civilians and veterans—could find themselves destitute.

Why is no one in the Legislative branch of our government doing anything about this?

I swore an oath of enlistment when I volunteered to serve my country in the armed forces. That oath contains a phrase that is identical to one contained within the oath of office recited by elected officials. To “...defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic…”

My enlistment has ended. Those holding public office are expected to be true to their word. Failure to do so is, at best, a clear dereliction of duty on their part. At worst, it could be seen as being tacitly complicit with those who would destroy the nation that millions of veterans have fought and died to protect.

Sincerely,

(signed)

Joseph L. Puente

Salt Lake City, Utah