Editor's note: This essay was adapted from a speech given on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this month.

Allow me to paint a picture.

Imagine a country where threats against the press have become commonplace — where journalists are discredited, dismissed or even targeted for doing their jobs. A country where funding for early childhood education, public universities and the arts is slashed under the guise of fiscal responsibility, while billions are funneled into expanding prisons. A place where judges are punished for upholding the rule of law, where military parades glorify a single leader rather than honor the people who serve.

You might think of Belarus under Lukashenko. You might think of North Korea under Kim Jung Un. But these are examples from our country, America, in the last........

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