Democracy Forward CEO & President Skye Perryman: “When the government does its job and works for the people, our society is stronger. And when our government strays from this purpose, ignoring the U.S. Constitution and a fidelity to people’s rights, our democracy and our people are in danger.

Washington, D.C. – Today, Democracy Forward Foundation President & CEO Skye Perryman testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. She was joined at the dais by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul.

In her remarks and member Q&A, Perryman spoke about the urgent threat our democracy and country face from the unlawful actions taken by the Trump-Vance administration, including ignoring the right to due process, attacks on public safety, and targeting their perceived enemies for retribution.

WATCH HER FULL OPENING STATEMENT 

 

Key Responses During Perryman’s Testimony:

On the Trump administration planning to weaken the power of the courts:

“Without our courts upholding the rule of law and upholding the rights of people right now there could be federal funds frozen across the country that would endanger things like Head Start and Meals on Wheels and community safety programs including community safety programs that help prosecutors and help law enforcement in states and in communities across the country. The administration has terminated over $800 million in Office of Justice Program grants that we are having to challenge in court. And the list goes on and on. It suggests that the people who voted for the bill don’t want the American people protected and they don’t want them to access their courts and access the ability to protect their rights.”

On ensuring the American people – including children – have access to legal representation:

“A two year old cannot represent him or herself in court. We are in court every single day seeking to try to ensure that people have access to legal representation which of course this administration is seeking to curtail. They are seeking to ignore due process rights and First Amendment rights. It is a flagrant violation of our Constitution and it is also something that shocks the conscious.”

Watch the full hearing here and read Perryman’s full testimony here.

Below is Perryman’s opening statement as prepared:

Thank you Mr. Chairman and Acting Ranking Member for having me here today. At the outset, let me offer my condolences to all of you for the recent loss of your colleague, Congressman Gerry Connolly.

I am here today as a lawyer and as the President and CEO of Democracy Forward Foundation, which is a non-partisan, national legal organization that is committed to achieving a nation and a democracy that enables all people living in America to thrive. We represent people and communities that make up the very fabric of our nation on a pro bono basis in federal and state courts and regulatory bodies.

I know this hearing is focused on immigration. I want to say at the outset that the nation needs comprehensive immigration reform. I also will note that the rhetoric that the President and his allies use to talk about people in this country is inaccurate, overly politicized, and not solutions oriented.

Fundamentally, Democracy Forward Foundation’s work centers on the premise that when the government does its job and works for the people, our society is stronger. And when our government strays from this purpose, ignoring the U.S. Constitution and a fidelity to people’s rights, our democracy and our people are in danger.

Right now, the American people are in danger and our democracy is in crisis.

We – all of us as Americans and all members of this Committee – need to remember who we are. We now have a President who has proclaimed without irony that he is a king in a nation that next year will celebrate 250 years since it threw off the reins of monarchy. Since inauguration day, the President and his administration have acted beyond the lawful bounds of executive authority, usurping the power of Congress, seeking to eliminate due process of law, ignoring court orders, and targeting people, civil society organizations, and lawyers.

These anti-democratic and authoritarian actions present overall threats to our nation’s democracy as well as to the safety and security of people living in America.

That is why Democracy Forward Foundation has filed more than 70 legal actions in federal courts, offices, and agencies since Inauguration to protect the American people’s rights.

From stopping the President’s federal funding freezes, to blocking the decimation of the Department of Education, to safeguarding due process, to challenging DOGE and Elon Musk’s attempts to access the personal data of individual Americans – Democracy Forward is in court every day on behalf of those in red states and blue states, those in urban areas, rural communities, and on behalf of people of all ideologies and identities.

Our work demonstrates that the U.S. Constitution is here for everyone. This administration’s tactics regarding immigration enforcement shock the conscience. They have led us to file litigation on behalf of religious communities to prevent ICE from entering houses of worship to indiscriminately conduct enforcement operations. We are litigating against policies that prolong the detention of immigrant children without their families. And of course, we are challenging the lack of due process afforded to our clients – men disappeared through an unlawful agreement between the government of El Salvador and the Department of State.

All told, the courts have ruled against the current administration more than 170 times in less than 200 days because of the administration’s fast-moving harms and flagrant violations of the law and our Constitution. And, while this is a dire situation, our work demonstrates that the American people are determined to protect their rights, to use lawful and peaceful means of petitioning their government, and, when necessary, to hold their government accountable.

Last week was June 6, the anniversary of the day that American troops landed on the beaches of Normandy in World War II. I am the mother of a nine year old boy whose great grandfather served in that battle and many others throughout the European theater. But in June of 2025, we don’t need to be in Normandy to defend our democracy. We must do it in these halls, in the courts, and in communities across the country. And, yes, we must remember the historical commitment we made at the end of that War to advance democracy and to ensure that we never turn our back on people fleeing persecution.

I provide this testimony with the sincere hope and belief that it is through understanding the nature and extent of the crisis of our freedoms and our democracy in this moment that we can turn the tide and build toward a more democratic and just future.

Thank you.

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Democracy Forward Foundation is a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy, public education, and regulatory engagement. For more information, please visit www.democracyforward.org.