U.S. Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vermont, speaks during a press conference at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Tuesday, Jan. 27. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger The Vermont Conversation with David Goodman is a VTDigger podcast that features in-depth interviews on local and national issues. Listen below and subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get podcasts. When Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., traveled to Minneapolis on a Congressional oversight mission several weeks ago, she saw a city under siege. Some 3,000 masked federal agents dispatched by President Donald Trump were roaming the city, snatching people from their homes and streets, often without warrants or explanation.  Balint fears Vermont could be next.  “This is not a law enforcement effort, this is about power and control and submission,” Balint said of what she observed in Minneapolis. She said that the killing of American citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis “just absolutely shook me to my core, not just because of the violence and the loss of life, but also immediately the lying about these two people” by the Trump Administration.  “This is about the president punishing states and municipalities that he does not feel like give him enough fealty,” Balint said. “Any state that did not vote for Donald Trump in the 2020 election, they’re in the crosshairs. And we must assume that at some point this President will try to make an example of us, and we can’t be caught flat footed.” On Wednesday, Balint got into a shouting match with Attorney General Pam Bondi at a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee, where she is vice ranking member. Balint demanded to know whether the Justice Department had looked into ties between top Trump administration officials and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.  “Shame on you,” Bondi responded, prompting Balint to retort, “This is pathetic.” Bondi went on to accuse of refusing to vote against an antisemitic bill.  “Do you want to go there, are you serious?” Balint shouted across the room. “Talking about antisemitism to a woman who lost her grandfather in the holocaust, really?” Balint then stormed out of the hearing Balint told The Vermont Conversation that Trump’s retribution can take many forms. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem “also oversees FEMA, and the President is using FEMA right now to pick winners and losers. And the winners are Republican states, and the losers are so-called democratic states.”  Just this week, FEMA denied disaster aid to Vermont for 2025 flooding in the Northeast Kingdom. Balint said that she assumes that Trump will go after Vermont. She and Senators Welch and Sanders held a meeting last week with Gov. Phil Scott “to have a very fulsome conversation with the governor about how do we prepare.” Balint discussed her continuing effort to defend against relentless Republican attacks on  LGBTQ people. “Americans understand that this is a scapegoating that is meant as a distraction away from their financial troubles, which are real.” The Trump administration is “targeting queer and trans people, black and brown Americans, the immigrant community. You’re doing this because you can’t deliver on the things that you promised.” Balint added, “You’re hoping that we will be so consumed with anger and rage at other people that we won’t have our anger directed at you, the people who are responsible for passing these horrible budgets that did so much damage to us.”  Read the story on VTDigger here: Vermont Conversation: Rep. Becca Balint warns state may be ‘in the crosshairs’ of Trump. ...read more read less