This Manifesto was prepared by one of our DAJ volunteers for the DAJ Kanto protest held on July 4th, 2025, in front of the mini Statue of Liberty at Odaiba in Tokyo.

We will fight for Human rights of migrants and immigrants

Trump has consistently denied the humanity of immigrants and migrants, specifically targeting Black and brown people, and including undocumented migrants, documented temporary and permanent residents, and naturalized and birthright citizens. His administration has embarked on large scale violations of their human rights, including

• Deporting people with no due process, including to prisons in other countries with limited human rights protections.
  Examples include the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to a prison in El Salvador, and attempting to send Asian and Latin American citizens to South Sudan, violating both US and international refugee laws (including the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees).
• Terrorizing people by performing ICE raids with masks and disproportionate weaponry, or using unmarked cars and plainclothes when suddenly detaining people, including international students.
• Imprisoning or deporting international students for exercising their freedom of speech
• Attempting to unconstitutionally suspend birthright citizenship
• Suspending the right to asylum for most refugees (white South Africans being the sole exception)
• Violating legal settlement requiring the government to assist parents and children who were forcibly separated at the border.
• Deporting law-abiding people, including children, who have built their lives in America.

(references 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

We will fight for Civil rights and racial justice

The administration is rolling back civil rights protections gained in the last 50 years, and attempting to further cement the dominance of white cis men in the social power structure. Its actions include

• Executive order to ignore laws and regulations based on disparate impact, thus requiring that laws be considered only by whether their text appears neutral, rather than whether their actual effect is discriminatory.

This pushes American civil rights protections back to their pre-1971 status, when only the most overt discrimination could be stopped.

• Twisting civil rights laws to oppress the very people they were meant to protect. For example, targeting Black and Hispanic people and building roadblocks to their education and equal participation in society in the name of ending "white discrimination".
• Vilifying and dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, in order to keep white men in power at all levels of society
• Censoring discussion of race or sex discrimination in schools, trying to erase consciousness of the unjust structure of society

(references 1 2 3 4 5 6)

We will fight for Transgender rights - especially the right to exist

The administration is trying to erase the very existence of transgender people. Just a few of the administration's actions:

• Executive order to "remove recognition of gender identity" and force the federal government to "recognize two sexes."
• Denying federal funding to hospitals that provide gender affirming care to transgender youth
• Denying federal funding to schools which support transgender students or teach about the existence of transgender people
• Supreme court decision (United States v. Skrmetti) allowing states to ban gender affirming medical care for transgender youth (while allowing it for cis youth)
• Labeling youth access to gender affirming care as "child abuse"
• Preventing transgender children from participating in school sports
• Banning transgender service people from continued military service
• Mandating that transgender women be placed in men's prisons

(references 1, 2, 3)

We will fight for LGBTQ+ rights

The administration is not only targeting transgender people; it is also

• Rescinding Biden's orders to promote public health of LGBTQ+ people
• Reversing the Biden administration's anti-discrimination protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity
• Erasing any mention of words such as "lesbian", "bisexual", "gay", and "transgender" from many federal websites, and removing LGBTQ-specific pages from the CDC and Department of State websites, among others
• Ceasing hundreds of millions of dollars in research funding for LGTBQ+ people's health

(references 1, 2)

We will fight for the Right to choose

In the wake of the overturning of Roe v Wade, the administration has further attacked the right to choose to have an abortion, endangering the lives of millions of cis women and trans people. It is

• Freezing federal funding to provide access to birth control and reproductive health care
• Rescinding federal medical guidance obligating hospitals to provide emergency lifesaving abortion care
• Reinstating "global gag rule" preventing foreign aid recipients from discussing abortion
• Supreme court ruling to prevent Medicaid recipients from receiving care at Planned Parenthood, representing nearly 50% of patients seeking care there

(references 1, 2, 3)

We will fight for the Separation of powers and rule of law

The administration is embarking on an unprecedented expansion of presidential power, suppressing the legislative and judicial branches and approaching autocratic rule. Just a few of its actions:

• Blocking over $3 trillion in federal loans and grants, seizing congress's "power of the purse"
• Shutting down congressionally legislated agencies
• Purging the government of hundreds of thousands of career civil servants, in some cases questioning their voting history and political donations to ensure loyalty
• Blatantly ignoring federal court orders, including from the Supreme Court
• Firing at least 17 inspectors general, who ensure federal agencies follow the law
• Purging Justice Department of career prosecutors seen as insufficiently loyal
• Halting Justice Department prosecutions at odds with Trump's political goals, leading to mass resignations in protest
• Punishing and threatening independent media for unflattering coverage
• Punishing private law firms representing Trump's political opponents
• Pardoning convicted insurrectionists who attempted to install Trump in a coup on January 6, 2021
• Issuing blatantly unconstitutional orders, such as to block birthright citizenship
• Deploying the military domestically to sites of protests
• Failing to notify Congress in advance of military strikes on Iran, possibly also violating the War Powers Resolution

(references 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11)

We will fight for our Social safety net

The administration is cutting assistance for the most vulnerable while pursuing tax breaks for the most wealthy. It is

• Cutting staff and funding at agencies that provide essential services, including the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and FEMA
• Cutting critical Housing and Urban Development programs, including Fair Housing Act programs to prevent housing discrimination and eviction and grants for families with children, senior citizens, and people with disabilities.
• Proposing billions of dollars in cuts to SNAP food aid, pushing millions of people off the program
• Pursuing cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act which will cause an estimated 12 million people to lose their healthcare

(references 1 2 3 4 5 6)

We will fight for Health and access to healthcare

The administration is attempting to prevent access to healthcare for millions of Americans, while exacerbating global threats to public health. It is

• Pursuing cuts to Medicaid which will cause an estimated 7.8 million people to lose their healthcare
• Proposing changes to the Affordable Care Act which will cause an estimated 4.2 million more people to lose healthcare (together with Medicaid cuts, that makes 12 million)
• Cutting over 80% of USAID contracts, including termination or massive cuts to global health and vaccination programs such as PEPFAR. The cuts are estimated to cause millions additional worldwide deaths due to HIV, malaria, tuberculosis, and other diseases.
• Laying off tens of thousands of researchers, doctors, and other staff at the Department of Health and Human Services, and cutting tens of billions of dollars in health programs and research. This included cutting mental health support, HIV research, tobacco regulation, and countless more public health programs.
• Removing HIV and LGBTQ+ related resources from government public health websites such as the CDC's.
• Replacing the CDC's advisory committee on vaccines with non-experts and vaccine skeptics.
• Enforcing an anti-immigrant policy that will make seeking medical care risky for undocumented people, as well as threatening the hundreds of thousands of undocumented healthcare workers in addition to the tens of millions of foreign-born healthcare workers who make up 18% of the healthcare workforce.

(references 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11)

We will fight for the Environment and a habitable Earth

The administration appears committed to destroying the environment and accelerating climate change. Its actions include

• Withdrawing the US from the Paris Agreement (again)
• Executive orders to expand coal use
• Blocking offshore wind farm development
• Removing or planning to remove EPA regulations on greenhouse gas emissions, air quality standards, fuel economy standards, mercury and other toxic pollutants, endangered species protections, and many others
• Expanding Arctic drilling, including in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
• Planning to sell hundreds of millions of acres of national forests and other protected federal lands

(references 1, 2, 3)

Call for Nominations 

Asia-Pacific Regional Vice Chair 2025-2027

We are pleased to call for nominations of candidates for the position of 2025-2027 Regional Vice Chair (RVC) for Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. The election for this position will be held on June 8, 2025 as part of the Democrats Abroad Annual Global Meeting. This is an online meeting.

Two votes are allocated to each DA Country Committee in APAC and will be cast by Country Committee Chairs and Vice Chairs.

Key Information:

• Responsibilities of RVCs
• Requirements to Serve as the APAC RVC
• Submission of Nominations
• Important Dates

Democrats Abroad has 3 RVCs, one for each of its 3 regions.

As defined in the Democrats Abroad Charter Rev August 2021:

Section 6.3 (Duties of Regional Vice Chairs) The Regional Vice Chairs shall, under the direction of the International Chair, promote cooperation among the Country Committees in the respective Regions and implement any Regional programs or plans adopted by the Regional Committees, provided such programs or plans have been approved by the International Chair in consultation with the Executive Committee.

Section 6.4 (Regional Meetings and Communication) Members of Democrats Abroad residing in a Region may meet by appropriate means of communication to consider matters relating to that Region. The Regional Vice Chair shall preside over such Regional meetings. In the absence of the Regional Vice Chair, the members of Democrats Abroad in attendance at the meeting shall elect a Presiding Officer pro-tem. The rules applicable to such meetings shall be the same as those applicable to DPCA meetings. To the extent feasible, Regional meetings shall be held in those countries that so request. A prompt report of each meeting shall be made to the DPCA by the Secretary pro-tem of the meeting.

Key Responsibilities:

• Serve as one of eight members of the International Executive Committee of the Democrats Abroad (International ExCom), with virtual meetings held by conference call nearly every week (up to 2 hours). The schedule for these calls is rotated so that all 3 global regions can participate.

• Serve a two-year term, but not more than two consecutive terms. Section 6.2 (a)

• Organize and lead monthly regional calls (avg 1.5 hours) to encourage, inform, and create community amongst regional Country Committee and Non-Country Committee leaders. These calls are generally held on the second Sunday of each month.

• Organize and lead in-person/virtual/hybrid 2-3 day regional meeting, every year or two. RVC responsibilities for this event include, but are not limited to: creating an agenda; organizing leaders to fulfill it. For an in-person/hybrid meeting, RVC works with the local country leaders who host the gathering to organize accommodation, conference space, entertainment, etc.; and leading the event. Please note that travel costs are the responsibility of the RVC.

• Assist in organizing the yearly DA International Meeting.

• Work with existing Country Committees (CCs) to mediate and resolve issues within their committees, including election issues, membership queries, etc.

• Track compliance status of CCs with Charter requirements and work with in-formation and out-of-compliance committees to help bring them into compliance.

• Communicate ExCom decisions, policies, and DA best practices to regional CC leaders.

• Bring regional issues to the International ExCom for discussion and resolution.

• Help groups of DA members in countries without a CC to contribute to DA's mission, ranging from short-term GOTV efforts to long-term precincts for areas without a population or resources sufficient to sustain a CC.

• Shall work with the NCC (non-Country Committee) Voting Representative to encourage member organizing and growth in countries without a CC in the Region.

• Represent the views of DA members without CCs in the APAC region at various levels of decision-making.

• Recruit and manage volunteers -- typically called Deputy RVCs -- sufficient to fulfill all these duties and serve the needs of the region.

The requirements to serve as APAC RVC are:

• Be a citizen of the United States.

• Be a member of Democrats Abroad for at least 6 months prior to the election, i.e., joined before December 8, 2024.

• Be a resident in the APAC Region.

• Adhere to the principles of the Democratic Party of the United States.

• Additionally, experience serving on a country committee, global caucus committee, or other equivalent leadership experience within DA is encouraged but not required. We particularly encourage candidates from historically underrepresented backgrounds to stand for office.

• Both self nominations and nominations of others are welcome. 

Submission of Nominations:

Please submit nominations no later than Friday, May 16th at 11:59:59 PM (Kabul UTC +4:30).

Please send an email announcing your candidacy, and include a short Candidate Statement, to the NEC at [email protected]

The Candidate Statement should include the following: 

• Your name, contact details

• Why are you running?

• What do you see as the critical challenges for DA in the Asia Pacific? 

• What issues important to DA members in AP might you choose to focus on if elected? 

The Candidate name, contact details, candidate statement will be posted on the DA website.

Important Dates:

• Friday, May 16 –  Last date to submit candidate nominations. Link
• Tuesday, May 20 – NEC will announce approved candidates. Link
• Tuesday, May 20 – Candidate list published on DA Website. Link
• Tuesday, May 20 – Candidate profiles published on DA Website. Link
• Saturday, May 24 – Meet the Candidate forum. Link
• Sunday, June 8 – APAC Regional Meeting and RVC Election (online). Link
• June 6, 7, 8 – Global AGM and Elections. Link

Nominations will also be allowed from the floor during the AP Regional Meeting.

Please direct any questions to [email protected]

On behalf of the 2025 APAC RVC Nominations & Elections Committee (NEC),

Adnan Ahmed (DA New Zealand), 

Erika Victor (DA Cambodia, nonCC), 

Rohan Sarma (DA Lion City), 

Tara Hardiman (DA Australia), 

Tim Berge (DA Taiwan)