TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDERS

TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDERS

Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 18 (Tuesday, January 28, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 18 (Tuesday, January 28, 2025)] [Senate] [Pages S441-S442] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDERS Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, I am honored to join my colleagues here [[Page S442]] on the floor tonight, but we all wish we weren't here. We should not be here. We are here because the Trump administration, last night, swept the country into chaos. We are here because it is a break-the-glass moment for our democracy. The unconstitutional and unilateral decision to halt congressionally mandated funding is against the law. It is against the Constitution. It is against the Impoundment Control Act. That is the reason why a judge, this afternoon, ordered that it be stopped--but only temporarily, until February 3. And then we are in uncharted waters. This action is totally unprecedented on this scale and scope. Let's call it what it is. It is theft. President Trump is stealing money from people's pockets and pocketbooks and wallets, threatening their ability to pay rent, heat homes. It is imperiling programs around my State and the country that provide shelter for the homeless, suicide prevention for veterans, healthcare for people who are uninsured. The list is endless. That is not hyperbole. And just in the last 24 hours since this news broke, Connecticut organizations are already feeling the impact, and they are contacting me, reaching out in fear and worry. I have been fielding concerns from constituents who are already seeing the impact in doctors demoralized and food insecurity workers dispirited. Some community health centers were unable to access Federal funding this morning, and many of them are weighing furloughs and cuts to essential services. One nonprofit, in Groton, that provides critical mental health services to children doesn't know if they are going to have the Federal funding necessary to pay their staff. Connecticut Head Start will be operating on a deficit as of February 7 if they can't access Federal funding, putting the entire program at risk. Amtrak's ``state of good repair'' backlog for the Northeast corridor is tens of billions of dollars alone, estimated at $78.7 billion in 2023. This funding is critical for safety concerns, reliability, repairs along the Amtrak rail lines--funding like the Connecticut River Bridge Replacement Project and the Gateway Hudson Tunnel Replacement Project that will ensure passenger rail safety throughout New England. This freeze on funding threatens all of those projects. It imperils the Federal-State partnership for intercity passenger rail and consolidated rail infrastructure. I know that this kind of blizzard of terms seems abstract and hypothetical to a lot of people, but it is real to contractors who need to meet their payroll and pay for gas for their machines and trucks. This kind of draconian dictatorial measure imperils a hundred thousand households in Connecticut that rely on LIHEAP to meet their home energy needs. Uncertainty about Federal funding leaves these vulnerable families unsure of whether they are going to be able to heat their homes right now in the middle of winter. It has a trickle-down effect on organizations that don't benefit from Federal dollars. Just one example, a Connecticut program that provides supplemental energy assistance for households that don't qualify for LIHEAP expressed concern that they are going to face an unsustainable deluge of demand if Federal funding is halted. I was in Connecticut just yesterday--it seems like an age ago-- announcing a Reconnecting Communities Pilot Grant Program in New Haven. I joined the mayor of New Haven and Representative Rosa DeLauro to announce that New Haven was awarded $2 million to reconnect neighborhoods--an exciting and inspiring project to bring communities together, increase housing and social and economic opportunities. Now, residents of New Haven will be kept in waiting. I was with Connecticut farmers. Just yesterday, we were celebrating millions of dollars in disaster assistance for extreme weather events. Now, they may not see it for months, maybe never. That is disaster resulting from flooding and hail storms. They were counting on this disaster recovery aid. Now, they may be deprived of it. Connecticut Foodshare, we just talked to them today as well. They are anxiously waiting to learn more about the potential impacts to halting food assistance, maybe through SNAP, the Emergency Food Assistance Program. They are unsure. The President has failed to clarify whether it will apply to SNAP. But, clearly, the effect, psychologically, creating chaos and confusion, is itself a severe deprivation. Museums, many of which run successful education programs critical to our students' success, they are halting services. Even a temporary pause can have a significant impact on education. And for all of these organizations and many others, the effect is not only in dollars and cents; it is in demoralizing people who are dedicating their lives to public service. They are working in federally supported community health centers, making less money, working longer hours, doing residencies as young doctors. And what is the expression of appreciation? It is telling them: We are stopping. We are halting. We are ending the funding. It is profoundly disrespectful to those programs that often operate as a safety net, whether it is for healthcare or hunger or education. It is profoundly destructive to the fabric of our society in the greatest Nation in the history on Earth. So it is theft. It is not a victimless crime. It is illegal. It won't be punishable in a court, but my hope is the American public will rise up. They need to be the voice of conscience and conviction in this country and say to my Republican colleagues: This isn't a red or blue issue. This is about people. It is about everyday Americans who will be severely harmed and their children who will bear, perhaps, unfortunately and tragically, lasting scars emotionally and maybe physically from this destructive impact on their lives. I regret that we are here today. I am proud to be with my colleagues. I wish we were joined on the other side of the aisle, but I believe that they will hear, on the Republican side, despite their silence tonight, voices that are loud and clear to them, from the American people, that this kind of halt--a dictatorial, illegal stop--in Federal funding should violate the conscience of our Nation. I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Mexico. ____________________