March 2025 

Dear Governor Scott and Vermont State Legislators,  

The second Trump administration has already done unprecedented damage to our  democracy, violating bedrock constitutional principles and laws, and threatening the  safety and well-being of our nation, our state, and our communities. 

These assaults on our constitutional rights and democratic norms include unlawful  attacks on immigrants, transgender people, and dissidents; threats to the autonomy of  institutions to confront discrimination; the undermining of essential environmental  protections; and the destabilization of civic infrastructure on which we all rely. 

In the face of this rapidly escalating constitutional crisis, Vermont needs strong, responsive state leadership. We want you to know that if you speak up and  take action to confront this onslaught of federal overreach, your constituents will have  your backs. And we need to hear from you, our elected representatives, that you  recognize this historical moment for what it is—and that you will act with the urgency  and resolve that this moment requires. 

We, the undersigned citizens of Vermont call on you to utilize the power of your office to defend our  democracy, our communities, and our values.  

Specifically, we urge you to publicly commit to: 

• protect Vermont’s immigrant communities; • secure the rights and bodily autonomy of trans people; 

• strengthen existing abortion access protections; 

• defend our constitutional rights to protest, advocate, and speak out; • safeguard our privacy and personal data; 

• preserve our environmental protections; 

• ensure Vermont’s independence and autonomy from federal and executive overreach. 

We Vermonters pride ourselves on shared traditions of “Freedom and Unity.” Our state has  often led the way in expanding constitutional protections and defending the rights and  liberties of all people, protecting our environment, and celebrating the power of our  democracy.  

We need you to join us in drawing on those traditions, defending our shared values, and  meeting this moment with everything we have—together. 

Respectfully,

The Undersigned Citizens of Vermont