SANDUSKY — U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, urged Americans who are unhappy with the direction of the country in the new Trump administration to contact their members of Congress and engage in political action.

Kaptur also advised Democrats not to panic and to remember that, in a nation of laws, the courts act as a constraint in what the Trump administration is trying to do.

“They should definitely contact their member of Congress — whoever it is, or members of Congress in their own region, both Republican and Democrat — and they should let their feelings be known, let their inquiries be known,” she said.

While some lawmakers simply let calls go to voicemail, Kaptur insists her staff does answer the phone during normal business hours.

“My staff is probably not happy about that, but that’s my rule,” she said.

‘The way America works’

Kaptur said people upset about Trump’s actions should remember that, “We are a nation of laws,” and that there are built-in constraints to what any president can do.

She noted that her popular bill to build a World War II memorial in Washington, D.C., took years to enact.

“The system works very slowly,” she said. “They will find that out. And if they violate the law, they will be stopped in the courts. It’s just the way America works. If you try to get too radical, the country will pull you back.”

The thousands of people in northern Ohio calling Washington, D.C., should keep calling, Kaptur said.

“You will be heard,” she said.

Rising up against Republicans

Kaptur, 78, has been a member of the U.S. House since 1983, representing the 9th Congressional District along the Lake Erie coastline that has shifted after each census — but, each time, has included Toledo and Sandusky throughout.

She won another two-year term last November, defeating former state Rep. Derek Merrin, the Republican nominee, and a Libertarian. As the Register reported at the time, a PAC controlled by Elon Musk joined the Republican effort to defeat Kaptur.

Kaptur said she gave a speech Thursday, expressing alarm over the free hand Musk has been given to access sensitive government computer records.

She said the Republican leadership in the U.S. House has only been allowing members one minute to speak.

“We used to be able to talk for a half hour, an hour,” she said.

The House’s minority leader, U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., sent a letter to other House Democrats, outlining steps that are being taken to resist Trump’s agenda. Jeffries strongly urged all Democratic lawmakers to communicate with their constituents in town hall meetings.

Kaptur said she had such a meeting about two weeks ago and said another one will happen soon. She hopes to provide access to everyone.

“Don’t forget: I cover eight counties,” she said.

On the horizon

While Republicans control the White House, the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House and the U.S. Supreme Court, the GOP majority in the U.S. House is razor thin.

Currently, there are 217 Republicans and 215 Democrats. Three GOP House members stepped down recently.

House elections will occur again in 2026, but until then, special elections will loom large.

The federal budget, which is supposed to start Oct. 1, has not been approved by the Republican leadership in Congress, and work is apparently behind on preparing a budget for the next fiscal year, Kaptur said.

Republicans want to hurt low- and middle-income taxpayers and approve more tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, Kaptur said.

“The top 1% in our country own as much wealth as the bottom 50%,” she said. “We’re hearing they want to cut Medicare. They want to cut Medicaid.”

On another issue, Kaptur said she is concerned that Trump’s tariffs on Canadian imports will hurt refineries in the district and raise gasoline costs for her constituents.

She said tariffs also will raise costs for American car manufacturers.

“A part in a car can pass back and forth between Canada and the U.S. six times, the same part,” she said.

On her agenda

Kaptur’s enthusiasm for the job and for her public policy ideas seems undiminished.

Her spokesman said she would be available for up to 30 minutes on Thursday. The interview, in fact, lasted for about 45 minutes with Kaptur continuing to answer questions and bring up topics.

During the interview, Kaptur talked about details of her:

• Opinions on U.S. trade with Canada

• New measure to promote tourism in the area

• Efforts to promote U.S. 20, which runs through the district, as the “Medal of Honor highway,” which aims to remind people about American heroes

She also spoke about her efforts to improve rail passenger service along the coasts of the Great Lakes, her efforts to set up a detection system to track the dissolved reactive phosphorus that feeds harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie, and her efforts to fund research to deal with mental illness in the U.S.