November’s elections are coming fast, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. There are critical decisions up and down the ballot that will shape the future of our country.
As I travel across Florida’s 2nd District for my own race, voters tell me the same thing over and over again: They’re tired of Washington elites weaponizing the government against the American people.
Floridians haven’t forgotten what Bidenomics did to this country. Inflation crushed working families. The border collapsed. Crime surged. And while Americans suffered, the political class obsessed over one thing above all else: destroying President Donald Trump.
One thing is certain: if Democrats regain control of the House and Senate this November, we already know what comes next. We’ve seen their playbook before.
We’ve already witnessed years of nonstop political warfare against President Trump and the people who support him: Two bogus impeachments, endless manufactured indictments, lawfare operations, and now three assassination attempts that have shaken the nation to its core.
And the architects of these abuses, including former Special Counsel Jack Smith and disgraced former FBI Director James Comey, are still out there publicly defending their actions instead of apologizing for them. In their twisted reality, any efforts to hold the deep state accountable or clean up the broken system are themselves “corrupt,” all because of the ruling class’s deranged hatred for President Trump, the America First movement, and the ordinary Americans who make this country great.
If the Democrats regain control of Congress this November, we know they will bury the administration in new sham impeachments every week, and that’s just the beginning. Give Democrats the keys to power again, and they will not be shy about targeting their political opponents. They have even campaigned on it.
And it’s not just about President Trump anymore.
The real target is every conservative American who refuses to stay silent.
The Biden administration, just like the Obama administration, showed Americans just how dangerous an unchecked federal government can become. Behind closed doors, federal agencies used aggressive investigative tactics and sweeping surveillance authorities to spy on political opponents, including Republican members of Congress and private citizens who dared challenge the Democrats’ hold on power.
I had a front row seat to this, as two Senators for whom I previously worked were targeted by these efforts. I remember where I was when I first found out that my former boss was the target of government weaponization, and I still remember the briefings well. This sort of government overreach should alarm every citizen who values liberty and constitutional government.
One of the most disturbing examples of government weaponization and overreach involves Non-Disclosure Orders, or NDOs — government gag orders that can prevent companies like email and phone providers from even notifying Americans when federal agencies secretly access their private information.
Think about that.
At any time, your personal data can be accessed by the government, your rights abused, and you may never even know that it happened. That should terrify every American.
For years, conservatives were mocked for warning about government overreach and the weaponization of federal agencies. Now, the abuse is impossible to ignore.
That’s why I agree with leaders like Sen. Mike Lee (R., Utah) and my former boss, Sen. Rick Scott (R., Fla.), who are pushing for reforms. There must be clear safeguards in place to ensure that government agencies cannot use these tools to target political opponents.
No American should have to worry about being surveilled because of their political beliefs.
That’s what happens in corrupt regimes, not in the United States of America.
There is encouraging bipartisan momentum to reform these practices, and that’s certainly a step in the right direction. But it’s going to take sustained leadership to ensure real change.
Any use of law enforcement tools must meet strict constitutional standards. There should be transparency, accountability, and a clear process for challenging these orders in court.
The American people are done being treated like suspects by their own government. They’re done being targeted by political opponents.
This election is about more than Republicans versus Democrats. It’s about whether America remains a free country governed by the Constitution, or whether we allow a permanent political class to use federal power to punish its enemies.
It’s time to stand up, demand accountability, and defend the freedoms that make this country exceptional. I know where I stand.
I stand with President Trump.
I stand with the Constitution.
And I stand with the American people against government abuse and political persecution.
In November, we must send a message loud enough for Washington to hear:
the era of weaponized government must come to an end.
Austin Rogers is a Florida attorney and former chief counsel to Senate Republicans including Sens. Rick Scott (R., Fla.), Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa), and Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.). He is also a Republican candidate to represent Florida’s 2nd District in Congress.
