Opinion and Commentary By Donna Westfall – February 13, 2025 I can't think of many things I'm proud of when it comes to Congressman Huffman. Here's just another example. I received this email communication on Friday, February 7, 2025. In talking to friends and neighbors, nobody else seemed to have received this. "I know so many of us are concerned about how Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE hackers are ransacking their way through the government, unlawfully gaining unfettered access to Americans’ private information and gutting programs people depend on. As Republicans work to appease billionaires like Musk who financed their campaigns and ignore Trump’s blatant abuses of power – I am doing everything I can to fight back. So far, they’ve made their way into multiple agencies and are wreaking havoc – leaving a trail of mass layoffs behind them. They’ve infiltrated: The Treasury Department’s sensitive payment system, giving them access to Americans’ Social Security numbers and Medicare payments, the federal government payroll, tax credits for small businesses, and more. USAID, which supports education, job creation, and good governance initiatives. It’s also the agency that addresses the root cause of extremism, making it harder for terrorist organizations to recruit from vulnerable populations. DOGE’s demolition of this independent agency threatens our national security and undermines American credibility on the global stage. And now they have reached the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (or NOAA), which is the home of critical scientific and regulatory systems that protect American families’ safety. Trump continues to leave Americans across the nation behind by ripping the rug out from under the programs they depend on most. No individual – and especially not an unelected billionaire – should be able to sift through Americans’ sensitive data and fire federal employees who stand in his way. The American people deserve better than these illegal and overreaching government schemes, and I want to assure you that my team and I are working around the clock to investigate these actions, hear from local organizations, and fight back against this corruption. I will continue to share any relevant information as we learn more. In the meantime, I want to hear from you. Do you think unelected billionaires should have access to your sensitive data, including Social Security and Medicare payment systems? Whether you are angry, scared, or just overwhelmed, I want you to know you can count on me to push back in Congress and meet this moment. I’m open to any ideas you may have on how I can make the biggest difference, but here are some things I’ve been doing so far: Meeting with local and state organizations who are pursuing lawsuits against Trump’s illegal efforts Working to unite House Democrats on key votes and upcoming negotiations Calling out Trump’s betrayals on every platform and at every opportunity Increasing direct engagement with constituents to counteract local impacts of Trump’s Executive Orders I cosponsored the Taxpayer Data Protection Act, which would stop people with conflicts of interest or without a security clearance from accessing the highly sensitive Treasury Department payment system – which is responsible for Social Security and Medicare benefits. I’ll continue to show up every day and use every tool at my disposal to stop Trump’s concerning initiatives. To keep up with the work I am doing as your representative, please subscribe to my newsletter, and follow me on Bluesky, Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, and Threads. Thank you, and stay well, Jared Huffman Member of Congress" Here's my response: I have to admit that my husband and I think Trump is the greatest President we've had in our lifetime. It's a real pleasure to wake up each day and see him busy at work ferreting out illegals, deporting criminals, looking for realistic solutions to Hamas-Israel war, working on ending the Russia-Ukraine war, decreasing the size of the federal government, stopping USAID, ending men in women's sports and more. It's such a refreshing feeling to know that Biden, who we think should have been brought up on charges of treason when he stupidly left all those armaments in Afghanistan, is out of the WH. It doesn't bother us one iota to have self made billionaires looking at each agency and cutting out all the fraud, waste and abuse. My question to you… why aren't you and your buddies doing it? On Monday, September 10, 2025, I received the Auto Reply from Congressman Jared Huffman: Thank you for contacting me. I always appreciate hearing from my constituents, and I will respond to your message as soon as I am able. Thank you for your patience. If this is an urgent matter, please contact one of my offices below: San Rafael District Office (Marin): (415) 258-9657 Petaluma District Office (Sonoma): (707) 981-8967 Fort Bragg District Office (Mendocino): (707) 962-0933 Eureka District Office (Humboldt, Del Norte, Trinity): (707) 407-3585 Washington, DC: (202) 225-5161 Best regards, Jared Huffman Member of Congress