Additional Umbrella Terms

 

This article is part of Season 3 of LGBT by the Numbers, a series that examines the prevalence of LGBT identities in the United States and around the world.

Season 3 examines the results of the Gender Census, an annual global survey of people with a gender that isn’t strictly male or female.

I primarily focus on the results from 2015 to 2024, for reasons I explained in previous articles.

 

 

We have already examined how the five most common terms from the 2024 Gender Census performed over the past decade.

Today, we’ll examine the next three most popular identity terms: gender non-conforming, genderqueer, and enby.

The most common terms in the Gender Census, including these three, are umbrella terms that collectively describe many groups of people with more specific identities.

 

 

This graph shows the performance of Gender Census identity terms over the past 10 years. 

It includes the sixth through eleventh most popular terms from the 2024 Gender Census.

 

Note the Y-axis of the graph doesn’t begin at 0.

Many graphs in this series have a suppressed 0, so their lines can be more easily seen.

 

I created the graphs in this series using flourish, a website that allows users to create compelling visual aids.

 

  

 

Gender non-conforming

 

I believe “gender non-conforming” can be an unnecessarily confusing term. 

As a stand-alone phrase, “gender non-conforming” doesn’t signify what someone’s gender is, or to which gender they're not conforming.

Absent further clarifying information, I would presume someone using this phrase means they're gender non-conforming relative to their birth gender.

But that wouldn’t necessarily clarify whether they still identify with their birth gender, identify as nonbinary, or identify as binary transgender.

 

Alternatively, the phrase could indicate someone is non-conforming relative to either binary gender. 

But that doesn’t clarify whether they are non-conforming due to gender identity or expression.

 

 

Nevertheless, gender non-conforming is among the more common terms used by people with a gender outside the binary.  

 

 

Gender non-conforming was added as a checkbox option in 2019, when it received 26.2%.

It steadily increased in popularity, until it peaked at 38.5% in ‘23, before declining to 34.9% in ’24.

Gender non-conforming has a range of 12.3%.

 

Gender non-conforming was the sixth most popular option, in the Gender Census, from 2023-24.

 

 

 

 

Genderqueer

 

Genderqueer refers to someone whose gender identity or expression falls outside the boundaries of what is typically considered male or female. 

 

It’s common for nonbinary people to describe themselves as genderqueer, but some people with a binary gender identify as genderqueer as well.

Someone with a binary gender could refer to themselves as genderqueer if they engage in gender expression in a non-conforming way, like femboys and tomboys do.

 

 

Genderqueer was commonly used by nonbinary youth in online videos in 2015, when I first began to understand my gender.

While genderqueer is less commonly used today, I’m still quite fond of the term.

 

I have discussed genderqueer in several previous articles, including The Big Picture, Gender Identity and Biological Sex, Feedback on the Diagram, and Nonbinary Nomenclature. 

 

 

Genderqueer was chosen by 58.3% of respondents in the 2013 Gender Census. 

That year, genderqueer was the most popular term. 

I discussed genderqueer’s performance in the 2013 pilot survey in an earlier article.

 

Genderqueer never again reached the heights of its debut in the first Gender Census.

 

Genderqueer was chosen by 41.2% of respondents in 2015, and steadily declined until it bottomed out at 25.9% in 2020.

Genderqueer bounced back and steadily rose until it peaked at 35.0% in 2023, before declining to 32.6% in 2024.

From 2015-24, genderqueer has had a range of 15.3%.

 

 

From 2015-17, genderqueer was the second most popular identity term.

From 2023-24, genderqueer was the seventh most popular identity term.

 

 

 

Enby

 

Nonbinary can be shortened to NB. 

Once those letters are pronounced aloud, you get enby.

Enby is generally used as a noun, whereas nonbinary is generally used as an adjective.

 

Enby is a cutesy word, and not all nonbinary people use the term to describe themselves.

Twice as many people identified as nonbinary (60.4%) in the 2024 Gender Census, than identified as an Enby (29.4%).

 

 

It’s also worth bearing in mind that Enby might not be an appropriate word to use in all settings, even for those that identify with the term.

I would enjoy being called an enby by a romantic partner or close friend.

I’m glad we have a term for nonbinary people that conveys warmth and playful intimacy.

But it could seem strange in a work or professional setting, depending on the level of formality promoted in the workplace. 

 

 

Enby first appeared as a checkbox in 2016, when it received 15.6%.

Enby peaked in 2021, when it received 37.0%.

Enby received 29.4% in 2024.

Enby has a range of 21.4%.

 

Enby was the eighth most popular identity term, in the Gender Census, from 2023-24.

 

 

Enby has the largest range of any of the checkbox identities in the Gender Census, since 2015.

Over the past 10 years, the rise and partial fall of enby has been the largest change among the results for identity terms in the Gender Census.

 

 

That’s not the only reason Enby’s historical performance has been notable.

Enby is one of only two terms initially chosen by fewer than 20% of respondents, as a checkbox, that was able to subsequently cross that threshold.

The other is transmasculine, which we will discuss in the next article.

Since 2015, no term that received more than 20% in the Gender Census has subsequently fallen below that threshold.

 

 

 

At its peak in 2021, Enby was the third most popular identity term.

This can be seen in the graph below, which begins to push the limit of how many lines can be clearly shown on a single graph.

This graph shows the performance of the eight most popular terms from the 2024 Gender Census over the past decade. 

 

 

I discussed gender non-conforming, genderqueer, and enby in “Nonbinary Nomenclature,” which explored the results of the 2023 Gender Census.

 

 

In the next article, we’ll examine transmasculine and transfeminine, as we continue our tour of nonbinary identities from the Gender Census.

 

 

Democratic Victory Fund

 

I think it’s fair to say 2025 is off to a rough start.

Between the human toll of the California wildfires, and the constant outrageous behavior of the Trump administration, it can be easy to despair.

But if you have money to spare, there are ways you can make a difference.

 

 

Wildfire Relief

 

Pod Save America is raising money for local charities to help people harmed by the California Wildfires. 

 

Donations will be split between six organizations.

·        Latino Community Foundation

·        Los Angeles Regional Food Bank

·        Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation

·        United Way of Greater Los Angeles

·        California Community Foundation Wildfire Relief Fund

·        Inclusive Action for the City

 

Here is where you can donate to help support those impacted by the California Wildfires.   

 

 

 

An Endless Series of Outrages

 

The first few weeks of Donald Trump’s second term have featured a whirlwind of outrageous, chaotic, and horrible decisions.

Trump has begun the process of withdrawing the US from the Paris Climate Accord, attempted to withdraw the US from the World Health Organization, chosen to deny transgender and nonbinary Americans accurate federal identity documents, attempted to freeze huge swaths of federal government spending, and separately frozen foreign aid spending.

I discussed those five stories in a previous blog post, but this is only a partial list of the many horrible things Trump has done in his first few weeks as president.

 

 

Many people are despondent by this constant drumbeat of unacceptable behavior.

They are looking for a way to “do something” in response to these provocations, even if they don’t know exactly what they can or should do.

 

If you’re looking for a way to push back against Trump and his Republican enablers, one simple way is to donate to Democrats running in important elections in 2025 and 2026.

 

 

The Democratic Victory Fund splits donations between 10 Democratic candidates, who will be running in competitive races.

I created the Democratic Victory Fund through ActBlue, an organization that processes donations for Democratic candidates. 

 

 

You must be at least 18 years old, and either a US citizen, or lawful permanent resident, to contribute.

 

 

In this article, I will discuss these 10 Democrats, and their upcoming elections.

We’ll begin with Susan Crawford and Abigail Spanberger, who are campaigning in elections that will be held this year.

 

 

 

Wisconsin Supreme Court

 

An April election in Wisconsin will determine ideological control of its state Supreme Court.

Justice Ann Walsh Bradley is retiring, and two candidates are running to replace her.

 

While the race is technically non-partisan, Susan Crawford is aligned with the Democratic Party, and Brad Schimel is aligned with the Republican Party.

Bradley has endorsed Crawford in the race.

PBS Wisconsin and the Associated Press have both published good articles about the Wisconsin Supreme Court race.

 

 

In 2023, the election of Janet Protasiewicz flipped the Wisconsin Supreme Court from conservative to liberal control.

Protasiewicz won the April 2023 election by 11.0%.

Protasiewicz received 55.5% of the vote, and her conservative opponent, Dan Kelly, received 44.5%.

I donated $20 to support Protasiewicz in 2023.

 

Gerrymandering and abortion were key issues in the 2023 election, and they remain important issues for the court.

If Crawford wins, liberals will maintain their majority.

If Schimel wins, conservatives will regain majority control.

 

 

Wisconsin is a perennial swing state.

In each of the three most recent presidential elections, Wisconsin was decided by less than 1%.

Wisconsin also voted for the winner each time Trump has been on the ballot.

In 2024, Trump won Wisconsin by 0.86%.

In 2020, Biden won Wisconsin by 0.63%.

In 2016, Trump won Wisconsin by 0.77%.

 

 

The Wisconsin Supreme Court election will take place April 1.

 

 

 

Virginia Governor

 

Abigail Spanberger is campaigning to be Virginia’s next governor.

As far as I can tell, she is the only Democrat running for the position.

Spanberger previously represented Virginia-7, a competitive district, in the US House.

Spanberger was first elected to the US House in 2018.

She chose not to run for reelection in 2024, so she could run for governor in 2025, instead.

 

 

In 2021, Glenn Youngkin (R) defeated Terry McAuliffe (D) in the Virginia Governor’s race by 1.9%.

Youngkin (R) received 50.6%, McAuliffe (D) received 48.6%, and all other candidates received 0.8%.

 

Under the Virginia Constitution, governors are ineligible to run for consecutive terms.

Therefore, this year’s Virginia Governor’s race will be for an open seat.

 

 

In the three most recent presidential elections, Virginia has voted Democratic.

In 2024, Harris won Virginia by 5.8%.

In 2020, Biden won Virginia by 10.1%.

In 2016, Clinton won Virginia by 5.3%.

 

 

Primary elections for the Virginia Governor’s race will be held June 17.

The general election will take place Nov. 4.

 

 

 

Georgia Senate

 

The Democratic Victory Fund includes one US Senator, Jon Ossoff.

 

Sen. Jon Ossoff will run for reelection in Georgia in 2026.

Ossoff and Raphael Warnock were both elected to the US Senate from Georgia in Jan. 2021, after winning runoffs in their respective races.

Their victories brought the number of Democrats in the Senate to 50, allowing Vice President Kamala Harris to break the tie and give Democrats majority control of the chamber.

 

Ossoff (D) won his Senate runoff on Jan. 5, 2021, against David Perdue (R) by 1.2%.

Ossoff (D) received 50.6%, and Perdue (R) received 49.4%.

I donated $34.08 to Ossoff during his 2020 campaign.

 

 

The day after the Georgia runoffs, Jan. 6, 2021, Donald Trump incited a mob to attack Congress to prevent Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s victory over Trump in the 2020 presidential election.

After the mob was dispersed, Congress reconvened and certified Biden’s election.

 

Four years later, in 2024, voters decided to reelect Donald Trump president, because ending America’s longstanding practice of peacefully transferring power wasn’t disqualifying in the eyes of US voters.

 

 

Georgia has been a swing state during presidential elections in the Trump era.

Georgia voted for the winner of the presidential race in each election where Trump was on the ballot.

In 2024, Trump won Georgia by 2.2%.

In 2020, Biden won Georgia by 0.23%.

In 2016, Trump won Georgia by 5.1%.

 

Georgia has become competitive thanks in part to the efforts of Stacey Abrams and other Democratic activists.

 

 

 

Arizona Governor

 

The Democratic Victory Fund includes three governors eligible to run for reelection in 2026: Katie Hobbs, Tina Kotek, and Tony Evers.

 

 

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs is eligible to run for a second term in 2026.

 

Hobbs was elected Arizona Governor in 2022.

She won her election by 0.67%, or 17,117 votes.

Hobbs narrowly beat conspiracy theorist Kari Lake, who is a passionate promoter of the big lie that Donald Trump actually won the 2020 presidential election, but the election was stolen from him.

Hobbs (D) received 50.3% of the vote, and Lake (R) received 49.6%.

I discussed the 2022 Arizona Governor’s race in an editorial where I urged Arizonans to vote against Lake.

I donated $20 to Hobbs in 2022.

 

 

Arizona has been a presidential swing state during the Trump era.

Arizona voted for the winner of the presidential race in each election where Trump has been on the ballot.

In 2024, Trump won Arizona by 5.5%.

In 2020, Biden won Arizona by 0.30%.

In 2016, Trump won Arizona by 3.5%.

 

 

 

Oregon Governor

 

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek is eligible to run for a second term in 2026.

 

Kotek was elected Oregon Governor in 2022.

Kotek won her election by 3.4%.

The election was a three way race between Tina Kotek (D), Christine Drazan (R), and Betsy Johnson, an independent candidate.

During the election, Phil Knight, the billionaire co-founder of Nike, made large donations to both the Independent and Republican candidates.

The New York Times wrote a great article about the election, which I highly recommend.

Kotek (D) received 47.0%, Drazan (R) received 43.5%, and Johnson (Ind.) received 8.6%.

The remaining 0.9% went to other candidates.

 

 

Democrats have won the most recent Oregon Governor’s races, but the margin is consistently less than 10%.

In 2018, Kate Brown (D) won by Oregon Governor’s race by 6.4%.

 

A special election was held in 2016 to replace Gov. John Kitzhaber (D), who had resigned.

In 2016, Kate Brown (D) won the Oregon Governor’s race by 7.2%.

 

 

Oregon has voted for the Democratic candidate by more than 10% in each of the last three presidential elections.

In 2024, Harris won Oregon by 14.3%.

In 2020, Biden won Oregon by 16.1%.

In 2016, Clinton won Oregon by 11.0%.

 

 

 

Wisconsin Governor

 

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is eligible to run for a third term in 2026.

 

In 2018, Evers was first elected Wisconsin Governor by 1.1%.

Evers narrowly defeated incumbent Gov. Scott Walker (R).

Evers (D) received 49.6%, and Walker (R) received 48.5%.

Other candidates received the remaining 2.0%.

 

In 2022, Evers was reelected Wisconsin Governor by 3.4%.

Evers (D) received 51.1%, and Tim Michels (R) received 47.8%.

 

 

 

House of Representatives

 

The Democratic Victory Fund includes three House Democrats: Marcy Kaptur, Derek Tran, and Adam Gray.

Their seats will be up for reelection in 2026.

 

 

Marcy Kaptur was first elected to the US House in 1982.

 

In 2024, Kaptur was reelected by 0.63%, or 2,382 votes.

Kaptur (D) received 48.3%, Derek Merrin (R) received 47.6%, and Tom Pruss, a Libertarian candidate, received 4.1%.

Kaptur represents Ohio-9.

 

 

Derek Tran and Adam Gray were first elected to the US House in 2024.

 

Derek Tran won his election by 0.21%, or 653 votes.

Tran (D) received 50.1%, and Michelle Steel (R) received 49.9%.

I donated $10 to Tran in 2024.

Tran represents California-45.

 

 

Adam Gray won his election by 0.09%, or 187 votes.

Gray’s race was the closest US House race nationwide in 2024.

Gray (D) received 50.04%, and John Duarte (R) received 49.96%.

Gray represents California-13.

You can learn more about the closest 2024 US House races in an article I wrote last month.

 

 

For the sake of comparison, I will discuss how Ohio and California voted in recent presidential elections, even though this information isn’t particularly relevant to the competitiveness of individual US House districts within these states.

 

Ohio has voted for Trump in each of the three most recent presidential elections.

In 2024, Trump won Ohio by 11.2%.

In 2020, Trump won Ohio by 8.0%.

In 2016, Trump won Ohio by 8.1%.

 

California has voted for the Democratic candidate in the last three presidential elections by more than 20%.

In 2024, Harris won California by 20.2%.

In 2020, Biden won California by 29.2%.

In 2016, Clinton won California by 30.1%.

 

 

 

Kansas Legislature

 

The Democratic Victory Fund includes one Democrat in the Kansas House, Nikki McDonald.

Elections will be held in 2026 for the Kansas House of Representatives, but not for the Kansas Senate.

 

 

In 2024, only one Democrat won a Kansas House race by less than 5%.

Nikki McDonald won by 1.2%, or 148 votes.

McDonald (D) received 50.6%, and Kurtis Ruf (R) received 49.4%.

McDonald represents Dist. 49, located in Johnson County, in the Kansas House.

 

 

Last year, I solicited donations for several Kansas Democrats, including McDonald, to try to break the Republican Supermajority in the Kansas Legislature.

Democrats were unable to break the Republican Supermajority in the Kansas Legislature.

Instead, Republicans expanded their majorities in both chambers.

 

 

Once again, statewide presidential results aren’t particularly relevant when considering the competitiveness of an individual state house district.

But I find these results interesting, nonetheless.

 

In each of the three most recent presidential elections, Kansas has voted for Trump by more than 10%.

In 2024, Trump won Kansas by 16.2%.

In 2020, Trump won Kansas by 14.6%.

In 2016, Trump won Kansas by 20.6%.

 

 

 

Looking ahead

 

I plan to rotate candidates out of the Democratic Victory Fund once their elections are complete, and into the fund once Democrats win primaries in competitive races.

I also plan to cover important elections in 2025 and 2026.

 

 

I’m still working my way through covering the results of the 2024 elections.

I’m also mid-way through Season 3 of LGBT by the Numbers.

I plan to alternate between these ongoing series, and current political stories, including the upcoming 2025 elections.

It will always be a safe bet that any ongoing series will take longer to complete than either you or I would predict.

Especially when political news is as intense and relevant as it has ever been.

 

 

There will be no shortage of interesting things to read on Meticulous Musings in the months ahead.

 

 

An Endless Series of Outrages

 

The first two and a half weeks of Donald Trump’s second term have featured a whirlwind of outrageous, chaotic, and horrible decisions.

 

Trump has begun the process of withdrawing the US from the Paris Climate Accord, attempted to withdraw the US from the World Health Organization, chosen to deny transgender and nonbinary Americans accurate federal identity documents, attempted to freeze huge swaths of federal government spending, and separately frozen foreign aid spending.

 

We’ll talk about all five of these stories today, but this is only a partial list of the many horrible things Trump has already done in his first few weeks as president.

These are preliminary summaries of chaotic, quickly developing stories.

I have done my best to ensure these summaries are accurate and up-to-date at the time of publication.

If you are looking for a more complete accounting of these important stories, I recommend researching them yourself, including through the links in this article.

 

 

 

Climate Change

 

Trump has signed an executive order that begins the process of withdrawing the US from the Paris Climate Accord.

Under the international agreement, countries pledge to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming and combat climate change.

Trump signed the order during a public event where he discussed his decision.

“I’m immediately withdrawing from the unfair, one-sided Paris Climate Accord rip-off,” he said. “The United States will not sabotage our own industries, while China pollutes with impunity.”

 

Even though Trump’s executive order claims the US withdrawal will be effective immediately once his administration submits formal notice, the Paris Agreement requires countries to wait one year after submitting written notice before they can withdraw from the pact.

 

 

Signing the Paris Climate Accord is a symbolic act that shows a country is committed to working with the international community to combat climate change.

Regardless of whether a country commits to limiting its greenhouse gas emissions in theory, it’s more important that they take efforts to do so in practice.

And Trump hasn’t just initiated the US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord, he has already taken action to reverse Biden administration policies that limit greenhouse gas emissions. 

 

National Public Radio (NPR) has written a great article about Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement.

According to NPR, Trump has revoked many of Biden’s executive orders on climate change.

Trump revoked an executive order that required government regulators to evaluate the risks climate change poses to the financial system.

He also instructed agencies to review any regulations that might, “burden the development of domestic energy resources.”

That could include EPA rules limiting emissions from coal and gas power plants, and fees on oil and gas companies for releasing methane into the atmosphere.

 

Denying the need to take action to combat climate change is particularly egregious considering the intense heat waves across the US over the past two years.

Climate change also makes natural disasters, like the deadly and destructive wildfires in Los Angeles last month, more likely.

 

I wrote an article in 2021 about the history of the Paris Climate Accord. 

The article discusses Obama’s decision to sign the agreement, Trump’s decision to withdraw during his first term, and Biden’s decision to rejoin the accord.

 

 

 

World Health Organization

 

Donald Trump has signed an executive order to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO), a United Nations agency that works to combat disease and improve the health of people around the world.

Trump has criticized the WHO for how it handled the COVID pandemic.

 

 

In 1948, Congress enacted a joint resolution authorizing President Truman to allow the United States to become a member of the WHO.

As part of this resolution, Congress created a right for the US to withdraw from the WHO after one year’s notice.

The WHO accepted this condition on US participation.

While US law allows the US to withdraw from the WHO, it’s unclear whether Trump can do so without Congressional approval. 

The Congressional Research Service has written a short report about the legal questions posed by Trump’s decision to leave the WHO.

 

 

Regardless of these formalities, Trump’s decision has already had real world consequences.

The Trump administration instructed employees of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to stop engaging with the WHO in any way.

The US is the WHO’s largest donor. US funding accounts for nearly 15 percent of the organization’s budget.

Trump’s decision to leave has prompted the WHO to initiate a hiring freeze to cut costs. 

The New York Times has written a great article about Trump’s decision to withdraw from the WHO.

 

 

Trump’s decision to leave the WHO could have dire repercussions for public health in the US and around the world.

Disengaging with the WHO could prevent the US from learning about emerging outbreaks like monkeypox and the potential reemergence of diseases like malaria and measles.

As the COVID pandemic has shown, once a disease outbreak begins in a foreign country, it can quickly spread to the rest of the world, including to the United States.

That’s why it's so essential to have an organization like the WHO that monitors diseases that pose a global threat. 

 

 

Countries around the world rely on the WHO to achieve important health goals, including routine immunizations, outbreak control, and nutrition programs.

Countries without their own health agencies also rely on the WHO for public health guidelines, childhood vaccinations, and drug approvals.

 

 

I wrote an article about Trump’s attempt to withdraw from the WHO during his first term, and Biden’s decision to rejoin the organization.

 

 

Trump has also appointed Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has spent years spreading dangerous misinformation about vaccines, to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services.

The US Senate will vote on whether to confirm him for the position. 

 

 

 

Denying trans and nonbinary Americans accurate passports

 

The Trump administration has implemented policies preventing transgender and nonbinary Americans from receiving identity documents from the federal government, including passports, that accurately reflect their gender identity.

Time Magazine wrote a great article on this topic.

 

Trump signed an executive order that criticizes people who deny “the biological reality of sex” and dismisses gender identity, calling it “disconnected from biological reality.”

The order declares that all federal agencies and employees will use the term “sex,” not “gender,” in all applicable policies and documents, that the US will only recognize “two sexes, male and female,” and that government-issued identity documents will, “accurately reflect the holder’s sex.” 

 

This prevents transgender people, who identify with a different gender than the one they were assigned at birth, from receiving identity documents that correspond to their gender.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent a memo to State Department staff requiring them to suspend all gender marker update applications, and to suspend requests for identity documents with an “X” gender marker, used by nonbinary people.

Nonbinary people have a gender that isn’t exclusively male or female.

 

I have covered the Biden administration’s decision to allow transgender, nonbinary, and intersex Americans to receive federal identity documents that accurately reflect their identities.

Intersex refers to people who are born with physical traits in between those traditionally considered male or female.

I have also exhaustively covered the two lawsuits, one by an Intersex American, and one by a Transgender American, that prompted the Biden administration to adopt those policies.

 

 

That's not the only way President Trump has harmed the rights of transgender Americans in his second term. 

Trump has also signed an executive order banning transgender troops from serving openly in the US military.

 

 

 

Federal Funding Freeze

 

A Trump administration official issued a memo ordering the federal government to pause huge swaths of federal spending, while government agencies complete a comprehensive analysis to identify programs, projects, and activities that may be impacted by Trump’s executive orders.

“The use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve,” the memo said.

 

This unprecedented and illegal power grab abrogates Congressional authority over federal spending and violates the Impoundment Control Act.

The spending freeze temporarily prevented state Medicaid agencies, Heart Start early education programs, and community health centers from accessing the Payment Management Services web portal run by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Federal Courts have temporarily suspended the funding freeze while they consider legal challenges to the Trump administration’s authoritarian power grab.

 

 

 

Foreign Aid Freeze

 

Trump hasn’t just created chaos with his spending freeze at home, he has done the same with a separate spending freeze for US foreign aid abroad.

Virtually all foreign aid programs around the world that depend on US funding ground to a halt due to a “stop work” memo from the State Department, following a Trump executive order to freeze foreign assistance for 90 days, while the administration determines whether the programs comply with Trump’s foreign policy agenda. 

 

In the executive order, Trump stated, “The United States foreign aid industry and bureaucracy are not aligned with American interests and in many cases (are) antithetical to American values.”

“They serve to destabilize world peace by promoting ideas in foreign countries that are directly inverse to harmonious and stable relations internal to and among countries.”  

I added the parenthetical “are” in the quote above, because the sentence in a formal executive order doesn’t make grammatical sense without it.

 

As part of that freeze, the Trump administration instructed organizations in other countries to stop disbursing HIV medications purchased with US aid, even if the drugs had already been obtained and were sitting in local clinics, according to the New York Times.

 

 

Another New York Times article lists other programs harmed by the Trump administration’s foreign aid freeze.

“In famine-stricken Sudan, soup kitchens that feed hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in a war zone have shut down.

In Thailand, war refugees with life-threatening diseases have been turned away by hospitals and carted off on makeshift stretchers.

In Ukraine, residents on the frontline of the war with Russia may be going without firewood in the middle of winter.”

 

Trump’s commitment to putting “America First” apparently means innocent people in other countries have to die.

 

 

In the “stop work” order, Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained he had given a waiver for military aid to Israel, which allowed that spending to continue, despite the broader foreign aid freeze.

 

After the initial “stop work” order, the US State Department issued waivers to allow some US foreign aid projects to continue.

 

 

 

 

Trump must be removed from office

 

Trump’s nascent second term is already an authoritarian nightmare.

Trump is antithetical to every positive thing the United States has ever stood for.

He must be removed from office.

 

The US doesn’t have a “vote of no confidence” option available in parliamentary democracies.

My alarm and dismay about Trump’s unfitness for office isn’t concentrated around a single, discrete policy decision.

It’s about his overall pattern of behavior.

 

The only legal mechanism for removing a US president from office is impeachment.

I believe the Trump administration’s federal spending freeze and foreign aid freeze can be fairly described as abuses of power that warrant impeachment.

 

But Congress, in its current form, won’t impeach Trump or even pass legislation to reverse any of the policies I discussed today.

Republicans run both chambers of Congress.

A Republican House won’t impeach Trump, and a Republican Senate won’t convict and remove him.

 

 

 

What you can do

 

Many people are despondent by this constant drumbeat of outrageous and unacceptable behavior.

They are looking for a way to “do something” in response to these provocations, even though they don’t know exactly what they can or should do.

In my next article, I'll discuss the “Democratic Victory Fund,” which will raise money for Democrats in important and competitive races in 2025 and 2026.

Challenging Trump and his Republican enablers will be a long-term project, and there’s no better time to begin than the present.