I contacted Gov. Phil Scott on Feb. 2 asking him to condemn the illegal and immoral actions of President Trump and the unappointed and unelected Elon Musk. Given his history shepherding Vermont through unprecedented times, I was hopeful that much like his 2020 response to the COVID-19 pandemic, he would again rise to meet the moment.

As the weeks went by and the news from Washington continued to get worse I didn’t get a response. I know he is busy with the upcoming school structuring. I was then surprised on the 18th when I did get a response from him. What I got was a call to focus on rhetoric over policy and included the mention that there may be policy positions that could benefit Vermont. I found his response to the ongoing governmental takeover to be woefully insufficient.

The president and Elon’s shutdown of USAID is already affecting Vermont farmers, the backbone of our state. Additionally, members of our academic and medical institutions are being targeted for doing their work. The crisis in the American Government is well beyond a question of rhetoric vs. policy. I am even further confused by Gov. Scott’s response given his prior history criticizing President Trump. The crisis in the government is beyond one of bipartisanship. As we are learning in real time, the dismantling of the federal government is something that affects us all.

Al Harder-Hyde

Vergennes