Kentucky's lone Democrat in Washington, says he's listening to voters during his town halls and elsewhere, unnerved by recent actions by the Trump administration, and answers criticism of his party's weakness and fighting back.

Louisville Congressman Morgan McGarvey admits Democrats have a PR problem, but contends their policies are in sync with many voters.

And part two of my conversation with Congressman McGarvey.

We discussed that and the response of Congress overall to the president's actions.

Article one of the Constitution empowers the Congress to pull the purse strings, to direct the funding to agencies and programs.

But yet, Congress seems to be eerily silent during this time.

And to the disgruntled of some of the people who even voted for President Donald Trump wondering where is Congress?

Well, and I would just change the question a little bit right now, because I can tell you in the House Democrats, we are extremely vocal.

We are on every type of media, social media, YouTube, cable, local television, everywhere talking about what Donald Trump is doing and how it is unconstitutional and how it's wrong, even if you agree with his policies.

No president can undo a Department of Education that's established in law by Congress.

No president can suspend the spending those passed into law by Congress.

We've been saying this.

We've been screaming it from the rooftops.

We have passed we have proposed legislation to stop some of what they are doing.

I've co-sponsored some of that legislation, whether it's, you know, stopping what they're doing and eliminating our veterans jobs in the VA, or even just requiring Elon Musk to comply with the Freedom of Information Act, so we can actually see what they're doing and who's doing it.

I'm on the House Litigation Task Force where there are over 100 lawsuits against the Trump administration right now, and they are losing in the courts.

We are pointing all of this out.

So I would say we're the Republicans in Congress because say what you want to do about Paul Ryan or Mitch McConnell.

When Trump was president, the first time the legislative branch Congress stood up for its power.

I tell people all the time, even if you like what Donald Trump is doing, would you like it if every president has that same amount of power?

Because our system was set up very clearly to have three branches of government where no one person could be king.

And so if you like everything that Donald Trump is doing and how he is doing it, would you feel the same way if Kamala Harris had been elected president and she was ignoring court orders, and she was dismantling programs that were put in place by a Republican Congress unilaterally?

Whenever I ask people that is interesting, the answer is always no.

Let's talk about the Democrats, not just in Congress, but just the party in general.

Some people would say it's in shambles and that there's not a unified, consistent message that is resonating.

Perhaps you're doing that message, but it's not resonating.

We know that recent polling shows that there is low confidence in Democrats low approval ratings.

What are you doing to help move the party in a more positive direction, and to really communicate to voters and citizens that you're on their side and that you're working for the causes that you're espousing?

Yeah.

Look, I think the first part of any problem is admitting there's a problem and you can't sugarcoat it.

We got whipped in the 2024 elections.

And we've got to see why.

And I think that, you know, a lot of Democratic policies are popular.

We talked about what happened in Kentucky with the public education proposal on the ballot.

Look at Missouri.

Missouri is a conservative place.

My wife's from Missouri.

I went to school there.

And 51% of Missourians voted to make sure a woman has a right to an abortion on a constitutional amendment.

I think was just over 55% of Missourians voted to increase the minimum wage and to have paid sick time.

And at the same time, they voted for Josh Hawley and Donald Trump.

In Florida, over 50% of the voters, voted to legalize recreational marijuana.

You see these these measures all across the country, but then they voted for Donald Trump.

These are more Democratic policies that are popular.

But somehow Donald Trump was winning at the same time.

I think Democrats have to do a better job of of two things.

One, listening.

Listening to what's important.

Making sure we are really, and that people feel heard.

And then when we talk, I think sometimes we talk in fine print.

We talk in policy.

And that comes from a place of real caring.

It comes from an empathy and an understanding that right now, I mean, if you've got rent and you've got student loans or you've got child care, things are tough right now.

And I think, you know, sometimes politicians, they get they get too buttoned up and they're afraid to show people who they are, what they think or that guess what?

They really love college sports.

Are they really loved music or or hunting or whatever it is, and connecting with people first instead of immediately talking in the fine print of government.

It reminds me what you're saying, reminds me of something I heard Paul Begala say recently, that the Democrat and, you know, he is a Democratic strategist sympathizer.

And he said the problem is, is the Democratic Party has has lost touch with the guy who has his name stitched on his shirt and more about the pronouns and the email signature.

Yeah.

Do you agree with that?

Well, I mean, look, it goes back to what I was saying about that connecting and that emotion.

And I think, you know, rather than than just trying to segment groups, talk about these problems that so often unite and connect all of us.

And I do think Democrats can do a better job of that.

Do you think the party nationally is to the left of left, left of center?

You know, I think it was Will Rogers who once said I wanted to join an organized party, but instead I became a Democrat.

I think one of the thing about the Democratic Party is that we do have a multitude of views, and we have a lot of people in the party.

And that's okay.

Sometimes it creates a little bit of tension.

But, you know, we have people across the spectrum.

But again, I think what what unites Democrats is that desire to make sure that every single person has a fair shot at the American dream of having a good job, of being able to have a family and to be able to make your kids a little better off than you are.

And that's what I think.

We've got to do a better job of explaining.

Tomorrow night, Congressman McGarvey will discuss tariff policy and much more on Kentucky Edition.

Tune in for that.