Democratic U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore accused President Donald Trump of undermining democratic institutions and pushing the nation toward “tyranny,” citing politically motivated firings, deployment of National Guard troops, and support for partisan redistricting efforts.
In an interview with Wisconsin Public Radio’s Wisconsin Today, Moore said the administration’s actions resembled those of “oligarchs and tyrannies in the world.”
Her sharpest criticism focused on recent attempts to remake federal agencies. Moore condemned the dismissal of Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer and Trump’s move to oust Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, the first Black woman to serve in the Fed’s 111-year history.
“He wants to demand [Fed Chair] Jerome Powell to force interest rates to be lowered,” Moore said. “The first and only Black woman … is being fired to make room for his own stooge appointee so that he can have a majority.”
Moore also blasted Trump’s support of Republican-led gerrymandering efforts in Texas, while threatening to sue California Democrats over their own map-drawing efforts. She called the Texas push “racist maps” designed to entrench partisan power and warned that such maneuvers could set the stage for canceled elections.
The Wisconsin congresswoman voiced further concern about federal cost-shifting, saying the administration was saddling states with greater responsibility for disaster relief and safety net programs like SNAP and Medicaid without providing sufficient funds. “It’s part of the strategy of impoverishing the states with these unfunded mandates,” she said.
Moore connected that issue to recent flooding in Milwaukee, Waukesha, and Washington counties, where residents have filed more than 21,000 damage reports. She compared the aftermath to “a smaller scale Katrina,” warning that many residents lack the resources to recover.
While distributing cleanup kits with the Salvation Army, Moore said constituents needed professional assistance, not just supplies. “People can’t wait on FEMA for some of this damage,” she said.
Her comments came as current and former FEMA employees issued a rare public letter to Congress, criticizing the administration’s plans to cut the agency’s budget and shift more disaster response to states. Moore praised their stance, saying, “Those FEMA workers … are really extending themselves, because we have seen the consequences for anyone who speaks up.”
