{"id":425,"date":"2025-02-19T11:32:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T01:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/?p=425"},"modified":"2025-11-20T13:18:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T02:48:14","slug":"preston-natale-2025-wip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/2025\/02\/19\/preston-natale-2025-wip\/","title":{"rendered":"From Adelaide to DC: Navigating American Politics in a Time of Upheaval"},"content":{"rendered":"

Written by Preston Natale, Washington Internship Program Intern 2025<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018Everything that could have happened \u2013 has happened.\u2019<\/p>\n

I’ve repeated this quote more times than I can count \u2013 in meetings, briefings, and first encounters with people \u2013 using it to try and sum up my experience so far in Washington D.C.<\/p>\n

Interns from Flinders rarely witness a presidential inauguration, even less often experience Washington D.C. after a former president’s passing, and almost never have their start delayed by a snowstorm. Yet, in just our first two weeks, we experienced it all.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I am currently interning in the office of Democratic Congressman Steve Cohen, the U.S. Representative of Tennessee\u2019s 9th Congressional District. I am one of five Australian interns here in D.C. representing Flinders University as a part of its eight-week-long Washington Internship Program.<\/p>\n

After nearly two months here, the novelty of my work and where I get to do it hasn’t worn off. I’ve had the privilege of exploring and leading Capitol tours, walking on the House floor, and seeing the Constitution up close. Passing the Supreme Court and Capitol Building each morning on my way to work are experiences I’ll never forget.<\/p>\n

However, since starting this internship, I\u2019ve realized how sheltered we are in Australia from American politics. Given the influence of the United States on our economy, culture, and foreign policy, this may seem surprising. But beyond policy, we miss the personal, real-life impact. We see only headlines, not lived experiences. Last week there was an article in the New York Times with the headline \u201cAs Trump and Musk Upend Washington, Congressional Phones Can\u2019t Keep Up.\u201d And never have truer words been spoken!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Over the past two weeks, my fellow interns and I have spent countless hours on the phone, taking notes, and listening to upset constituents. The new administration\u2019s strategy of \u2018flooding the defense\u2019 and \u2018throwing everything at the wall\u2019 has had its desired impact. And here I am, just an intern from little old Adelaide, caught in the middle of it all.<\/p>\n

A new, outlandish announcement hits the news, and within seconds, the phones light up. You scramble to research the issue to ensure you have the facts right for constituents, only for the next issue to hit the news and for the cycle to repeat itself all over again.<\/p>\n

These issues have covered a wide spectrum. In just two weeks, we’ve fielded calls on a federal funding freeze, the shutdown of USAID, Department of Treasury information raids, a U.S. proposal to seize Gaza, an attempt to end birthright citizenship, a proposed Department of Education shutdown, and, on top of it all, the new administration\u2019s cabinet appointees and their Senate confirmation hearings.<\/p>\n

Behind every call is a worried constituent, anxious about their country\u2019s future or their own livelihood. I have often found these calls difficult, hearing the concern in people\u2019s voices as they call our office as their last resort, with no other options in sight.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

However, in the face of the chaos, the one thing that has stood out to me is the passion and dedication of those who work in public service. Every day, I see staffers, representatives, and interns striving to make sense of it all and help their constituents.<\/p>\n

If my time here has taught me anything, it\u2019s that democracy is messy \u2013 but it\u2019s also alive. Every call, every conversation, and every moment of debate is a reminder that the American people care deeply about their country\u2019s future. And in times of uncertainty, that passion and perseverance might just be the most reassuring thing of all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written by Preston Natale, Washington Internship Program Intern 2025 \u2018Everything that could have happened \u2013 has happened.\u2019 I’ve repeated this quote more times than I can […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6079,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[623,428],"tags":[639,188,187,217,186,276,383,636],"class_list":["post-425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-internships","category-washington","tag-639","tag-american-studies","tag-capitol-hill","tag-democracy","tag-internships","tag-study-overseas","tag-washington-internship-program","tag-wip-2025"],"yoast_head":"\nFrom Adelaide to DC: Navigating American Politics in a Time of Upheaval - The Jeff Bleich Centre<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/2025\/02\/19\/preston-natale-2025-wip\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"From Adelaide to DC: Navigating American Politics in a Time of Upheaval - The Jeff Bleich Centre\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Written by Preston Natale, Washington Internship Program Intern 2025 \u2018Everything that could have happened \u2013 has happened.\u2019 I’ve repeated this quote more times than I can […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/2025\/02\/19\/preston-natale-2025-wip\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Jeff Bleich Centre\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-02-19T01:02:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-20T02:48:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/99\/2025\/02\/IMG_3492-min-225x300.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Vasil Samardzhiev\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Vasil Samardzhiev\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\\\/jeff-bleich-centre\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/19\\\/preston-natale-2025-wip\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\\\/jeff-bleich-centre\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/19\\\/preston-natale-2025-wip\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Vasil Samardzhiev\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\\\/jeff-bleich-centre\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a2b7647a47caa127a572ededc737c261\"},\"headline\":\"From Adelaide to DC: Navigating American Politics in a Time of Upheaval\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-19T01:02:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-20T02:48:14+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\\\/jeff-bleich-centre\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/19\\\/preston-natale-2025-wip\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":623,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\\\/jeff-bleich-centre\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/19\\\/preston-natale-2025-wip\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\\\/jeff-bleich-centre\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/99\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/IMG_3492-min-225x300.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"2025\",\"american studies\",\"capitol hill\",\"democracy\",\"internships\",\"Study overseas\",\"Washington internship Program\",\"WIP 2025\"],\"articleSection\":[\"All Internships\",\"Washington Internship Program\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\\\/jeff-bleich-centre\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/19\\\/preston-natale-2025-wip\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\\\/jeff-bleich-centre\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/19\\\/preston-natale-2025-wip\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\\\/jeff-bleich-centre\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/19\\\/preston-natale-2025-wip\\\/\",\"name\":\"From Adelaide to DC: Navigating American Politics in a Time of Upheaval - The Jeff Bleich Centre\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\\\/jeff-bleich-centre\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\\\/jeff-bleich-centre\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/19\\\/preston-natale-2025-wip\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\\\/jeff-bleich-centre\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/19\\\/preston-natale-2025-wip\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\\\/jeff-bleich-centre\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/99\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/IMG_3492-min-225x300.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-19T01:02:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-20T02:48:14+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\\\/jeff-bleich-centre\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a2b7647a47caa127a572ededc737c261\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\\\/jeff-bleich-centre\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/19\\\/preston-natale-2025-wip\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\\\/jeff-bleich-centre\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/19\\\/preston-natale-2025-wip\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\\\/jeff-bleich-centre\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/19\\\/preston-natale-2025-wip\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\\\/jeff-bleich-centre\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/99\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/IMG_3492-min-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\\\/jeff-bleich-centre\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/99\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/IMG_3492-min-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":2560},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\\\/jeff-bleich-centre\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/19\\\/preston-natale-2025-wip\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\\\/jeff-bleich-centre\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"From Adelaide to DC: Navigating American Politics in a Time of Upheaval\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\\\/jeff-bleich-centre\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\\\/jeff-bleich-centre\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Jeff Bleich Centre\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\\\/jeff-bleich-centre\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\\\/jeff-bleich-centre\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a2b7647a47caa127a572ededc737c261\",\"name\":\"Vasil Samardzhiev\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/1ce70d0ee3bb5e25edfaeac98f72bd3f0106ec556464685c7af35c615ccf0259?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/1ce70d0ee3bb5e25edfaeac98f72bd3f0106ec556464685c7af35c615ccf0259?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/1ce70d0ee3bb5e25edfaeac98f72bd3f0106ec556464685c7af35c615ccf0259?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Vasil Samardzhiev\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\\\/jeff-bleich-centre\\\/author\\\/sama0098\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"From Adelaide to DC: Navigating American Politics in a Time of Upheaval - The Jeff Bleich Centre","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/2025\/02\/19\/preston-natale-2025-wip\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"From Adelaide to DC: Navigating American Politics in a Time of Upheaval - The Jeff Bleich Centre","og_description":"Written by Preston Natale, Washington Internship Program Intern 2025 \u2018Everything that could have happened \u2013 has happened.\u2019 I’ve repeated this quote more times than I can […]","og_url":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/2025\/02\/19\/preston-natale-2025-wip\/","og_site_name":"The Jeff Bleich Centre","article_published_time":"2025-02-19T01:02:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-11-20T02:48:14+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/99\/2025\/02\/IMG_3492-min-225x300.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Vasil Samardzhiev","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Vasil Samardzhiev","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/2025\/02\/19\/preston-natale-2025-wip\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/2025\/02\/19\/preston-natale-2025-wip\/"},"author":{"name":"Vasil Samardzhiev","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/#\/schema\/person\/a2b7647a47caa127a572ededc737c261"},"headline":"From Adelaide to DC: Navigating American Politics in a Time of Upheaval","datePublished":"2025-02-19T01:02:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-20T02:48:14+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/2025\/02\/19\/preston-natale-2025-wip\/"},"wordCount":623,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/2025\/02\/19\/preston-natale-2025-wip\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/99\/2025\/02\/IMG_3492-min-225x300.jpg","keywords":["2025","american studies","capitol hill","democracy","internships","Study overseas","Washington internship Program","WIP 2025"],"articleSection":["All Internships","Washington Internship Program"],"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/2025\/02\/19\/preston-natale-2025-wip\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/2025\/02\/19\/preston-natale-2025-wip\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/2025\/02\/19\/preston-natale-2025-wip\/","name":"From Adelaide to DC: Navigating American Politics in a Time of Upheaval - The Jeff Bleich Centre","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/2025\/02\/19\/preston-natale-2025-wip\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/2025\/02\/19\/preston-natale-2025-wip\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/99\/2025\/02\/IMG_3492-min-225x300.jpg","datePublished":"2025-02-19T01:02:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-20T02:48:14+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/#\/schema\/person\/a2b7647a47caa127a572ededc737c261"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/2025\/02\/19\/preston-natale-2025-wip\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/2025\/02\/19\/preston-natale-2025-wip\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/2025\/02\/19\/preston-natale-2025-wip\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/99\/2025\/02\/IMG_3492-min-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/99\/2025\/02\/IMG_3492-min-scaled.jpg","width":1920,"height":2560},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/2025\/02\/19\/preston-natale-2025-wip\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"From Adelaide to DC: Navigating American Politics in a Time of Upheaval"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/","name":"The Jeff Bleich Centre","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/#\/schema\/person\/a2b7647a47caa127a572ededc737c261","name":"Vasil Samardzhiev","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1ce70d0ee3bb5e25edfaeac98f72bd3f0106ec556464685c7af35c615ccf0259?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1ce70d0ee3bb5e25edfaeac98f72bd3f0106ec556464685c7af35c615ccf0259?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1ce70d0ee3bb5e25edfaeac98f72bd3f0106ec556464685c7af35c615ccf0259?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Vasil Samardzhiev"},"url":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/author\/sama0098\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6079"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=425"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/jeff-bleich-centre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}