July 16, 2025
Ms. Rosen (for herself, Ms. Duckworth, Ms. Blunt Rochester, Mr. Peters, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Heinrich, Mr. Blumenthal, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Luján, and Mr. Van Hollen) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Expressing the sense of the Senate that the actions of the Trump Administration that drastically and indiscriminately reduce staff at Federal agencies, freeze vast swaths of critical Federal funding, and dismantle Federal agencies are destructive and harmful to communities across the United States and have raised costs for American families.
Whereas, while there is strong bipartisan support for rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse in the Federal Government, the indiscriminate cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency are hurting hardworking families by taking away critical programs they rely on and are not addressing real waste, fraud, or abuse;
Whereas it is reckless and unconscionable for President Donald Trump to take away critical programs while pushing for more tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy;
Whereas the freezes on Federal funding, the elimination and dismantling of Federal agencies, and the firing of Federal staff have caused immediate and widespread harm to communities across the United States by disrupting critical programs that keep costs low for American families and support public health, education, small businesses, veterans, and economic stability;
Whereas these actions have directly and negatively affected—
(1)
the ability of key programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid to provide critical benefits to seniors, children, and families, due to office closures and staffing cuts;
(2)
Federally-qualified health centers, which provide high quality, affordable primary health, dental, and mental health care and low-cost prescription drugs to over 32,000,000 patients a year, including to 1 in every 8 children and 1 in every 15 seniors;
(3)
medical research at universities that is critical for both patient care and the economy, including research funded by the National Institutes of Health on cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and other life-threatening diseases;
(4)
nonprofit organizations that provide mental health and substance use disorder treatment, which do not have large financial reserves and are stretched thin when any freeze of funding goes into effect;
(5)
housing programs that provide millions of Americans with access to affordable housing and which provide shelter and supportive services to homeless individuals, including children, families, and veterans;
(6)
small business programs that provide support to entrepreneurs looking to start and grow their businesses, rebuild in the wake of a disaster, gain access to mentorship and counseling, and compete for Federal contracting opportunities;
(7)
students with disabilities who count on funding under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.) to get equal access to education;
(8)
programs run by the Department of Agriculture that support local farmers and ranchers and strengthen regional food systems;
(9)
veteran services, health care, and benefits, as well as veteran employment, with thousands of veterans fired by the Trump Administration so far;
(10)
workforce development and job training programs, including the attempted closure of Job Corps centers across the country, which would cut off thousands of at-risk youth from the job training needed to gain employment;
(11)
the influence of the United States in the world and the ability to compete with adversaries, like the People's Republic of China, that are filling the gaps left by the United States due to the elimination of the United States Agency for International Development and the severe reduction in United States foreign aid, which is critical to the national security of the United States; and
(12)
many more vital programs with a significant impact on the daily lives of people in the United States; and
Whereas even short-term disruptions at Federal agencies and in Federal funding result in—
(1)
financial instability for organizations providing critical services to their communities;
(2)
reduced access to essential services for families in need of health care, child care, housing, and nutrition assistance;
(3)
economic uncertainty for small businesses, nonprofit organizations, and local governments that depend on timely Federal support; and
(4)
abrupt disruptions in critical work by experts in public health, transportation safety, water safety, in providing protection to students with disabilities, in providing technical assistance to States and localities, and in countless other critical functions: Now, therefore, be it
That it is the sense of the Senate that—
(1)
to date, the actions of the Trump Administration have created chaos, raised costs for consumers, made the United States less safe, put the health of Americans at risk, and jeopardized the privacy of individuals and businesses; and
(2)
the focus of the Senate and the Trump Administration should be on—
(A)
protecting families;
(B)
lowering the cost of groceries, housing, and medical care;
(C)
supporting veterans;
(D)
protecting scientific research and the position of the United States as a leader in medical breakthroughs;
(E)
preserving and expanding access to quality and affordable health care;
(F)
supporting early education programs and child care for working families; and
(G)
growing the United States economy by supporting small businesses and investing in technologies and industries that grow the middle class in the United States.