Fellow Republicans: Memorial Day heroes did not die for a party or personality | Opinion

It was heartwarming to see so many Americans on Memorial Day post tributes to fallen heroes. For so many people, this Memorial Day wasn’t about barbecues or the unofficial start of summer. It was a day to reflect on the courage and sacrifice of the men and women who gave their lives in service to our country.

Predictably, my social media feed was flooded with patriotic posts from politicians — photos at memorials, quotes about sacrifice and tributes to the fallen. The hypocrisy was glaring. The very lawmakers who honor those who “paid the ultimate price to protect our freedoms” are the ones seemingly disregarding the constitutional principles those heroes gave their lives to defend.

Congress is a co-equal branch of government, tasked with serving as a check on executive power. Yet too many Republican lawmakers have abandoned that responsibility, choosing loyalty to the president over constitutional duty. In doing so, they’ve effectively surrendered their legislative authority, allowing — and in some cases even encouraging — President Donald Trump to govern through a record number of executive actions.

When Republicans are not turning a blind eye to executive overreach, they’re folding under pressure — bullied, threatened and strong-armed by the White House into abandoning core principles and passing legislative monstrosities like the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”

Voters sent members of Congress to Washington to serve the people — not to act as lapdogs for the president.

And while we’re on it, the very concept of a “One Big Beautiful Bill” flies in the face of everything Republicans have long championed. For decades, Republican leaders demanded stand-alone legislation so each proposal could be debated and judged on its own merits - not buried in bloated packages stuffed with poison pills. Yet here we all are, watching the extension of the Trump tax cuts being held hostage inside a massive spending package.

And what about the DOGE cuts? If Congress was going to pass a bill of this magnitude, the least it could do is include those cuts and show real commitment to reducing the size of the federal government. Instead, we’re staring at a $4 trillion debt ceiling hike. I expect that kind of recklessness from Democrats — not from a Republican-controlled Congress. Republicans used to draw a hard line on debt. Now, GOP leaders are caving to Trump’s demands with little resistance.

But this isn’t about fiscal responsibility — it’s about the integrity of the Constitution. It’s about Republicans in Congress abdicating their authority and becoming an obedient extension of the White House. The separation of powers is meant to safeguard liberty, not to be brushed aside for political convenience.

Democrats aren’t off the hook. They’re just as guilty — perhaps more so.

They lied about President Joe Biden’s health and participated in a coordinated cover-up to deceive the American people. I don’t need Jake Tapper’s book to tell me what I saw with my own eyes: a frail president incapable of executing the duties of his office.

In choosing to gaslight the public, Democrats didn’t just erode trust. They made it clear that holding on to power matters more than telling the truth, more than transparency, and more than the republic itself.

America deserves better.

Those men and women that Americans honored on Memorial Day did not die for a party or a personality. They died because liberty, freedom, and democracy are not just ideals to be admired — they are values worth defending, even at the highest cost. Their bravery is not simply a chapter in our history. It is the very foundation upon which our freedom stands.

If we truly wish to honor the nation’s fallen heroes, it must be through action. That requires preserving the separation of powers, upholding the rule of law and respecting the checks and balances that form the backbone of our republic.

The greatest tribute we can offer those who died for our freedom is to prove ourselves worthy of their ultimate sacrifice.

This story was originally published May 30, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Fellow Republicans: Memorial Day heroes did not die for a party or personality | Opinion."