Caught Trying

What Cory Booker Is Doing and What Utah’s Senators Should Be

"And so we all have a responsibility, I believe, to do something different, to cause — as [late Rep.] John Lewis said — 'good trouble,' and that includes me." - Sen. Cory Booker

While Senator Cory Booker is still standing (going on hour 24 as we type) still standing, still speaking, Utah’s Senators are saying nothing. He’s taken the floor not to block a vote, not to twist arms or play politics, but to shine a light. This is a marathon floor speech in the truest sense. Booker is using his time, his voice, and frankly his bladder (or a really good adult diaper), to name the truth about what’s happening in this country.

He’s calling out the full scope of harm being done by Trump and his allies across healthcare, the economy, immigration, democracy, and more. He’s talking about the GOP’s obsession with Elon Musk, DOGE memes, and dismantling the federal government all while families are struggling to afford groceries, prescriptions, and rent.

Meanwhile, here in Utah, our congressional representatives are sitting silent. Not a word from Mike Lee, who seems far more animated about canceling diversity programs than preserving democracy. Not a peep from John Curtis, who’s not standing up for Utah’s public lands or environment, even as Trump’s cuts and rollbacks take a toll. Not even a side-eye from Blake Moore, whose biggest recent claim to fame is co-chairing the DOGE caucus in Congress. Seriously.

But Cory Booker is standing up and saying: this is madness. And he’s doing it for all of us. He’s standing up for working-class Americans, for immigrants, for students, for public servants, for people living paycheck to paycheck, and that includes a whole lot of Utahns.

We’ll say it plainly: it's time someone is caught trying. We won’t always be perfect. But we can’t afford to stay quiet.

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Stand Up, Speak Out: From Pumpernickel to Pulse to Booker

This isn’t the first time someone’s taken the Senate floor to prove a point. But let’s talk about how this one is different.

The longest filibuster in U.S. history was by Strom Thurmond: 24 hours straight against the Civil Rights Act of 1957. Fueled by pumpernickel, hamburger meat and orange juice, famously. A horrid cause, but a record nonetheless. (Which I think Senator Booker might just break any minute here but this isn’t going to stop us from sending out this email).

In 2016, Senate Democrats filibustered for 15 hours after the Pulse nightclub shooting. In 2017, Ted Cruz held the floor for 21 hours unsuccessfully in order to defund the Affordable Care Act. Those were dramatic, emotional attempts to block a vote or demand one.

But what Booker’s doing now isn’t about a single bill. It’s not about stopping a vote or holding up funding. It’s about the slow-motion unraveling of our democracy: one policy, one executive order, one MAGA meme at a time.

This isn’t just a procedural delay. It’s a literal moral stand. A one-man act of resistance. And while Utah’s Senators do nothing, we’re going to tell you what we think they should be talking about: what is happening and who it’s hurting. Especially in Utah.

Lets go topic by topic.

HEALTHCARE

Utah’s healthcare system is being held together with duct tape and a prayer and the Trump administration keeps handing us scissors. For families across this state, healthcare isn’t some distant policy debate. It’s about whether you can afford to fill your kid’s asthma prescription or get care without driving hours to a rural clinic. And every time Trump’s team takes aim at Medicaid or public health, Utahns pay the price.

• 353,000 Utahns rely on Medicaid and CHIP. Under a state trigger law, if federal Medicaid funding is cut, Utah will automatically roll back coverage for tens of thousands. That’s not a glitch, that’s policy. (Gardner Institute)

• Trump’s team cut $98 million in COVID-related public health grants, forcing layoffs for 17 Salt Lake County employees, 37 state employees, and a total of 187 job cuts, including nurses and epidemiologists. That means fewer people tracking diseases, fewer experts coordinating community response. (KPCW)

• In a move that felt like an April Fool’s joke with real-world consequences, the Trump administration notified clinics, including Planned Parenthood Utah, of a freeze on nearly $35 million in Title X funds, effective April 1. Title X is the federal program that helps low-income women access birth control, cancer screenings, and basic reproductive healthcare. But under Trump, Utah was one of eight states where funding was cut off entirely, leaving thousands of patients in the lurch. (Ms.)

• The University of Utah already lost $38 million for health disparities research, as Trump’s team targeted anything tied to DEI or equity. That meant job losses, stalled research on infant mortality and chronic disease, and less support for rural and underserved communities. It could continue to lose even more. (SLTrib)