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Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly calls out Trump administration funding freezes in Hazel Crest
Becky Gremley, of Mokena, said when her 17-year-old autistic son, Oliver, heard Donald Trump was elected to a second term as president, he asked, 'What's going to happen to me and my future?' 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 have 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.' ostevens@
Chicago Tribune
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly calls out Trump administration funding freezes in Hazel Crest
Becky Gremley, of Mokena, said when her 17-year-old autistic son, Oliver, heard Donald Trump was elected to a second term as president, he asked, 'What's going to happen to me and my future?' 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.'
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Civil rights groups sue Trump over anti-DEIA executive orders
A trio of civil rights organizations filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday charging that three of President Donald Trump's executive orders attacking diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the federal government violate their free speech rights and hinder their ability to help marginalized communities. Through Trump's orders barring references to transgender people or support of DEIA programs within the federal government, public funding for several nongovernment organizations, including the three plaintiffs, are at risk of being cut. As a result, the civil rights organizations — the National Urban League, the National Fair Housing Alliance, and AIDS Foundation Chicago — said in their lawsuit that they will be less able to help "people of color, women, LGBTQ people, and/or people with disabilities overcome systemic barriers to access housing, education, employment, and healthcare stemming from discrimination, biases, and inequalities.' Lambda Legal and the Legal Defense Fund, which are representing the civil rights organizations, said in a separate statement that the 'orders will severely limit the organizations' ability to provide critical social and health services.' Two of the orders specified in the lawsuit are the 'Ending Radical and Wasteful DEI Programs and Preferencing' and the 'Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,' which Trump signed on Jan. 20, his first day back in office. The third executive order cited in the lawsuit, 'Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,' was issued Jan. 21. The lawsuit names as defendants Trump and more than a dozen key members of his administration including Attorney General Pam Bondi, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 'Protecting the civil rights and expanding opportunities for all Americans is a key priority of the Trump Administration, which is why he took decisive actions to terminate unlawful DEI preferences in the federal government," Harrison Fields, a White House principal deputy press secretary, told NBC News in a statement Wednesday. "Every man and woman in this great country should have the opportunity to go as far as their hard work, individual initiative, and competence can take them. In America, grit, excellence, and perseverance are our strengths.' Previously, Trump's executive orders have labeled DEIA programs to help marginalized groups as 'discriminatory' and his supporters have tried to spin what critics have called attacks on the transgender community as attempts to protect cisgender women. 'While the President may have his viewpoint, as flawed and discriminatory as it may be, the First Amendment bars him from unduly imposing his viewpoint on federal contractors and grantees,' the lawsuit states. Also, Trump's executive orders 'could prohibit Plaintiffs from engaging in any targeted effort to help a specific group of people facing unfair disadvantages." Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League, said in the press release announcing the lawsuit that targeting DEIA was 'discriminatory at best and an attempt at institutionalized economic oppression at its worst.' Janai Nelson, who heads the Legal Defense Fund, agreed. 'The three orders we are challenging today perpetuate false and longstanding stereotypes that Black people and other underrepresented groups lack skills, talent, and merit — willfully ignoring the discriminatory barriers that prevent a true meritocracy from flourishing,' Nelson said. The lawsuit also noted that the language in Trump's executive orders 'are 'extraordinarily vague.' In the press release announcing the lawsuit, Lambda Legal and the Legal Defense Fund included testimonials from a Black man with HIV named Will, who was identified as an AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) program 'participant and caseworker for another organization.' 'Now, as I work in the HIV field," he said, "I am deeply concerned about the threat these orders represent to AFC's ability to serve our communities if they can't even name the issues our people are facing.' This article was originally published on
NBC News
19-02-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Civil rights groups sue Trump over anti-DEIA executive orders
A trio of civil rights organizations filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday charging that three of President Donald Trump's executive orders attacking diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the federal government violate their free speech rights and hinder their ability to help marginalized communities. Through Trump's orders barring references to transgender people or support of DEIA programs within the federal government, public funding for several nongovernment organizations, including the three plaintiffs, are at risk of being cut. As a result, the civil rights organizations — the National Urban League, the National Fair Housing Alliance, and AIDS Foundation Chicago — said in their lawsuit that they will be less able to help "people of color, women, LGBTQ people, and/or people with disabilities overcome systemic barriers to access housing, education, employment, and healthcare stemming from discrimination, biases, and inequalities.' Lambda Legal and the Legal Defense Fund, which are representing the civil rights organizations, said in a separate statement that the 'orders will severely limit the organizations' ability to provide critical social and health services.' Two of the orders specified in the lawsuit are the 'Ending Radical and Wasteful DEI Programs and Preferencing' and the 'Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,' which Trump signed on Jan. 20, his first day back in office. The third executive order cited in the lawsuit, 'Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,' was issued Jan. 21. The lawsuit names as defendants Trump and more than a dozen key members of his administration including Attorney General Pam Bondi, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, and Health and Human Services secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 'Protecting the civil rights and expanding opportunities for all Americans is a key priority of the Trump Administration, which is why he took decisive actions to terminate unlawful DEI preferences in the federal government," said Harrison Fields, a White House principal deputy press secretary, told NBC News in a statement on Wednesday. "Every man and woman in this great country should have the opportunity to go as far as their hard work, individual initiative, and competence can take them. In America, grit, excellence, and perseverance are our strengths.' Previously, Trump's executive orders have labeled DEIA programs to help marginalized groups as 'discriminatory' and his supporters have tried to spin what critics have called attacks on the transgender community as attempts to protect cisgender women. 'While the President may have his viewpoint, as flawed and discriminatory as it may be, the First Amendment bars him from unduly imposing his viewpoint on federal contractors and grantees,' the lawsuit states. Also, Trump's executive orders 'could prohibit Plaintiffs from engaging in any targeted effort to help a specific group of people facing unfair disadvantages." Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League, said in the press release announcing the lawsuit that targeting DEIA was 'discriminatory at best and an attempt at institutionalized economic oppression at its worst.' Janai Nelson, who heads the Legal Defense Fund, agreed. 'The three orders we are challenging today perpetuate false and longstanding stereotypes that Black people and other underrepresented groups lack skills, talent, and merit — willfully ignoring the discriminatory barriers that prevent a true meritocracy from flourishing,' Nelson said. The lawsuit also noted that the language in Trump's executive orders 'are 'extraordinarily vague.' In the press release announcing the lawsuit, Lambda Legal and the Legal Defense Fund included testimonials from a Black man with HIV named Will, who was identified as an AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) program 'participant and caseworker for another organization.' 'Now, as I work in the HIV field," he said, "I am deeply concerned about the threat these orders represent to AFC's ability to serve our communities if they can't even name the issues our people are facing.'
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
AIDS Foundation Chicago sues Trump administration over executive orders involving equity, gender
The AIDS Foundation Chicago and two other nonprofits filed a lawsuit Wednesday against President Donald Trump and his administration, challenging executive orders related to diversity, equity and gender. The AIDS Foundation Chicago, the National Urban League and the National Fair Housing Alliance filed the lawsuit in federal court in Washington, D.C., seeking to halt three recent executive orders. They're challenging orders that seek to end 'diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility' (DEIA) programs in the federal government and equity-related grants and contracts, and that direct federal agencies to combat DEI in the private sector. They're also suing over an order that said it would be the policy of the U.S. to recognize only two sexes. The executive order recognizing only two sexes says that its purpose is to stop 'ideologues who deny the biological reality of sex' allowing 'men to self-identify as women and gain access to intimate single-sex spaces and activities designed for women.' Another one of the orders referred to DEI programs as 'illegal and immoral discrimination programs.' The lawsuit filed Wednesday, however, alleges that the order recognizing two only sexes, 'seeks to erase transgender people from public life and poses an existential threat to transgender people themselves, as well as to the federally funded organizations that seek to support them and advance their civil rights.' And the lawsuit argues that 'the United States' longstanding and entrenched race and sex inequalities require proactive efforts, including DEIA, to break down barriers to opportunity and resources to both remedy and prevent discrimination.' The orders are forcing the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and the other nonprofits to either violate their missions or risk losing federal funding, the lawsuit alleges. The AIDS Foundation Chicago is a not-for-profit that receives most of its funding from the federal government – $34.8 million annually, according to the complaint. The loss of that funding would force the foundation to cease operations, eliminating services for nearly 7,000 people a year, according to the lawsuit, including 1,300 people receiving housing assistance through the foundation. Stable housing is vital for people living with HIV, so they can take their medication and prevent more serious problem, like an AIDS diagnosis, said John Peller, president and CEO of AIDS Foundation Chicago. The foundation also provides case management services to people living with HIV and helps connect them with health care and mental health and substance use disorder services, Peller said. 'What I think is so problematic about the executive orders that the Trump administration has put out is that they're really trying to ban us from doing the work that is so vital to addressing the HIV epidemic,' Peller said. 'They don't want us to mention trans people. They don't want us to talk about the fact that there are racial health disparities. … They don't want us to train our staff on cultural competency, so that the staff know the best ways to build relationships with clients who are part of the groups who are most impacted.' The lawsuit alleges that the administration is violating the nonprofit organizations' rights to free speech and due process and is engaging in unlawful discrimination. Other groups have also filed lawsuits challenging the executive orders.
