Louisiana’s newest member of Congress accused President Donald Trump of unconstitutional actions that he says are destroying democracy.
U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields, a Democrat representing Louisiana’s new 6th Congressional District, delivered his remarks Monday to the Baton Rouge Press Club.
“I think the president is really bringing this country closer and closer to a dictatorship, and I’ve said to my constituents the best way to deal with a bully is to stand up to him,” Fields said.
The White House did not immediately provide a response when reached for comment Monday afternoon.
Fields’ remarks were particularly pointed for the even-keeled congressman who has been a fixture of politics in Baton Rouge since the 1990s. Fields is known both for his progressive politics and his willingness to work with Republicans, having previously chaired a state Senate committee in a Republican super-majority thanks to his close relationship with Gov. Jeff Landry.
His speech focused primarily on Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, which Fields called “one big ugly bill” because of the legislation’s steep cuts to the nation’s social safety net programs. The bill will reduce federal spending on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by roughly $186 billion and cut nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid, which is estimated to take health coverage away from 10 million people, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
“Hospitals will close,” Fields said. “Grocery stores will close.”
The congressman also criticized Trump’s spending and tax law for its massive debt burden. The measure extends tax breaks and provisions that largely benefit wealthy earners and owners of large estates, businesses and trust funds. It is forecast to increase federal deficits by $3.8 trillion from 2025 through 2034, according to the Tax Foundation.
The one “silver lining” in the legislation, Fields said, is its provision that exempts taxes on tips. Workers can deduct the first $25,000 in tips they earn from their taxable income, but any additional amount is subject to federal income taxes. The tax break is not available to anyone who earns more than $150,000 a year.
Fields also weighed in on the Trump administration’s immigration policy. He said he believes the U.S. should maintain secure borders but disapproves of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s aggressive tactics. Using masked agents to grab people off the street and imprison them in foreign lands without affording them a court hearing is “simply unconscionable” and a violation of due process rights in the Constitution, he said.
Fields said he still has faith in the U.S. Supreme Court to abide by the Constitution but criticized the GOP-majority Congress for abandoning its duty as a separate, equal branch of government that is supposed to limit presidential overreaches.
“We’re destroying our democracy as we know it today,” Fields said. “It’s not about party; it’s about right and wrong, constitutional and unconstitutional.”
Although Fields took several jabs at Trump, his overall soft-spoken messaging contrasts with new Democratic Party strategies to break through to voters constantly bombarded with digital distractions. His most pointed comments came in response to questions from reporters, which he fielded during most of the luncheon. His prepared speech was short and focused largely on issues affecting his constituents.
“I think our discourse should always be civil no matter how much we disagree … but people need to go to the polls and vote,” he said.
Asked if he feels Democrats need to embrace a more politically charged messaging style that focuses on Republican scandals such as the Jeffrey Epstein files in order to turn out voters, Fields said he plans to stick to his old strategy.
“I think we should deal with the issues that affect people back home directly,” he said.