In the wake of Defense Secretary James Mattis’ resignation in protest of Donald Trump’s refusal to heed his advice regarding Syria and the United States’ national security, I hope that Congress will be the check and balance the founders intended it to be.
Now is the time for Sens. Pat Toomey and Bob Casey and Rep. Mike Doyle to act in the interest of our national security and the security of the world. China and Russia have shown their desire to establish influence over the United States in an authoritarian model. Their wish is to gain veto authority over other nations’ economic, diplomatic and security decisions in order to promote their own interests at the expense of the United States and our allies. Mr. Trump is their willing tool.
The threat and the danger to our nation—morally and from a defense perspective—are grave, and I implore my elected officials to take heed. It is telling that Mr. Mattis and the Pentagon had placed buffers in place between Mr. Trump and nuclear weapons. Now that the buffer is gone, the danger of a president who is heavily influenced by authoritarian powers and inexperienced and uneducated in matters of the Constitution and civil defense increases.
What will my elected representatives do to protect our democracy, our allies, our tenuous standing on the world stage, our physical safety?
VALERIE NANCE
Penn Hills
