Republican leaders are seizing upon recent television comments made by Democratic Socialists of America co-chair Megan Romer, who defended her organisation's push to abolish the United States Senate and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in a bid to brand the wider Democratic Party as extremists ahead of the upcoming midterms.
Romer recently went on air to defend her organisation's new campaign to abolish the Senate, while the group's wider written manifesto also outlines plans to dismantle immigration enforcement.
The news came after the socialist group released its policy roadmap on 14 July titled 'Workers Deserve More', prompting condemnation from conservative figures like House Speaker Mike Johnson, who described the platform as a battle of 'common sense versus communism'.
DSA Co-Chair Megan Romer confirms their platform includes:
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 26, 2026
- Abolishing the Senate, presidency, & Supreme Court
- Abolishing ICE, borders, & prisons
- Defunding the Pentagon
- Mass amnesty for illegals pic.twitter.com/rPQiT9HCXN
Inside the Democratic Socialists of America Platform
Romer told reporters that the Senate is an anachronistic institution derived from the British House of Lords, arguing it was designed to protect power and ensure ordinary citizens did not have too much of a say. Her televised defence of the platform has given Republicans material to attack progressive candidates.
The manifesto itself demands structural overhauls that would require amending the American constitution. These include expanding the House of Representatives, scrapping the two-party system and allowing Congress to elect the president and Supreme Court.
The document also outlines a vision for everyday citizens that includes universal healthcare, comfortable housing as a guaranteed human right and the implementation of a 32-hour work week. The group calls for the demilitarisation of police departments as an initial step toward the abolition of law enforcement agencies and the prison system.
🇺🇸Joe Manchin just shredded socialism on national TV.
— NewsForce (@Newsforce) August 2, 2026
When asked if he’d ever back a self-described socialist candidate, the former Democrat Senator for West Virginia snapped, “No. No way. My God, no…Are you crazy?”
He blasted their platforms for wanting to abolish the…
Republican Backlash Over Defence and Immigration Plans
Beyond domestic reforms, the document calls for a complete disengagement from global military affairs. The platform explicitly backs prosecuting American war criminals, closing overseas military bases and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement to end all detentions and deportations.
When pressed in her interview, Romer confirmed the group 'absolutely' wants to defund the Pentagon.
Republican strategists are now amplifying these on-air remarks to present the left as a threat to national security. Johnson took to the social media platform X to label the policies the work of 'barbarians', writing that the platform represents 'common sense versus communism'.
The scale of the new proposals is providing material for conservative attack campaigns, with Donald Trump and his allies continuing to criticise the group and keeping the spotlight on its most contested demands.
Senior House Democrat @RepTomSuozzi denounces the Democratic Socialists of America and their growing influence in the party, telling Fox News Digital the group's ideals are far from democratic — rather, they're mostly socialist at their core. pic.twitter.com/Ri0sT7Idmg
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 2, 2026
Prominent Democrats Remain Silent on DSA Senate Proposals
The increased conservative attention has placed high-profile left-wing politicians in a difficult position. The Democratic Socialists of America counts lawmakers like New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Michigan Representative Rashida Tlaib among its members, alongside a growing list of state and local officials.
Yet none of the group's most prominent congressional members have publicly endorsed the platform.
Requests for comment regarding the calls to abolish the Electoral College and defund the military went unanswered by Ocasio-Cortez and other key figures. Meanwhile, polling from Reuters reveals that 47 per cent of Americans say they do not understand democratic socialist policies, even as a CNN poll indicates a third of Democrats identify with the label.
How long these political figures can avoid addressing the controversy remains an open question. Some lawmakers, such as Pennsylvania Representative Summer Lee, have already distanced themselves from the organisation.
