March 15, 2025

Dear Friends,

This week, at a time when millions of Americans are struggling to pay their bills, Republicans jammed through a budget plan that cedes power to the wealthiest man in the world, giving the green light for his continued destruction of programs that support working families, all in pursuit of tax breaks for himself and other billionaires. This budget opens the door for massive cuts to the Veterans Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the Department of Education. Among other harmful actions, this bill:

• Cuts rent subsidies for low-income and working Americans by more than $700 million.
• Authorizes Elon Musk and President Trump to fire thousands of employees at the Social Security Administration, which would result in closures of Social Security offices, increased wait times, and unacceptable backlogs for Americans trying to access their earned benefits.
• Reneges on the promises we’ve made to our veterans by denying $22.8 billion in funding for the Toxic Exposures Fund to care for service members exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances.
• Gives Elon Musk and President Trump broad discretion to eliminate programs of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) like weather balloon forecasting that helps prepare and protect our region and others around the country from extreme weather.
  
  

This bill gives a blank check for Trump, Musk, and DOGE to continue their efforts to rip away health care for working families. The fact of the matter is that Musk is already forcing vast swaths of our government to shut down in pursuit of massive tax cuts for the wealthiest 0.1 percent. Already he’s gutted USAID, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and now the Department of Education. These actions are actively harming the American people. The chaos and uncertainty that this administration is causing is stripping away jobs in our Capital Region and beyond, tanking the economy, and threatening the healthcare and wellbeing of families across the nation.

I have made it clear time and again that I will fight against any action that further empowers this administration in its illegal and unconstitutional efforts to dismantle Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, and other safety net programs. That is why I voted no on this budget when it was brought up in the House, and why I pressed Senate Democrats to do the same. In place of this painful budget, I pushed for a four-week funding extension that would provide time for Congress to reach a comprehensive agreement that actually meets the needs of the American people, while avoiding the pain of a shutdown.

Unfortunately, the Senate chose to move forward with the GOP budget. I believe this was a mistake — one that will harm our families and our communities.

I did not stand against this budget because I wanted a shutdown to occur. I understand the pain and disruption that a government shutdown causes for so many working families. But the reality is that Musk and Trump are already moving forward with devastating cuts that cripple our workforce and put programs like Medicaid, SNAP, and others on the chopping block. These actions are unconstitutional, cruel, and simply wrong — and the budget Republicans put forward only enables them to continue this onslaught.

But let me be clear: this is far from the end of the fight to defend and stand up for these programs — this is only one lost battle. I will continue to push back against this hostile takeover of our government with everything I’ve got. And while there is much more work ahead, progress is being made to put a stop to these cuts. Just this week, the Trump administration was ordered by multiple judges to reinstate thousands of public servants who were wrongfully and unlawfully fired. My Democratic colleagues and I are continuing to pursue investigations, support litigation, and demand accountability from this administration.

I know that standing against Republicans’ relentless slash-and-burn campaign is no easy task. But I will never stop in my efforts, because I believe the American people need and deserve action and boldness from their representatives, not complacency.

President Trump must be reminded that he does not work for his billionaire donors. The American people elected him to address inflation, cut costs, and make life easier, not harder. In the effort to improve the lives of the working people of our region and beyond, I will never give up.

As always, thank you for reading.

Your friend,

DID YOU KNOW?

My office and I are working to make sure you remain informed with the latest updates, announcements, and recommendations from governments and agencies. With that in mind, here is some information that may be of interest to you:

• In accordance with this administration’s anti-trans agenda, the State Department is seeking to strip away gender identity from passports—forcing trans, nonbinary and intersex people to use inaccurate markers.
  • To comply with the Executive Order 14168, “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” the Department is updating passports to replace the term “gender” with “sex.”
• Along with violating constitutional rights, this change will:
  • Reduce passport accuracy
  • Put trans travelers at greater risk of harassment and violence
  • Increase government bureaucracy and delays
• The public has the power to weigh in on this order.
• You can demand that the State Department reject these cruel changes by submitting a public comment!
• The public comment period ends on Monday, March 17^th, so comment today to ensure your voice is heard!