IN TOWNHALL MEETING, CONGESSWOMAN SARA JACOBS WARNS THAT NATION IS IN A “CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS”

By Alexander J. Schorr

Photo: Congresswoman Sara Jacobs speaks before a crowd of parents, teachers, community and union members about “stateof the union.”

April 23, 2025 (El Cajon) – In a live town hall meeting last night at Grossmont College’s Performing and Visual Arts Center, Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (D-51) presented her own “State of the Union” address in which she warned that our nation is experiencing a “constitutional crisis.”  She spoke of numerous bills she has introduced seeking to push back against actions of the Trump administration.

 In addition, she fielded written questions from constituents over issues including budget cuts, mass firings, human rights violations, the looming constitutional crisis, and a potential recession on the horizon.

Jacob says the constitutional crisis is due in part to the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling which enabled President Donald Trump to act  as he pleases without consequences.

She illustrated that civil protests can prove effective. Jacobs said that while she and others in the Capitol were working on litigation against the Trump administration for mass firings and ignoring  judicial orders, “public pressure does actually work.” She used the example of the freezing of federal funding.  Because “there was a huge outcry against that, they pulled that back,” she said of the administration.

Congresswoman Jacobs discussed her participation in local events including hosting a roundtable discussion with Scripps Institute of Oceanography about cuts to  the National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institutes of Health (NIH). She also interviewed students at USD about  impacts from federal cuts to the Department of Education and student loan assistance.

She outlined several key bills she has authored or coauthored, though they will likely face an uphill battle in the Republican-controlled Congress.

Her Protect U.S. National Security Act, aims to  halt dismantling of the USAID Department by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The bill reiterates that any USAID reform should be in line with existing laws and cannot harm U.S. “soft power.” Additionally, it requires the Department of State to certify compliance with this law, and prohibits funds from being used to eliminate USAID.

Jacobs is coauthor of The Disaster Recovery Efficiency Act, which would guarantee a more immediate and direct response to devastated areas of the state of California, particularly those areas in the San Diego and Los Angeles regions affected by flooding and wildfires. The legislation intends to provide impacted people in the affected communities greater access to the resources they need after a disaster, as well as improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the federal government's disaster recovery efforts.

She has introduced the “Delete DOGE Act, ” which would prohibit federal funds from being used for DOGE’s work, rescind unobligated funds currently available to DOGE, and restrict any future expenditures or transfers of federal funds for DOGE-related projects or personnel. Elon Musk’s DOGE has been tasked by the President with slashing spending and shrinking the size of the federal government. The initiative has faced heavy scrutiny and criticism after cutting critical staffing and programs concerned with veteran benefits, food assistance, flight safety, and right to privacy.

Jacobs also spoke of leading a bipartisan effort with Representatives Anna Paulina Luna, Brittany Petterson, and Mike Lawler to ensure new parents can do their jobs and vote remotely after they or their spouse has given birth.

Referencing the inhuman conditions for migrants including those deported to foreign prisons under the Trump administration, Jacobs said that the migrant detention facility at Guantanamo Bay has cost American taxpayers $16 million.

Photo: Audience at Grossmont College

 An audience member questioned the practical and moral issues centered around deported immigrants now imprisoned in El Salvador, where torture and unlawful imprisonment have been alelged. Jacobs stated that individuals such as Abrego Garcia (a Maryland immigrant whom the Trump administration admitted was deported in error to El Salvador) are the names we know, but that there are “many that we don’t know about” who have been flown down without due process, as the Supreme Cour recently held. She believes that Congress should not allow this, but since there is a Republican majority, there is very little that Democrats could do to enforce a push back.

Jacobs spoke of a global “democratic backsliding” on democracy, but emphasized that the more people stand up, the more people can protect themselves.

She reiterated that the country “is in a constitutional crisis as a result of the executive branch,” referencing instances of the administration ignoring court orders and judicial rulings, deporting and imprisoning civilians and immigrants without due process, and weaponizing the justice department against critics.

“Why we see the executive branch take so much power away over time from Congress is because Congress is unwilling” to work together.  She referenced Article One of the constitution, which shows that the founding fathers believed that Congress “was the closest to the people.”

Jacobs referenced her role in influencing Representatives Scott Peters and Juan Vargas to send a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The effort was done to try and assure that due process is being followed and that migrants detained during an ICE raid on a business in unincorporated El Cajon . were provided their legal rights.

The meeting was permitted to extend to p.m. to allow additional questions.

One constiuent voiced concerns over threats and dangers of physical violence against lawmakers and representatives. The public asked why some of their appointed representatives and lawmakers would actively vote to take away human rights or strip them of their financial support and livelihood.

The Congresswoman expressed concerns about bigotry and persecution leveled against the LGBTQ+ community, particularly conceptions about the transgender in the country at the time of the 2024 presidential election. Jacobs said this issue is personal to her because she has a family member who is transgender and gender-non-confoming. She emphasized that there “are some in our party who had a fundamental misunderstanding of what was happening in our election.” She went on to say, “People don’t hate trans-people, it's that when you are living in a world of scarcity, and it feels like you are not getting what you need, it is easy to find someone to blame that on.”

The Trump administration seeks to slash funding for Medicaid. Jacobs told the crowd that “40% of all births in this country are covered by Medicaid, and that’s going to impact” a lot of people. She argued that the “human impact” of decisions since the Trump administration came into power, including disregard for human life and callous firings of veterans and other government workers.

She asserted that misinformation demonizing non white cis-males may be rooted in resentment over issues such as Americans “drowning in medical debt,” or in much the same way that hatred towards immigrants and foreigners was more due to these “asylum seekers gaining affordable housing while others could not. Jacobs pointed out that it is important to keep in mind not to always scapegoat others for economic hardships, as this evidently drives the direction of politics to hurt and persecute human beings.

Congresswoman Jacobs stressed that in addition to her own efforts to protest mass firings and economic theft from “the oligarchs,” it is important for all those gathered to reach out and inform others about what is going on in Washington D.C in order for people to make more informed decisions.