EXCLUSIVE: I Asked Senators your Questions on Capitol Hill | Hear Their Responses

Good morning! It’s February 21st, and here’s your morning news update. Instead of a 4-5 minute video today, I wanted to share the questions I was able to ask Senators on Capitol Hill last night. I was there from 10:30 PM until 1 AM, speaking with Senators about the future of Medicaid, climate-related funding, and what could happen if the Trump Administration ignores a lawful federal court order.

You are seeing all of these videos before any other platform. Substack is the future, and I am grateful to have you all here with me.

I managed to speak with around ten Senators, covering a range of important topics. I’ve broken everything down below for you. I plan to return to Capitol Hill to keep asking questions because, right now, staying informed is one of the most powerful things we can do as citizens. Before I dive in, if you’d like to support my work and get access to exclusive content and live sessions, please consider becoming a paid subscriber today. Your support makes it possible for me to keep doing what I do.

With that, here are all my interviews with Senators:

Elizabeth Warren (MA)

First up, I asked Senator Elizabeth Warren about the future of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The CFPB was an agency that was pioneered by Warren, designed to protect Americans from big corporations, including big banks. In recent weeks, the Trump Administration removed the Director of the CFPB, appointed Russ Vought, the architect of Project 2025 to lead it, and virtually halted all work. I asked Senator Warren about the future of this agency. Hear her response:

Adam Schiff (CA)

Next, I spoke with Senator Adam Schiff and asked him two key questions: First, the Trump Administration has appointed a number of Donald Trump’s personal criminal defense attorneys to senior roles in the Department of Justice, what is the Senate doing to ensure that the Justice Department does not become Trump’s personal law firm, and second, many fear the possibility of the Trump Administration disregarding a lawful order from a federal court, what happens if it does? Hear his response:

Cory Booker (NJ)

Next, I spoke with Senator Cory Booker, where I asked him about the current state of the Democratic Party. Many folks are upset with leaders on Capitol Hill for not doing enough to combat the Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress. Hear his response on the current state of the Party and what he is doing about it:

Angela Alsobrooks (MD)

Next, I spoke with Senator Angela Alsobrooks, where I asked her several questions that deal with the future of Medicaid, Social Security, Medicare, and other critical benefits that could be on the chopping block. Senator Alsobrooks is a member of the sandwich generation which means that not only is she caring for her daughter, but she is also caring for her aging parents. Hear her response on what she plans to do to protect these critical benefits:

Andy Kim (NJ)

Next, I spoke with Senator Andy Kim to talk about what happens if Republicans are not successful in passing a reconciliation bill to keep the government open. My main question was simple: would Democrats shutdown the federal government?

Kirsten Gillibrand (NY)

Next, I spoke with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand about the Equal Rights Amendment. Before President Biden left office, he announced that the ERA was the law of the land, proclaiming it to be the 28th Amendment. Despite that, the National Archives have not published the ERA. Hear her response about the future of the ERA:

Dick Durbin (IL)

Next, I spoke with Senator Dick Durbin and asked him a simple question: what will you do if the Trump Administration disregards a lawful court order from a federal judge? Watch his response:

Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE)

Next, I spoke with Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester about efforts to cut Medicaid on Capitol Hill and whether there is anything she plans on doing to fight back against Medicaid cuts. As a former member of the House, and now current Senator, I asked her about the differences in both houses of Congress. Watch below:

Chris Murphy (CT)

Next, I spoke with Senator Chris Murphy and asked him one simple question: who is the current leader of the Democratic Party? Watch his response:

Brian Schatz (HI)

Next, I spoke with Senator Brian Schatz about the future of climate-related funding from the Inflation Reduction Act along with the future of Social Security benefits in America. Here’s what he had to say:

Chris Van Hollen (MD)

Finally, I spoke with Senator Chris Van Hollen about Guantanamo Bay and the Trump Administration’s efforts to deport undocumented migrants to GITMO facilities. Here is response about an amendment he filed to prevent our taxpayer dollars from going to these migrant flights.

Please let me know what you think about these interviews. I plan on going to Capitol Hill to interview Democrats and Republicans alike and provide you with answers to your questions about the future of our nation. Thank you so much for your support, and I will be back this evening with a traditional news update.

— Aaron