Sen. Merkley on Sen. Tillis Retirement Amid Trump Criticism: ‘We Are Slipping into a Strongman State’

EXCERPT:

MERKLEY: “There's something here that everyone should notice. We are slipping into a strongman state where the president has such an acquiescent Republican caucus that they're doing this crazy policy, hurting America, hurting the next generation, because Donald Trump wants it. You saw the billionaires lined up behind him at the inauguration. That's who he's working for. It's a massive betrayal of the way he campaigned, saying he was going to be there fighting for ordinary people. And this ability for him to say, I have this massive super PAC, and I will destroy you in a primary if you do not follow exactly what I say. This is very dangerous for the separation of powers, the checks and balances, and so we're in a bigger fight here. It's not just over this bill. It's also over preventing America from losing its architecture of its constitution, separation of powers, so that we can have government by and for the people, not government by and for the powerful.”