Dear Friend,

     Over the last two weeks, as the Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee and Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, I was given the opportunity to question some of the members of President Trump’s Cabinet. This included Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer, and Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.

     I used these hearings to ask the tough questions that I have heard from all of you, these past several months. I did not back down from my questioning, and I made my opinions clear on the secretaries’ respective attacks on healthcare, workers, and public education across the country.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.:

     On Wednesday, May 14, I spoke to Secretary Kennedy and demanded answers about his recent assault on our health system. In this hearing, I made it clear to him that massive cuts to our health system do not make America healthy – in fact, under his budget proposal, Americans would die of needless and preventable deaths.

     Despite funding being allocated in the previous budget for critical National Institutes of Health (NIH) research, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) programs, and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) safety protocols, Secretary Kennedy has proposed to cut various aspects of this department’s critical work. The proposed HHS budget plans to cut a total of $33 billion, a 30% decrease, including specifically:

• Reducing the full-time workforce at HHS from 82,000 to 62,000, a loss of 20,000 individuals.
• Cutting funding for NIH and CDC funding by more than 40%, including cutting $20 billion from NIH.
• Cutting funding for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and proposing to consolidate SAMHSA and HRSA into a new agency.
• Firing or forcing out 5,000 personnel at NIH.
• Eliminating the Administration for Community Living (ACL), the agency that supports older adults and people with disabilities by funding programs like Meals on Wheels and Centers for Independent Living. 
• Cutting funding for grants and contracts by 35% across all divisions of HHS.
• Reducing facility inspectors in the policy division of the FDA Office of Generic Drugs.

     As I stated in the hearing and continue to stress, Secretary Kennedy is endangering the health of the American people. The United States used to be the global leader in science and public health, but RFK Jr. is setting us back by decades. By withholding congressionally appropriated funds, RFK Jr. is committing illegal acts. In the budget hearing, I asked him point blank, “Are you planning to break the law by impounding congressionally appropriated funds?” He was left speechless with no answers.

     I also reiterated to him “You have an obligation to carry out the law and to implement what Congress has done.” I clarified to the Secretary that he is threatening the health of the American people by dismantling the HHS’ ability to conduct research and serve the American people.

You can watch the entirety of the hearing, including my various questions here.

You can read my opening statement from this hearing here.

Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer:

     At the budget hearing for the Department of Labor on May 15th, 2025, I was able to question Secretary Chavez-DeRemer about the destructive moves she has taken as head of the department.

     Defending workers’ rights is something near and dear to my heart. I am a daughter of a garment worker, and I do not take protections for American workers lightly. On Friday, May 16, I joined more than 3,000 striking machinists on the picket line at Pratt & Whitney’s plants in East Hartford and Middletown, Connecticut, as they fought for fairer wages and job security. Unions built the middle-class in this nation; they are the reason we have a minimum wage, a weekend, overtime pay, and rules to protect working conditions. I will always fight for trade unions in Congress.

     Therefore, I expressed to Secretary Chavez-DeRemer how I strongly oppose her proposal to cut funding for the Department of Labor by $4.7 billion, a 35 percent hatchet job to the crucial programs that help workers gain skills to secure well-paying jobs, and to the agencies whose mission is to protect the safety, health, and hard-fought rights of American workers, including:

• Consolidating multiple workforce and post-secondary programs into one jumbled system.
• Cutting $1.6 billion from Department of Labor job training grants.
• Eliminating the Job Corps.
• Eliminating the Senior Community Service Employment Program.

     In my opening statement I told Secretary Chavez-DeRemer my thoughts on the Trump Administration’s efforts to cut funding for labor programs to help fund tax breaks for his billionaire buddies.

     “Madam Secretary I want to know how the Department of Labor will be able to perform its function, protect the America workforce while under this hatchet? The American people deserve to know what will become of the programs and protections that so many workers throughout our nation’s history fought and died for…”

     Secretary Chavez-DeRemer did her best to dodge my questions. Additionally, she had little to say of the programs and grants her department had cancelled—“due to ongoing litigation”. They are committing so many illegal actions that she couldn’t answer any questions because they are being sued for all of them. Some of the recent cases the Department is being sued over include:

• The Mass Firings of Probationary Employees
• Ending Collective Bargaining for Federal Workers
• Overtime Rules and Independent Contractor Statuses

     As I told her, “Madam Secretary, this Administration is recklessly, and unlawfully, freezing and stealing Congressionally appropriated funds from agencies, programs, and services across the government that serve the American people. The Congress holds the power of the purse. It is in the Constitution. Article I, Section 9, Clause 7.”  I also reminded her, “You can have a focus, but your actions have to tie in with your focus. If your actions are contrary to your focus, then you’re not meeting the mission.”

     You can read more about recent litigation efforts with the Trump Administration’s from the House Judiciary Democrats here and keep an eye out for future eNewsletters regarding litigation updates from me and my team.

You can watch the entirety of the hearing, including my various questions here.
You can read my opening statement from this hearing here.

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon:

     On Wednesday, May 21, I questioned Secretary McMahon at the budget hearing for the Department of Education. This comes about a month after President Trump issued an executive order directing the Secretary of Education to take “all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education.” This brazen attack is not legal, yet they are systematically dismantling the department as we speak.

     But I will never stop fighting against the Trump Administration’s dangerous dismantling of public education, which is jeopardizing the futures of millions of children in this country. As I have said before, this critical agency supports all stages of student learning, from:

• 5 million elementary and secondary students who have teachers in their classrooms thanks to Title I funding.
• 7 million students who rely on Pell Grants to pay for college.
• 7.5 million students who are protected under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

     Public education is deeply important to me. As a child, my parents always emphasized the importance of school; they knew the immense value of getting a high-quality education. This is why I expressed to the Secretary that I am adamantly opposed to the proposed budget, which would cut the Department’s funding by $12 billion, or 15%. These cuts are clearly an aim to dismantle our federal investments in the nation’s public education, including:

• Eliminating preschool development grants.
• Reducing funding for the Office of Civil Rights by 35%.
• Firing 50% of the Departments overall workforce.
• Eliminating student loan interest subsidies.
• Eliminating the TRIO and GEAR Up programs which help low-income students access college, a cut of more than $1.5 billion.
• Eliminating Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, a cut of more than $900 million.

     And while more and more Americans are getting college degrees, disparities still exist, and these programs are necessary. I told her students from wealthy families are almost 3.5 times more likely to attend college than students from low-income families. I will continue to fight for the education of all Americans, not just those who have the means to pay for one. Underfunding our schools will not help students or teachers whatsoever.

     I demanded Secretary McMahon provide explanations for why various programs under the department were cancelled, but she could not answer. When I asked her “What criteria was used in order for you to say yay or nay to a program?”, she had no answer. Secretary McMahon may be from Connecticut, but she does not represent Connecticut. Rest assured, I will continue to demand answers for the programs that have been cut, or that are under the threat of being cut.

You can watch the entirety of the hearing, including my various questions here.
You can read my opening statement from this hearing here.

     I will continue my efforts in Congress to get results for the families and communities of the Third District. Should you have any questions or if I can assist you with a federal agency, please contact my District office at 203-562-3718. To follow what I'm working on both in Washington and in Connecticut, visit my Facebook page, follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Bluesky. You can also now sign up to receive SMS updates here.

                                                                                               Sincerely,