At 76 years old, Rhode Island U.S. senator Jack Reed is one of the oldest and longest-serving members of Congress. He’s seeking another term in November, citing the importance of fighting Trump administration policies like tariffs and immigration.
Reed sat down with Ocean State Media political reporter Ian Donnis to discuss several topics, including the recent shutdown of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the future of the Revolution Wind project, and his future in politics.
Interview highlights
On the shutdown of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Jack Reed: We made very specific, clarifying comments to the White House. They’ve been vague responding. We have to get ICE to behave like a law enforcement organization, not a gang of thugs. They can’t (have) masks, no identification, no body cameras. They can’t suppress 1st Amendment rights of expression, and they certainly can’t kill, without justification, American citizens who are exercising their constitutional rights.
The American people are outraged about what they’re seeing in Minneapolis. We’ve all seen the brutality of ICE and the almost totalitarian nature of it. I mean, this country’s not used to quote, “federal forces” going into homes, taking American citizens out in their underwear and throwing them into a van, making them disappear. That’s not America, and that’s what the American people (are) telling us.
On the prospect of President Trump pursuing a third term in office
Reed: I think it’s a possibility. I think that’s one where I hope the (U.S. Supreme) Court would stand up immediately and say, “You can’t do that.” Instinctively and politically, he is not going to passively let a successor be someone he doesn’t choose. On January 6, he incited a mob to come and attack the Capitol, but more importantly, one of his first actions was to pardon all of the rioters. So he’s prepared, I think, to mount a more substantive and orchestrated way to prevent the choice of the people – if it’s not his choice – from becoming president. I think we have to be very conscious of that.
On the future of the Revolution Wind project
Reed: When it was announced (that the project) was stopped for national security (reasons), I called the Deputy Secretary of Defense and said, “What is going on here?” This has been vetted over several years by the Defense Department, et cetera. Clearly that was an excuse, not a reason. There was nothing behind that, and the courts found that out very quickly. Again, do they have the appetite to come back a third time? I hope not. This project is probably 90-plus percent complete. It’ll help, and here’s one of the ironies – the winding point for all the power coming off those wind turbines is at Quonset Point, Rhode Island. Who is one of the consumers of energy in that region? Electric Boat.
On whether he plans to seek another term in the U.S. Senate in 2032
Reed: You have to sit back and make a very difficult and careful decision based on your health, based on your effectiveness, based on your ability to engage. I feel ready to go. Another term? That’s sitting back three years from now and saying honestly to yourself, “Can you do the job as well as you want?”
On changes in the political and media landscape over the past 30 years
Reed: When I first got elected, television was a big deal, but it was the 6 o’clock news and that was it. Now it’s constant with social media, with telephones, et cetera. That has taken people away from the old-fashioned television news and papers that really dealt in facts, not semi-facts or falsehoods. You had a factual context that most people operated under. Now you don’t have that.
