Sen. Susan Collins is cautious about how she steps forward. She writes a few safe press releases, attends a ribbon cutting ceremony and considers her job done. In this age when the president is ignoring the limits of the powers of the executive branch, that is not nearly enough.

Sen. Collins has been around a long time and must have relationships across party lines. So I challenge her to form a coalition of members of the Senate from all sides of the political spectrum. Call it the Margaret Chase Smith Coalition. They can say that their maxim is “This is our moment of conscience.”

There are many issues they could use to frame their historical moment. The Trump administration is ripping away due process from “any person on American soil.” Then there is the dangerous precedent of sending American military to American cities to suppress peaceful political protest under the guise that it is all violent.

Donald Trump also bullies institutions like universities and law firms to bend to his will. He says he can do anything he wants and he pressures governors to “find” extra Republican districts to assure he has a compliant Congress after 2026.

Every single one of these actions puts our constitutional republic at risk.

I will extend this call to action to the entire Maine delegation. They should gather together a group of Americans who will work together to make some really loud noise. Margaret Chase Smith did it. Surely our Maine leaders can too.

Jo Trafford
Portland