Elissa Slotkin

Elissa Slotkin (Michigan 8), won election in 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as a CIA analyst and as a Department of Defense official.

Message to Troops: Disobey Illegal Orders!

Message to Troops: Disobey Illegal Orders!

John Catalinotto, managing editor of the Workers World Party paper posted an article at Workers World titled "Message to Troops: Disobey Illegal Orders!" praising democrats for advising military members to disregard "illegal" orders on November 24, 2025.,

"Six members of the U.S. Congress, all Democrats, all veterans of the U.S. military or intelligence agencies, issued a video on Nov. 18 that resulted in President Donald Trump calling the video statements “seditious behavior, punishable by DEATH!” on his social media.

In the video they ended with the words “Don’t Give Up the Ship,” the six informed today’s members of the U.S. Armed Forces and the National Guard that they had not only the right but the duty to refuse to obey illegal or unconstitutional orders. They underlined this with regard to orders to fire their weapons at the people living in U.S. cities, as the president ordered them to do.

The six include Reps. Jason Crow, Colorado, Chris DeLuzio and Chrissy Houlahan, Pennsylvania, Maggie Goodlander, New Hampshire and Sens. Mark Kelly, Arizona and Elissa Slotkin, Michigan. Kelly was an astronaut, Slotkin, a CIA analyst and Crow, a former Army Ranger.

Implicit in a statement that troops had the duty to disobey is a warning. Troops who commit war crimes will be unable to use “I was only obeying orders” as a line of defense, should they face charges regarding those crimes.

The president responded immediately on social media by charging the Congress members with treason and threatening to have them executed. Trump’s barely coherent rants against them made it almost impossible for their fellow Democrats to avoid speaking out in their defense.

The video statement exposes the U.S. ruling class’s contradiction. It is caught in a sharp conflict regarding tactics. The Republican and Democratic parties both represent the interests of this wealthy ruling class. A small part of the Democratic Party establishment — the six Congress members who spent years of their lives as part of the imperialist state apparatus — will take action to stop the MAGA administration from creating a bigger disaster for that billionaire class.

What disaster? They see Trump as accelerating the decline of U.S. imperialism by turning the Armed Forces into a direct enemy of the U.S. population and losing any popular support it has.

To obey — or not

Since the troops were called into Los Angeles earlier this year to support roundups of migrants and anyone who seemed foreign to the mercenary Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) thugs, dissonance has spread in the National Guard. Individual National Guard members have refused to serve. And Slotkin said her office had received numerous calls from active duty troops and guards.

Whatever the motives of the six members of Congress, they have moved the question of soldiers obeying orders — or refusing to obey — to the front burner.

It is up to the workers’ movement, antiwar movement and anti-imperialist movement to look closely at this ruling-class conflict with the question: Is it possible to intervene to spread and organize resistance within the U.S. military so as to stop U.S. aggression abroad and stop the repression of migrants and their supporters within U.S. borders?

The right to disobey also applies to orders to fire on civilian boats in the Caribbean, as the U.S. warfleet has been doing in the waters near Venezuela since August. It is obvious that the MAGA regime has targeted Venezuela’s government. Any charge about “drug running” is purely a pretext for military action.

The more than 80 people killed by the U.S.’s water-borne death star have been murdered, without any proof of guilt. These killings are crimes, and those who carry out the crimes are criminals, even if those who give the orders are bigger criminals. Even one admiral, Alvin Holsey, resigned rather than lead the Caribbean fleet murdering civilians in motorboats.

Because the video of the six Congress members has been seen by millions of people, including troops, and even more so because an already unpopular and distrusted president has screamed a violent threat against the six. A conflict that was simmering has reached a boiling point.

Trump’s Homeland Security Adviser and chief fascist ideologue Steven Miller was the first to assess the video. He said on social media in his own exaggeration, “Democrat lawmakers are now openly calling for insurrection.”

Then White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt made the argument: “The sanctity of our military rests on the chain of command, and if that chain of command is broken, it can lead to people getting killed. It can lead to chaos … ”

Break the chain of command

None of the six Democrats explicitly called for breaking the chain of command, let alone calling for insurrection. What is true, however, is that if the rank-and-file troops in the military begin considering the legality of an order or discussing them with their peers, it raises the hope of a real break in the chain of command.

There are historical examples from the 1871 Paris Commune to the 1917 Russian Revolution to the 1974 Portuguese revolution when troops started to place their class interests ahead of their subservience to the rulers, and it became possible to organize resistance in the armed forces to orders to slaughter people. If it can be done, breaking the chain of command is exactly what must be done.

At the very least it will be easier now for anti-imperialists to reach U.S. troops and National Guard members with the message that they should – and even must – disobey orders. Activists should test different ways to do this, whether it be through using the internet or handing out leaflets.

Find the way. Offer support. Organize.

Perhaps the Trump administration will raise the stakes by sending troops into more cities to protect the mercenary ICE troops. The Guard members already hate to be there, as they informed Slotkin. And that was before the courageous high school youths of Charlotte, North Carolina, shut down their schools in solidarity with their migrant classmates.

If Trump and Miller call what the six did sedition and a call to insurrection, then it is up to anti-imperialist activists to make the most of it.

Catalinotto is author of “Turn the Guns Around: Mutinies, Soldier Revolts and Revolutions.”

NRDC Action

In 2022 the Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund endorsed Elissa Slotkin.

EMGAGE PAC

Elissa Slotkin was endorsed by EMGAGE PAC during her 2022 Congressional race.

Common Defense endorsements

In 2024 Common Defense endorsed US Senate candidates Angela Alsobrooks, Tammy Baldwin, Sherrod Brown, Bob Casey, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, Elissa Slotkin and Jon Tester.

Common Defense endorsed Elissa Slotkin in 2022.

Support from House Majority Forward

On October 8, 2019, House Majority Forward "launched a seven-figure ad campaign supporting the following Democratic candidates for the U.S. House in 2020":

• Abby Finkenauer (IA-01)
• Cindy Axne (IA-03)
• Elissa Slotkin (MI-08)
• Haley Stevens (MI-11)
• Angie Craig (MN-02)
• Chris Pappas (NH-01)
• Susie Lee (NV-03)
• Antonio Delgado (NY-19)
• Matt Cartwright (PA-08)
• Elaine Luria (VA-02)
• Abigail Spanberger (VA-07)

Activist support

According to Kyle Minton of Greater Detroit Democratic Socialists of America Michigan activists were the real winners in the Nov 6 2018 election.

Haley Stevens and Elissa Slotkin won by very close margins to flip Red Congressional districts Blue. Both were exciting candidates to the extent that their opponents were repellent, but their political views are unlikely to inspire much socialist enthusiasm. Both ran slightly to the right in districts heavily gerrymandered to favor conservatives. Democrats will most likely try to use these two slim victories as proof that you need to move to “the center” in order to win. This is bullshit. These candidates won because progressive activists looked past their centrist positions in order to turn out people who would not have voted otherwise. Slotkin should personally thank the NextGen youth organizers for doing such a great job to get out the vote in northern Oakland County.

DSA pressure on Yemen Bill

IE DSA - Inland Empire Democratic Socialists of America July 8 2019.

URGENT: Tomorrow, Tuesday 7/9, the House Rules Committee will consider whether to allow a floor vote on Rep. Ro Khanna's legislation to end US participation in the Saudi-led war in Yemen (Amendment 339 to the National Defense Authorization Act.) The DSA International Committee urges members to call their reps in support.

The Congressional switchboard is 202-225-3121. You can say something like:

“I urge you to co-sponsor, speak out for and vote for the Khanna-Schiff amendment to end all U.S. participation in the Saudi-UAE war in Yemen. Yemeni kids' lives are hanging on your vote.”

Key Congress members — If your Rep is on this list, please contact them immediately and urge them to cosponsor Amendment 339:

Pelosi, Hoyer, Engel, Smith, Lieu, Nadler, Lowey, Jim Himes, Ted Deutch, Brad Sherman, Meeks, Bass, Connolly, Susan Davis, Jim McGovern, Langevin, Moulton, Gallego, Houlahan, Cicilline, Slotkin, Mikie Sherrill, Luria, Spanberger, Wild, Malinowski.

"Be HEARD" Act

April 9 2019, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), top Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, was joined by Congresswoman Katherine Clark (D-MA-5), Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-7), to introduce the Bringing an End to Harassment by Enhancing Accountability and Rejecting Discrimination (Be HEARD) in the Workplace Act, legislation which takes critical steps to ensure businesses have more resources to prevent harassment and workers have more support when they seek accountability and justice, and sends a clear message to those who think they can get away with assault or harassment on the job: time is up.

Senator Murray announced the introduction at a news conference with survivors and advocates who shared their personal stories about workplace assault and harassment, including Adriana Cazorla, a Washington state domestic worker and advocate with National Domestic Workers Alliance, and Maria del Carmen Ruelas, farm worker with Justice for Migrant Women Advocates who also resides in Washington state. Additionally, leaders from the National Women's Law Center (NWLC), The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) participated and highlighted the urgent need to pass the legislation.

“No matter who you are or where you work—whether you are the only woman on the board, or a janitor, or farm worker, you should be treated fairly, respectfully, and with dignity. This should be true no matter your gender or race, your religion or sexual orientation or age—and regardless of whether you have a disability or are a veteran.” said Senator Murray. “For far too long and for far too many people in our country this hasn’t been true. So today, I’m proud to be standing up to fight for change and make clear that time is up.”

In addition to Senator Murray, the Senate bill is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Kamala Harris (D-CA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Bob Casey (D-PA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL). The House bill is being introduced by Congresswoman Katherine Clark (D-MA-5), Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-7), Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin (D-MI-8), and Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-FL-26).

References

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