U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly calls out Trump administration funding freezes in Hazel Crest
Gremley said Thursday she worries often how Trump's pause in federal funding and the elimination of diversity, equity and inclusion programs could affect Oliver, a student at Lincoln-Way High School.
Trump also made promises on the campaign trail to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education, which Gremley said provides resources and accommodations that have helped Oliver thrive.
'If President Trump succeeds in dismantling the Board of Education, canceling Medicaid and/or DEI, that will jeopardize my son's future education and make it harder for him to be a successful, independent adult,' Gremley said at the news conference with U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly in Hazel Crest.
Kelly was joined by Hazel Crest Mayor Vernard Alsberry Jr., leaders of Chicago area organizations that benefit from federal aid and others who explained their concerns about Trump's pause in federal funding, which the president said is to ensure spending is in line with his agenda as well as a House Republican proposal to cut billions of dollars in spending for Medicaid.
John Peller, the president and CEO of AIDS Foundation Chicago, was firm in his opposition to Trump's executive order ending equity-related grants and contracts from the federal government.
The AIDS Foundation Chicago, along with two other nonprofits, filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the executive order and two others related to DEI. The AIDS Foundation Chicago receives close to $35 million annually from the federal government, the loss of which would force the foundation to cease operations, according to the lawsuit.
'Thousands of AFC's clients achieve greater stability thanks to a constellation of federal programs that provide critical support,' Peller said.
Those programs include Medicaid for health care, mental health and substance use services, the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS Program, which the AFC uses to support 1,300 people living with HIV, and the Ryan White Program that supports case management and access to HIV medications, he said.
While many speakers focused on future affects of Trump administration agenda items, Debra Shore said she was dismissed from the Environmental Protection Agency's Chicago office Friday as part of a set of mass firings aimed at shrinking the federal workforce.
Shore said these efforts, which has largely been spearheaded by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, will usher in 'a patronage system where what matters is not what you know, but who you know.'
'We in the Chicago region certainly know the patronage can be corrosive and corrupt,' Shore said.
Alsberry told the Daily Southtown after the news conference that south suburban leaders are working together to determine how to manage the fear and confusion developing in response to the flurry of federal action.
'It's hard for people to keep up, and they're really, really afraid,' Alsberry said.
When it comes to ensuring Hazel Crest and other municipalities continue receiving federal assistance, Alsberry said he is following the lead of state and county officials. He said as mayor, he is looking to amplify the importance of townships as a 'social net' in the Southland so residents can continue to receive the government support they need.
'We're talking about food banks, we're talking about services for the indigent — the townships are the ones who take care of all that,' Alsberry said. 'So we're going to have to be sure that our townships are ready to take on that burden and understand what's coming.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump says Fed governor Cook 'must resign' as pressure campaign on central bank continues
President Trump on Wednesday called on Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook to resign as the public pressure on the central bank continues to build. "Cook must resign, now!!!" Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social Wednesday morning with a link to a Bloomberg report on a letter sent by Federal Housing Finance Agency head Bill Pulte urging Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate Cook over a pair of mortgages. Pulte wrote in a letter dated Aug. 15 that Cook, 'falsified bank documents and property records to acquire more favorable loan terms, potentially committing mortgage fraud under the criminal statute.' The President's call for Cook to resign comes as public pressure on the Fed continues amid ongonig changes on the Fed's Board of Governors. Last week, Trump nominated Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Stephen Miran to the Fed board to fill a seat left empty by Adriana Kugler, who stepped down from the board on Aug. 8. Should Cook also step down, Trump would have the opportunity to nominate another Fed governor. The search for a replacement for Fed Chair Jerome Powell, whose term leading the central bank ends in May 2026, also continues in the background with Trump last week saying the field of possible replacements for Powell was "down to 3 or 4" candidates. Trump has repeatedly called on Powell to cut rates more aggressively, coining the nickname "Too Late" for the Fed chair. Trump first appointed Powell to the role in 2017; President Biden renominated Powell as Fed chair in 2021. Powell is also a member of the Fed's Board of Governors, with his term set to expire in 2028; it isn't clear whether Powell will also vacate that post when his term as Fed chair ends next year. Reporting from CNBC, however, suggested up to 11 names are under consideration for Powell's role, including Jefferies chief market strategist David Zervos, who told CNBC Wednesday that the Fed has "never been independent." The mounting discussion around Fed independence and political pressure currently being levied at the central bank comes ahead of the annual Jackson Hole Economic Symposium, which is set to feature Powell's key policy speech of the year on Friday morning. Josh Schafer is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow him on X @_joshschafer. Click here for in-depth analysis of the latest stock market news and events moving stock prices
USA Today
12 minutes ago
- USA Today
'South Park' spoofs Trump's DC crackdown in new clip: Watch
"South Park" is keeping its focus on President Donald Trump. The Comedy Central series has released a preview for its next episode, indicating the show will spoof Trump's law enforcement crackdown in Washington, D.C. The clip shows the recurring character Towelie, a talking towel who originated in a 2001 episode, arriving on a bus to the nation's capital, only to find it's swarming with troops and military tanks. "This seems like the perfect place for a towel," he says as a tank passes by the street outside of the White House. Earlier this month, Trump deployed hundreds of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., in what he described as a crackdown on rampant crime. Mayor Muriel Bowser has pushed back on Trump's claims, saying that the capital is "not experiencing a crime spike." The "South Park" episode, which is set to air on Wednesday, Aug. 20, is titled "Sickofancy," and the synopsis simply reads, "Towelie goes to Washington, D.C." The show has recently been nabbing strong ratings and drawing heat from the White House, with a season that has featured unusually pointed criticism of Trump and his administration. After uproar, 'South Park' pummels Trump again and hits at JD Vance, Kristi Noem It started in the Season 27 premiere, "Sermon on the 'Mount," which depicted Trump as a thin-skinned bully who is the lover of Satan. The episode also mocked Trump by showing a live-action version of him removing all of his clothes as part of a public service announcement. JD Vance reacts to brutal parody in latest 'South Park' episode White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers slammed "South Park" in a statement provided to USA TODAY on July 24, saying the show "hasn't been relevant for over 20 years and is hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention." But the show doubled down in the following episode, "Got a Nut," which featured more Trump jokes. The president was again shown as Satan's lover and, as part of a spoof of the ABC series "Fantasy Island," was depicted physically and verbally abusing Vice President JD Vance. Vance issued a succinct response to his depiction, writing on X, "Well, I've finally made it." The episode "Got a Nut" additionally spoofed Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, showing her repeatedly shooting dogs. It also mocked her appearance by having her face slide off and move around by itself like a horror film. Noem fired back on "The Glenn Beck Program" podcast on Aug. 7, saying that "it's so lazy to make fun of women for how they look." Contributing: Cybele Mayes-Osterman, Phillip M. Bailey and Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY
Chicago Tribune
12 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
President Donald Trump thinks owning a piece of Intel would be a good deal for the US. Here's what to know
SAN FRANCISCO — President Donald Trump wants the U.S. government to own a piece of Intel, less than two weeks after demanding the Silicon Valley pioneer dump the CEO that was hired to turn around the slumping chipmaker. If the goal is realized, the investment would deepen the Trump administration's involvement in the computer industry as the president ramps up the pressure for more U.S. companies to manufacture products domestically instead of relying on overseas suppliers. The Trump administration is in talks to secure a 10% stake in Intel in exchange for converting government grants that were pledged to Intel under President Joe Biden. If the deal is completed, the U.S. government would become one of Intel's largest shareholders and blur the traditional lines separating the public sector and private sector in a country that remains the world's largest economy. In his second term, Trump has been leveraging his power to reprogram the operations of major computer chip companies. The administration is requiring Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices, two companies whose chips are helping to power the craze around artificial intelligence, to pay a 15% commission on their sales of chips in China in exchange for export licenses. Trump's interest in Intel is also being driven by his desire to boost chip production in the U.S., which has been a focal point of the trade war that he has been waging throughout the world. By lessening the country's dependence on chips manufactured overseas, the president believes the U.S. will be better positioned to maintain its technological lead on China in the race to create artificial intelligence. That's what the president said August 7 in an unequivocal post calling for Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan to resign less than five months after the Santa Clara, California, company hired him. The demand was triggered by reports raising national security concerns about Tan's past investments in Chinese tech companies while he was a venture capitalist. But Trump backed off after Tan professed his allegiance to the U.S. in a public letter to Intel employees and went to the White House to meet with the president, who applauded the Intel CEO for having an 'amazing story.' The company isn't commenting about the possibility of the U.S. government becoming a major shareholder, but Intel may have little choice because it is currently dealing from a position of weakness. After enjoying decades of growth while its processors powered the personal computer boom, the company fell into a slump after missing the shift to the mobile computing era unleashed by the iPhone's 2007 debut. Intel has fallen even farther behind in recent years during an artificial intelligence craze that has been a boon for Nvidia and AMD. The company lost nearly $19 billion last year and another $3.7 billion in the first six months of this year, prompting Tan to undertake a cost-cutting spree. By the end of this year, Tan expects Intel to have about 75,000 workers, a 25% reduction from the end of last year. Although rare, it's not unprecedented for the U.S. government to become a significant shareholder in a prominent company. One of the most notable instances occurred during the Great Recession in 2008 when the government injected nearly $50 billion into General Motors in return for a roughly 60% stake in the automaker at a time it was on the verge of bankruptcy. The government ended up with a roughly $10 billion loss after it sold its stock in GM. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CNBC during a Tuesday interview that the government has no intention of meddling in Intel's business, and will have its hands tied by holding non-voting shares in the company. But some analysts wonder if the Trump administration's financial ties to Intel might prod more companies looking to curry favor with the president to increase their orders for the company's chips. Intel was among the biggest beneficiaries of the Biden administration's CHIPS and Science Act, but it hasn't been able to revive its fortunes while falling behind on construction projects spawned by the program. The company has received about $2.2 billion of the $7.8 billion pledged under the incentives program — money that Lutnick derided as a 'giveaway' that would better serve U.S. taxpayers if it's turned into Intel stock. 'We think America should get the benefit of the bargain,' Lutnick told CNBC. 'It's obvious that it's the right move to make.'
