Tony Koons, Bottineau

What do you do when the house is on fire — and the firefighters decide to wait until after the next election to turn on the hose?

That’s exactly what it feels like watching the Democratic Party roll over for the so-called “Big Beautiful Budget Bill,” a piece of legislation that doesn’t just cut funding. It amputates core functions of the federal government: healthcare, education, environmental protections, veterans’ services, FEMA, the DOJ. Programs that keep people alive, safe, and supported have been slashed or sabotaged, all in the name of ideological zealotry and political domination.

Faced with this, Democrats had a choice. They could have refused to go along. They could have denied quorum. Walked out. Shut it down. Made a stand so visible that the country would have no choice but to notice. Instead, they kept showing up. Voting. Debating. Acting like this was business as usual. It wasn’t. It isn’t.

Let’s be clear: this wasn’t strategic restraint. It was surrender, dressed up in the language of institutional responsibility.

If Democrats think they can ride a wave of voter outrage in 2026, they are living in the past. There is no guarantee the 2026 midterms will be free, fair, or even occur as we know them. As we speak, a federal lawsuit probing election irregularities in key counties has been granted standing. This isn’t some fringe conspiracy theory. It’s a legal challenge backed by hard data suggesting that vote counts in some GOP-favored districts defied statistical possibility. If the courts find cause to intervene — or if political actors seize on the moment to delay or invalidate results — what happens to that big blue wave then?

The budget bill wasn’t just a piece of legislation. It was a test. A test of political will. A test of moral courage. And for all their talk of protecting democracy, too many Democrats failed it.

In places like North Dakota, the effects will be felt fast and hard. Our tribal communities rely on federal healthcare and education programs. Our farmers depend on rural infrastructure support. Our veterans deserve more than lip service. And yet, what they get from Congress is silence, complicity, and a budget that guts every tool we use to survive and thrive.

The Democrats didn’t fight because they still believe the system will save us. They think that by playing nice, they can wait out the fire. But the rest of us are already choking on smoke.

They needed to draw a line in the sand. Instead, they handed over the shovel.

There’s still time to fight. But it won’t come from Capitol Hill photo ops or careful press statements. It will come from the ground up — from people willing to speak plainly, act boldly, and refuse to pretend that this is normal. Because it isn’t.

We needed them to stand up. Now it’s up to us.