Oppose Unlawful Rescission of $1.5 Billion in Health and Transportation Funding

Today I take pen in hand to write and urge you to oppose the Trump administration's rescission of $1.5 billion in federal funding from Colorado, Illinois, California, and Minnesota. No doubt that this is designed to inequitably punish states that oppose Trump, and will be used as blackmail to get them to do his bidding. Same illegal playbook. The White House Office of Management and Budget aka fanatic Russell Vought, has directed the Department of Transportation to withdraw $943 million and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to cut $602 million in grants, targeting essential transportation infrastructure and public health programs that directly benefit your constituents. These cuts eliminate Congressionally-mandated funds for critical projects. The transportation funding supported electric vehicle charging infrastructure and clean transit initiatives, including $100 million for EV charger deployment near underserved communities in Illinois, $15 million for projects in Minneapolis and St. Paul, $15 million for a San Francisco Bay Area charging network, and $4.9 million for installations in Colorado neighborhoods with low and middle incomes. These projects create jobs, improve air quality, and ensure all communities can access clean transportation technology. The health funding cuts are equally damaging. They include $5.2 million for Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago to expand HIV prevention through PrEP, $3 million for Colorado initiatives targeting COVID-19 health disparities, and $500,000 for the University of California to study intimate-partner violence among LGBTQ youth. These programs address documented public health needs and save lives. The administration's characterization of these programs as "woke" or evidence of "waste and mismanagement" lacks factual basis. As Colorado Governor Jared Polis' spokesperson Eric Maruyama stated, "There is nothing 'woke' about making sure American roads are safer for everyone." Katherine García, Director of Sierra Club's Clean Transportation for All program, emphasized that the administration is "illegally attempting to eliminate clean energy infrastructure funds that have been promised to communities for cleaner vehicles, cleaner air, and good jobs." I urge you to take immediate action to restore these funds and prevent future unlawful grant terminations. Congress must assert its power here as it has long ago appropriated this money for specific purposes, and the executive branch cannot unilaterally rescind it. Your constituents deserve the infrastructure improvements and health services these programs provide. Thank you for your attention to this matter.