Affordable Housing
The Trump administration cut funding for programs to fight discrimination in housing and fired HUD employees who worked on efficient use of federal funds and investigated fair housing discrimination claims. Without those programs and staff, Illinois residents will have fewer resources to fight discrimination and a harder time finding affordable housing.
Agriculture
The Trump administration cut funding for schools, food banks and their partnerships with local farmers, leaving all three groups with budget shortfalls across Illinois. One family farm that lost its chicken flock to bird flu had its $220,000 grant frozen by the administration. From Chicago, to Rockford, and down to St. Louis, Illinois schools, farmers and food banks are going without the help they need from the government to make it through the year.
Economy
The Trump administration froze funding for small businesses and canceled thousands of USAID contracts across the country, including many in Illinois. A USAID-funded program at the University of Illinois was forced to lay off 30 employees due to the funding freeze, and $2 billion in federal aid for small businesses, solar power and more is frozen by the administration.
Education
The Trump administration laid off almost half of the Department of Education, including over 40 at the Chicago Department of Education office. Many of the Chicago employees worked on federal student aid, meaning K-12 and college students will be left with fewer resources this year.
Public Health
Trump withdrew from the World Health Organization and his administration fired employees working on public health. The Illinois Department of Public Health Director said in a statement that withdrawing from the WHO would harm public health in the state, and the administration fired scientists working on improving food quality, fighting crop blights, and keeping air and drinking water clean. The administration also fired National Park employees who helped with wildfire prevention.
Veterans
The Trump administration has fired U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs employees as well as veterans themselves across Illinois. They also shut down a Chicago-area VA program that helped veterans access healthcare and housing, and VA employees are worried that medical centers won’t be able to provide adequate care after the layoffs.
March 2025: Trump Administration Cut Funding To Multiple Illinois Nonprofits That Prevent Discrimination In Housing. According to WSJD, "John Petruszak opened his email Feb. 27 to find a message he called 'shocking': the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development had rescinded two grants it had awarded to his advocacy organization, the South Suburban Housing Center. The grants, which represent 37% of the center’s budget, hadn’t been rescinded through any misstep by the organization. Rather, at the order of the Trump administration’s newly established Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, the grant was being terminated because it 'no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities,' the letter read. The message came as a surprise to Petruszak, the center’s executive director. Fair housing organizations like his offer legal services and support to anyone facing discrimination in the housing market on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, familial status or disability, receiving hundreds of complaints each year. In 2023, private fair housing nonprofits across the country handled over 75% of all housing discrimination complaints [...] Open Communities’ canceled grants amounted to 25% of its annual budget, according to Voz. The group, based in the northern suburbs of Cook County, dedicates these resources to investigating landlords accused of discrimination and filing human rights complaints. One of its lawsuits, filed in the U.S. District Court of Northern Illinois in 2023 helped prevent landlords from using artificial intelligence to reject rental applications. The Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights saw a three-year grant rescinded two years into its implementation, Coffey said. The grant comprised approximately 15% of the group’s annual budget. The group focuses primarily on filing lawsuits in federal courts, pursuing 'high impact' cases related to large housing providers or local governments, Coffey said." [WSJD, 3/17/25]
February 2025: Trump Administration Fired 20 Midwestern HUD Employees Including At Least 3 Based In Chicago. According to the Chicago Tribune, “Frank Zhu had only been at his job with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for about six weeks but could already see himself making a career out of it. Zhu was then blindsided in the middle of a work call when he received an email saying he was terminated from his role on Feb. 14. As a Chicago-based financial analyst in HUD’s Office of Public Housing, Zhu provided guidance to public housing authorities related to their financial health, including their use of federal dollars. [...] Zhu is one of at least 20 employees in HUD’s American Federation of Government Employees Local 911 union, which includes workers in Chicago, Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio, and workers stationed in the area from HUD’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., who recently received termination notices as part of President Donald Trump’s administration’s efforts to cull the federal workforce to reduce spending. A dozen of these employees received termination notices Monday, effective March 28, and work in the local Office of Field Policy and Management, according to a national reduction in force notice sent to Local 911. This will wipe out the entire local department apart from managers, the union said. These employees are tasked with communicating with the public, receiving hundreds of calls and visits daily, the union said. They also handle public records requests and are the intermediaries between HUD, elected officials and external stakeholders. [...] Gabrielle Cole was another Chicago-based probationary employee who recently lost her job in HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. In her role, she was primarily focused on fair housing investigations that looked into how systemic issues such as redlining continue to negatively affect certain groups of people and their housing choices. [...] Jayna Lennon worked out of HUD’s Illinois field office based in Chicago and was in a meeting about HUD’s new mandatory in-office work policy when she received her termination notice; she turned to her supervisor and they excused themselves from the meeting.” [Chicago Tribune, 2/26/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration Cut $18 Million Program That Allowed Illinois Food Banks And School Districts To Purchase Produce From Local Farmers. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, "The latest casualty: Two crucial programs that gave schools and food banks across the country money to buy food from local farms and ranchers, putting a screeching halt to more than $1 billion in federal funding, Politico reported. The Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement program and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement program have been canceled for 2025 because they 'no longer effectuate the goals of the agency,' the USDA said in a statement. Illinois is among the affected states and has also been forced to cease its Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program due to cuts. Of the $660 million earmarked for school and child care facilities for the Food for Schools program, Illinois was slated to receive over $26 million this fiscal year, according to the USDA. Schools are already facing a 'funding crunch,' with rising costs for food and labor, said Diane Pratt-Heavner, a spokesperson for the School Nutrition Association. Farmers and ranchers who sold their goods through the program will also pay the price, along with children who may very will eat the most nutritious meal of their day through school meal programs. The USDA won’t reimburse for any program costs incurred after Jan. 19. Illinois stands to lose at least $18 million still outstanding." [Chicago Sun-Times, 3/11/25]
Local Farmer On Trump USDA Cuts: “This Has Stunted Our Farm’s Growth.” According to the Belleville News-Democrat, “For local farmer Ben Stumpf, the steady stream of income from a new federal grant allowed him to quit his second job working nights for UPS in Belleville and focus full-time on his small Monroe County vegetable farm. He even hired his first employee and started breaking more ground to expand Rumblin’ Ernie Farm’s production from a half acre to an acre in Columbia. ‘I had all these big plans in my head,’ Stumpf said. But now, about a year after the grant money became available to farmers, the federal funding has been terminated — one of the many cuts under President Donald Trump’s administration. Stumpf and other family farmers now face abrupt uncertainty about how to fund plans they made for their growing businesses. [...] Last week, about a dozen farmers traveled to Springfield or connected virtually to testify at an Illinois House Agriculture and Conservation Committee hearing on the impacts of USDA cuts and call for action from state lawmakers. Stumpf was among them. ‘This has stunted our farm’s growth,’ he told legislators at the House Agriculture and Conservation Committee hearing on Tuesday.” [Belleville News-Democrat, 3/17/25]
March 2025: The Trump Administration Froze $220,000 That Was Going To Support A Family-run Chicken Farm That Lost Its Flock To Bird Flu. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, "A family-run farm in south suburban Matteson learned it was losing their federal funding weeks after the bird flu wiped out its entire flock. In October, Kakadoodle Farm was informed it would receive a $220,000 grant. But Tuesday, it was suspended due to the Trump administration's freeze on federal funding." [Chicago Sun-Times, 3/7/25]
February 2025: The Trump Administration's USAID Funding Freeze Shut Down Illinois-Based Projects. According to the Chicago Tribune, "A federal judge ordered the administration late Thursday to temporarily lift its freeze and allow funding from U.S. aid and development programs to flow for the time being. But uncertainty remains for organizations whose missions rely on government dollars to carry out projects that benefit populations in developing nations while also supporting jobs and the broader economy at home. Among the Illinois-based programs affected by Trump’s order to halt funding for the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, and other foreign aid programs are a lab at the University of Illinois’ flagship campus that works to establish soybean markets in sub-Saharan Africa and other regions, a Chicago nonprofit’s work with victims of armed conflict and Venezuelan migrants in Colombia, and a project led by NORC at the University of Chicago working 'to promote the use of evidence and data for decision-making' in USAID-funded programs." [Chicago Tribune, 2/17/25]
September 2025: The Trump Administration Tried To Withhold Disaster Funding For Illinois, Forcing The State To Sue To Block The Effort. According to Capitol News Illinois, "The Trump administration cannot withhold federal emergency funding from Illinois because the state refuses to participate in federal immigration enforcement, a Rhode Island federal judge ruled on Wednesday. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January requiring the Department of Homeland Security and agencies under its command, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to stop providing federal funds to states that don’t cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. The move was designed to force states like Illinois to abandon laws that prohibit law enforcement from participating in civil immigration enforcement. Trump’s order could have applied to hundreds of millions of dollars of federal funding Illinois receives for natural disaster responses and other emergencies. But a judge ruled it unconstitutional after Illinois and other states sued. 'I appreciate the court’s conclusion that DHS’ decision-making process was ‘wholly under-reasoned and arbitrary,’' Attorney General Kwame Raoul said in a statement. 'The court’s ruling will ensure vital dollars that states rely on to prepare for and respond to emergencies are not withheld simply for political purposes.'" [Capitol News Illinois, 9/25/25]
February 2025: The Trump Administration Froze Nearly $2 Billion In Federal Funding For The State Of Illinois, Including For Education And Small Business Programs. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, "According to the letter, nine state agencies and commissions have $692 million in federal funds that are obligated but haven't been received. Ten state agencies, board and commissions have a total of $1.19 billion in federal funds anticipated or awarded - yet the grants and programs have been paused. That includes funds to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. 'These frozen funds impact programs that provide technical assistance for small businesses, provide affordable solar energy for low-income residents, improve roads and bridges, and more,' the letter reads. 'On behalf of our constituents, we are seeking full transparency and accountability on any and all funding that has been paused or interrupted. If the Trump Administration is unable to follow the law and uphold their end of the deal, the people of our state deserve to know.'" [Chicago Sun-Times, 2/26/25]
September 2025: Trump Posted Inflammatory Images Of Chicago On X.com, Forcing Chicago To Start A Pro-Chicago Tourism Campaign. According to the Chicago Tribune, "In the wake of President Donald Trump seeming to declare war on Chicago in a social media post evoking the movie 'Apocalypse Now,' the city is fighting back with its own campaign advocating civic love, not war. On Thursday — two days before Trump’s 'Chipocalypse Now' post showed helicopters flying past the city’s skyline ablaze — Choose Chicago fired off a preemptive social media strike as the president’s threatened military intervention and inflammatory rhetoric took aim at the city. The campaign, dubbed 'All for the Love of Chicago' by the city’s tourism arm, invites residents and visitors alike to post photos, videos and stories on Instagram and TikTok depicting Chicago in a more flattering light. The intent is to refute Trump’s dystopian urban narrative that 'Chicago is a hellhole right now,' which the president proclaimed last week. 'The only way to kind of counteract some of that negative narrative that always seems to hover over the brand of our city is to completely flood the feeds and the streams with the positive things going on,' Kristen Reynolds, Choose Chicago’s new president and CEO, said Monday. 'And we need the entire community to do it.'" [Chicago Tribune, 9/8/25]
April 2025: Trump Administration Closure Of Chicago Regional Head Start Office Led To Uncertainty For Early Education Programs In Illinois. According to KWQC, "Recent federal layoffs have caused concern for Head Start programs across the country, including right here in our area. The National Head Start Association has reported the closure of at least five regional offices, including the one in Chicago that oversees programs in our region. The director of the Head Start program at Project NOW, Andrea Flannery, explained how the uncertainty and lack of information about what’s next are already causing some stress, but she wants families to rest assured that it will not impact their services. 'Right now here at project now, Head Start, we’re fully staffed. We’re secure, we’re safe. We come to work every day, and we do what we do best, which is take care of your children and help service your family’s needs, and we’re going to continue to do so and be here for a long time.' Head Start is an essential lifeline for many working families, offering more than just early childhood education. It provides meals, health screenings, and family support to help children from low-income homes succeed both in school and in life. 'Most of our Head Start children experience a lot of success as they move out of our program and through the school system. The family approach — helping families deal with trauma and financial burdens — contributes to creating a safer and more secure environment for that child to grow up in,' Flannery added. " [KWQC, 4/8/25]
April 2025: Trump Administration Cancelled $1 Million Grant To Illinois Nonprofit That Supports Local History And Cultural Programs. According to WTTW, "A decision by the Trump administration to cancel $175 million in grants to arts and cultural groups could soon be felt in Illinois. That’s because more than 1,000 grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities for cultural programs across the country were terminated by the administration last week. The NEH has also seen up to 80% of its staff cut. The abrupt move means that Illinois Humanities — which was expecting $2 million from the NEH for 2025 — is now looking at a $1 million shortfall in its budget. The cuts will likely impact the agency’s ability to deliver programming in communities large and small across the state. Gabrielle Lyon, executive director of Illinois Humanities, said she was blindsided by the news. 'We learned about it in the dark of night,' said Lyon. 'I received an email shortly before midnight (on April 2)… with a very short statement saying that our current and future funding was being terminated. Illinois Humanities is a nonprofit in Illinois, but every state has a humanities council going back 50 years, so our colleagues in Alabama, Indiana, Wisconsin, we all got the same letter. It went in alphabetical order.'" [WTTW, 4/8/25]
April 2025: Trump Administration Rescinded $77 Million In Previously-Approved Funding For Illinois Schools. According to Chalkbeat, "Dozens of Illinois schools believed they had another year to spend a collective $77 million remaining in COVID-19 relief funds. But the U.S. Department of Education told states last Friday that they would not uphold extension deadlines for remaining dollars, according to state education officials. While this federal funding was set to expire in September 2024, the Biden administration issued a 'liquidation extension' to Illinois allowing school districts to spend remaining funds by March 28, 2026. But late Tuesday, the Illinois State Board of Education said in a press release that the Trump administration reversed course and would no longer reimburse the remaining money, some of which was already distributed to schools and contractors. The move impacts 27 school districts, two Regional Offices of Education, and three grantees, according to the Illinois State Board of Education. The programs now at risk served students experiencing homelessness, students with disabilities, teachers who work with English learners, and after-school tutoring programs, the state board said." [Chalkbeat, 4/2/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration Fired Over 40 Employees At Chicago Department Of Education Office Including 12 Who Worked On Federal Student Aid. According to WMAQ, "With nearly half of the federal employees from the U.S. Department of Education laid off this week and the Trump administration vowing to close the department altogether, there are potential impacts to Illinois cities and schools. The administration needs Congressional approval to completely get rid of the department. However, on Tuesday, the department began laying off around 1,300 employees, cutting nearly half the staff in its Office for Civil Rights and more than 100 from the Institute of Education Sciences. All employees working out of the department’s regional offices, including Chicago, were affected. More than 40 union employees in Illinois represented by AFGE Local 252 were laid off, including 27 in the Office of Civil Rights, 12 in Federal Student Aid, one in the Office of Finance and Operations, one in the Office of Communications and Outreach, one in the Office of the General Counsel, and one in the Institute of Education Sciences. The layoffs affected 969 union employees nationwide." [WMAQ, 3/13/25]
May 2025: The Trump Administration’s Budget Cuts Threatened Academic Support For At-Risk Chicago Youth. According to WGN9 Chicago, “For the last 25 years, Chicago Hope for Kids (CHK) has supported some of the city’s most vulnerable children, providing academic support throughout the year. Federal budget cuts proposed by President Donald Trump’s administration threaten a significant reduction in the number of kids they can serve this summer. CHK provides academic support at a dozen sites across Chicago, and offers summer programming. Half of its staff members come from AmeriCorps—an organization that hires college students or recent college graduates who receive a stipend and get help in return for tuition or student loan assistance.” [WGN9 Chicago, 5/21/25]
June 2025: The Trump Administration Shut Down A Trade School In Chicago Without Warning. According to CBS News, “Hundreds of students in the Chicago area are not sure where to turn after the federal government pulled funding for their trade school, which is now closing at the end of the month. Students at the Paul Simon Chicago Job Corps Center, 3348 S. Kedzie Ave., said they were blindsided by the decision. Job Corps is a free program for thousands of low-income students across the country who will be affected. Last Thursday, the U.S. Department of Labor announced it would suspend operations at its 99 Job Corps centers due to budget constraints. Thus, students at the Paul Simon Chicago Job Corps Center were seen packing their bags and moving out of their student housing Wednesday afternoon. But it was not because of summer vacation.” [CBS News, 6/4/25]
September 2025: Trump’s Anti-Immigrant Policies Forced Illinois Head Start To Sue The Federal Government To Keep The Program Open To Every Child. According to Illinois Public Media, "Head Start preschool programs will continue to welcome all immigrant children regardless of legal status, federal judges ruled in two separate lawsuits this week, blocking efforts by the Trump administration to restrict enrollment. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced in July that Head Start and other programs it administered would be limited to U.S. citizens and certain immigrants with legal status, upending decades where the rule has been not to check the immigration status of the participating babies and children too young for preschool. The Illinois Head Start association filed a lawsuit, along with other Head Start and parent advocate groups and the American Civil Liberties Union, to halt the changes to the rules announced by the Trump administration. Another suit was filed by Illinois and 19 other states with Democratic attorneys general, plus the District of Columbia. This week in both cases, Republican-appointed federal judges agreed to block the changes." [Illinois Public Media, 9/15/25]
September 2025: The Trump Administration Demanded Access To Illinois Voter Registration Databases In Violation Of State Law. According to Illinois Newsroom, "The Illinois State Board of Elections said this week it will not hand over to the Trump administration a copy of the state’s complete, unredacted voter registration database, citing state laws that require the agency to protect voters’ sensitive personal information. In a letter Tuesday to the Voting Section of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, ISBE general counsel Marni Malowitz said releasing the data would expose Illinois voters to unnecessary risks. Illinois is reportedly one of several states that DOJ has asked to turn over entire voter registration databases, including sensitive personal information such as dates of birth, driver’s license or state ID numbers, and partial Social Security numbers. DOJ has said it wants the information in order to enforce federal requirements that states maintain accurate and up-to-date voter registration lists. But state elections officials have said they are precluded under state law from releasing sensitive information contained in the registration files.” [Illinois Newsroom, 9/4/25]
April 2025: Trump Administration Fired Every Staffer In Office That Manages Program Helping 350,000 Households In Illinois Pay Their Heating And Cooling Bill. According to WAND, "In an effort to reduce government spending, the Trump Administration eliminated 10,000 jobs within the Department of Health and Human Services, including positions responsible for managing LIHEAP. Local leaders are concerned about the future of the program due to the lack of federal personnel. Tara Murray, the Executive Director of the Empowerment Opportunity Center in Decatur, said although they still have access to their funding, they now are trying to solve what happens when the fiscal year ends, and the funding runs out. 'Things are constantly changing, and each day we're not sure what to expect,' said Murray. [...] The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity gave the following statement to WAND News when asked about the future of LIHEAP services in Illinois. 'In response to the recent staffing cuts at the federal level for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) remains steadfast in our commitment to continuing the administration of this vital program. LIHEAP provides critical services to over 350,000 Illinois households each year, and the uncertainty caused by these federal cuts creates insecurity in the homes of our most vulnerable residents. When the federal government threatens to undermine stability, it not only jeopardizes access to basic utilities but also stifles the economic opportunity for those residents.'" [WAND, 4/4/25]
February 2025: Laid-Off Chicago-Based EPA Staff Expressed Their Frustration With The Trump Administration.
February 2025: The Trump Administration Fired Chicago-Based EPA Employees In Charge Of Cleaning Up Toxic Chemical Spills And Protecting Drinking Water And Air Quality In The Great Lakes Region. According to MLive, "The Trump administration’s purge of federal workers at an Environmental Protection Agency office in Chicago included a half dozen attorneys who bring enforcement cases against polluters and staff who mobilize rapidly to respond to hazardous spills and environmental disasters, according to labor leaders. The cuts may imperil the EPA’s ability to protect drinking water, safeguard air quality and clean up toxic sites in Michigan, part of a five-state region headquartered in Illinois, some current and former agency employees say. [...] The reductions cut across departments, wrapping up air and water-quality staff, internal support employees and those involved in the federal Superfund program, leading the clean up of heavily-polluted sites." [MLive, 2/23/25]
September 2025: The Trump Administration Withheld Funding For Electric Vehicle Chargers, Forcing Illinois To Sue The Federal Government For Its Release. According to Illinois Public Media, "Illinois will release a new round of federal funding to build electric vehicle charging stations after the Trump administration initially sought to withhold it. The state on Wednesday announced plans to release $18 million it received after successfully suing the Trump administration for withholding the funds that Congress had already allocated. The 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed by former President Joe Biden contained $148 million for Illinois to build more EV charging stations. The state received $25.3 million to build charging stations at 37 locations in 2024 as part of the first round of grant funding. But the Federal Highway Administration withheld the second round earlier this year after President Donald Trump signed an executive order requiring federal agencies to pause funding for clean energy projects appropriated in the Biden-era law. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and 16 other attorneys general sued the Trump administration in May seeking the release of the funds. The lawsuit argued it is illegal for the president to withhold funding that has already been approved by Congress. A judge ruled in June that the federal government must release the funds to Illinois and other states that joined the lawsuit." [Illinois Public Media, 9/17/25]
September 2025: The Trump Administration Took Control Of A Naval Office Building In Chicago For Immigration Enforcement. According to Illinois Newsroom, "After touring the Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago Friday, U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth said they gained some clarity but are still largely in the dark on details of President Donald Trump’s plan to use the base for an immigration roundup over the next month. The Democratic senators and U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, D-IL, tried meeting with Department of Homeland Security officials Friday at the base, but DHS 'refused' to meet and instead sent their officials home and locked the doors to the office that the senators and congressman wanted to view, they said. 'This kind of secrecy is not part of our government and it shouldn’t be,' Durbin said. 'It’s an indication that there’s something about this mission they don’t want the public to know. We want to make sure that the public and members of Congress know every detail of what’s happening.' The Department of Defense has secured use of an office building at the north suburban base starting Friday through Oct. 5. Agents with DHS and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement may only use the facility for office space, parking and storing non-lethal munitions, Duckworth said. She added that she and other officials are trying to confirm those conditions in writing with DHS because 'they refuse to write things down. It’s all been verbal.' Duckworth also wants to ensure federal authorities won’t be using the base to house agents overnight." [Illinois Newsroom, 9/5/25]
September 2025: Trump’s Anti-Immigrant Policies Disrupted Schools And Businesses In Chicago. According to the Chicago Tribune, "Federal immigration enforcement agents fanned out across the Chicago region on Monday, arresting at least 17 people in the city and suburbs and being spotted by immigrant advocates and others at a Chicago courthouse and in cities from Elgin to Aurora. The scope of the raids remained difficult to assess as information on apprehensions and sightings from various sources has created a 'patchwork' understanding for advocates and the public, with federal authorities largely staying silent about their activities. Still, officials and advocates were clear that the increased federal activity is upending daily life, including children’s education and business operations. 'We don’t know the true scale, but we know activity has increased' in the area over the last couple of weeks, said Brandon Lee, spokesperson for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. The organization is mostly relying on intake numbers from legal partners, hotline calls and networks of community members to get a sense of what is happening and who has been affected. [...] 'ICE operations disrupt daily life for citizens and noncitizens alike,' said Lee of ICIRR." [Chicago Tribune, 9/15/25]
September 2025: ICE Canceled A Meeting With Illinois’ Congressional Delegation Amid Accusations That Detainees Could Not Access Food, Water, Hygiene Products, Attorneys, Or Medication. According to Capitol News Illinois, "Immigration and Customs Enforcement leaders in Chicago canceled a meeting scheduled for Friday with members of Illinois’ congressional delegation. Illinois’ Democratic members of Congress had asked for a meeting with ICE Chicago Field Office Director Russell Hott. They were seeking to learn more about ICE and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s immigration enforcement operations known as Operation Midway Blitz in the Chicago area. The congressional delegation first asked ICE for an oversight visit to the agency’s Broadview facility that houses many people detained in the Chicago area. ICE declined that request, according to a statement from the delegation, but instead agreed to hold a separate meeting with the members of Congress on Friday. [...] 'Oversight of this facility is desperately needed as legal service providers and our constituents have raised concerns about the poor conditions at Broadview,' the delegation said in a statement. 'These reports allege unsanitary bathroom facilities; spreading illness; continued overcrowding; detainees sleeping on the floor or in chairs; a lack of access to food, water or hygiene products; restricted communications to family members and attorneys; and an inability to access medication.'" [Capitol News Illinois, 9/26/25]
October 2025: The Trump Administration Froze $2.1 Billion In Funding For Chicago Infrastructure Projects. According to Capitol News Illinois, "The White House on Friday froze $2.1 billion in federal funding for Chicago infrastructure projects in the latest move targeting Democratic cities and states amid the federal government shutdown. Federal budget director Russ Vought announced on social media that the money has been put on hold 'to ensure funding is not flowing via race-based contracting.' He specified that the pause applied to funds earmarked for Chicago’s Red Line extension and Red and Purple Line modernization projects. In a follow up statement, the U.S. Department of Transportation said it had sent letters to the Chicago Transit Authority to indicate that the two projects were under review to determine the constitutionality of their contracting requirements.” [Capitol News Illinois, 10/3/25]
October 2025: Trump Threatened To Send National Guard Troops Into Chicago Over The Objections Of The City Mayor And Illinois Governor. According to Capitol News Illinois, "A federal judge on Monday declined to immediately block the Trump administration from sending National Guard troops to Chicago, but she strongly urged federal officials to hold off deploying guardsmen until Thursday, when she will hear arguments in the case. Hours earlier, the state of Illinois and city of Chicago sued the administration after weekend news that Trump would federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard over Gov. JB Pritzker’s objections, in addition to sending troops from the Texas National Guard. The White House claims the deployment is necessary to protect federal immigration agents and facilities after several clashes with protesters in recent weeks, but Pritzker and other Democratic leaders warn it would just escalate tensions." [Capitol News Illinois, 10/6/25]
October 2025: Trump Sent 300 National Guards Troops Into Chicago Over The Objections Of The Illinois Governor. According to Capitol News Illinois, "After weeks of threatening to do so, President Donald Trump is taking command of 300 Illinois National Guard troops and sending them to Chicago over Gov. JB Pritzker’s objections, the governor announced Saturday. 'This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will,' Pritzker said in a statement. 'It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will.'" [Capitol News Illinois, 10/4/25]
September 2025: Trump Prepared To Send The Military To Chicago, While A Federal Judge Said There Was “A Tendency For ICE To Be Very Aggressive” In Response To Protestors. According to Capitol News Illinois, "The Department of Homeland Security is seeking to send 100 military troops to Chicago, according to Gov. JB Pritzker, who assailed the move as the Trump administration’s latest — yet not unforeseen — push to consolidate power. 'What he plans to do with that power now or during the 2026 elections should worry all of us,' Pritzker said at a Monday afternoon news conference, saying, 'You cannot call this anything except an attack on the Constitution of the United States.' In the days leading up to the news conference, armed Customs and Border Patrol officers paraded through the streets of Chicago arresting people and shot chemical projectiles at protesters in Broadview, including allegedly at a TV news reporter’s car. As of Monday, the Chicago Tribune reported that federal prosecutors had charged five people in relation to recent protests, including two who were apparently armed, according to federal authorities. The Tribune reported that federal Judge Gabriel Fuentes noted there has been 'a tendency for ICE to be very aggressive,' in response to the Broadview protests, and it was 'not a surprise that there was a confrontation.' 'All of this has been aimed at causing chaos and mayhem in the hopes of creating a pretext to deploy military troops against Chicago and Broadview and other suburbs, just as the president is doing right now in Oregon,' Pritzker said." [Capitol News Illinois, 9/29/25]
March 2025: Illinois Official Stated Trump HHS Layoffs Would Hurt Public Health Efforts. According to WLS-TV, "Job cuts and closures are coming for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. President Donald Trump's administration is laying off over 10,000 workers and shutting down entire agencies. [...] 'Losing that much staff will impact our ability to have those important, meaningful conversations to keep our state healthy and safe,' Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said. Vohra said cutting so many HHS employees means losing vital experts. 'We want the most qualified, dedicated people to come into these government spaces to protect our health,' Vohra said." [WLS-TV, 3/27/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration Rescinded $125 Million In Public Health Funding For Illinois. According to WLS-TV, "The massive layoffs come a day after the federal government is taking away $125 million in extended COVID money from IDPH and local health departments. 'This money was actually being used on the ground to help combat the spread of infectious diseases,' Vohra said. Vohra says the money was used for disease prevention efforts like waste water surveillance and preparations for public health emergencies: 65% of IDPH's money comes from the federal government. The Chicago Department of Public Health heavily relies on federal money, too." [WLS-TV, 3/27/25]
January 2025: Illinois Department Of Public Health Director Sameer Vohra Warned That The Trump Administration's Withdrawal From The WHO "May Harm The State's Public Health." In a letter to colleagues, Illinois Department of Public Health Director Sameer Vohra wrote "The US may lose internal access to WHO’s global surveillance system, which provides the United States, including Illinois, with early warnings of outbreaks […] Illinois may become less able to monitor new or emerging diseases entering the state. Chicago is home to O’Hare International Airport, the second busiest airport in the United States and a primary point of entry for international travelers. […] The WHO also plays a critical role in identifying the right components of both our annual flu vaccine and other emerging disease threats. Lack of collaboration leaves states, including Illinois, vulnerable in our fight against emerging illnesses. […] Illinois will now need to explore alternate tools and resources to understand and address global crises, obtain data, and quickly identify emerging threats in the absence of any confidential information provided by the WHO." [Illinois Department of Public Health, 1/31/25]
February 2025: Trump's Executive Order On Gender-Affirming Care Forced University of Illinois Health To Abruptly Cancel A 17-year-old's Chest Surgery. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, "An Illinois teen's chest surgery was allegedly canceled by University of Illinois Health in the wake of President Donald Trump's recent executive order seeking to end gender-affirming care for people under age 19, according to court documents filed Wednesday. The lawsuit, filed by advocacy groups including PFLAG and the ACLU, includes an exhibit that details how a 17-year-old Illinois boy had been receiving gender-affirming care for three years and had a surgery date scheduled for the end of January. According to court documents, the boy's mother said the surgeon called the day after the order was issued to inform them the surgery was canceled, allegedly due to concerns about the hospital losing funding. 'My son was devastated, and I had to watch my son carefully to make sure he wouldn't hurt himself in despair,' wrote the boy's mother, identified as Jane Doe 2, in the suit. 'The medical care that my son has received so far has allowed him to live his life and become who he knows himself to be, who he is supposed to be.'" [Chicago Sun-Times, 2/6/25]
February 2025: Trump Administration Fired 20 Federal Workers At Peoria, Illinois, Agricultural Lab That Discovered Penicillin. According to the Journal Star, "All three of Peoria's mayoral candidates told the Journal Star on Thursday that they were not happy to see the Trump administration's federal layoffs hit the Peoria Ag Lab. Peoria's National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, more commonly known as the Peoria Ag Lab, saw 12 union members and roughly 20 total of its probationary employees lose their jobs as part of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's initiative to slash the federal workforce. The job cuts were first reported by the Journal Star on Monday. [...] The Peoria Ag Lab was established by the USDA in 1938. It became famous for being the place where means to mass produce penicillin were discovered."" [Journal Star, 2/21/25]
September 2025: RFK Jr.’s CDC Changed COVID-19 Guidelines, Forcing The Illinois Department Of Public Health To Issue A Standing Order Recommending The Vaccine For All Adults And Many Children. According to Capitol News Illinois, "The Illinois Department of Public Health has recommended all adults get a COVID-19 shot this fall despite federal guidelines that narrowed the group of people recommended for the shot. IDPH released a standing order on Tuesdays that recommends the COVID-19 vaccine for all children between six and 23 months; children ages 2 through 17 that have an underlying risk or live in a home with another person who is at high risk for severe complications from COVID-19; any child whose parents want them to get a vaccine; people who are pregnant, planning to be pregnant or postpartum; and all adults. The recommendation bucks new and murky guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that recommend vaccines only for people ages 65 and older. A recent CDC advisory panel vote allowed people younger than 65 to receive the vaccine after being informed of the risks and benefits of the shot, backing away from requiring people to get a prescription in order to receive the vaccine. Illinois’ latest recommendations follow the state’s Immunization Advisory Committee Monday vote on the issue. 'IDPH’s recommendations, made in consultation with our Immunization Advisory Committee, will ensure that residents can protect themselves and their family members this upcoming respiratory season,' IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said in a statement. 'In addition, the accompanying standing order will allow residents access to COVID-19 vaccine in local pharmacies and other health care settings.'" [Capitol News Illinois, 9/24/25]
September 2025: Illinois Braced For An Influx Of New Patients After Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” Blocked Planned Parenthood From Receiving Medicaid Funding.
According to Illinois Newsroom, "Illinois elected officials and abortion providers foresee an influx of Wisconsin patients after the state’s Planned Parenthood branch announced Wednesday it would pause abortions Oct. 1 while it faces losing Medicaid funding as a result of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax law. Providers and abortion-rights advocates joined Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, state Sen. Robert Peters and state Rep. Kelly Cassidy Thursday to voice support for Planned Parenthood and welcome patients from Wisconsin seeking an abortion. The number of patients traveling from Wisconsin to get abortions at Family Planning Associates in Chicago has directly correlated to court decisions on abortion access in Wisconsin, according to Dr. Allison Cowett, chief medical officer at Family Planning Associates. Cowett said she’s heard out-of-state patients share their frustration and anger that they have to travel to find access to an abortion. […] The provision banning abortion funding was part of the federal budget reconciliation bill President Donald Trump signed into law in July. It was designed to exclude abortion providers from receiving Medicaid reimbursement, despite federal money not being used to finance abortions." [Illinois Newsroom, 9/26/25]
February 2025: The Trump Administration Fired Employees At The Shawnee National Forest In Illinois, Potentially Undermining Fire Prevention Programs. According to KSMU Radio, "Sources at the Mark Twain National Forest in southern Missouri and the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois confirm there have been positions eliminated but did not provide information on the number or job duties of those employees. They referred all questions to the main office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Forest Service. The USDA said in a statement that the terminations were part of an effort to improve government and reduce inefficiencies. 'To be clear, none of these individuals were operational firefighters. Released employees were probationary in status, many of whom were compensated by temporary IRA (Inflation Reduction Act) funding,' the statement said. [...] 'Every single person at a national forest has fire training and has a role to play. To say laid-off employees aren’t firefighters is not the full story,' said Steve Ellis, a retired Forest Service employee and a graduate of Southern Illinois University Carbondale who started his career at the Shawnee. Many forest programs are part of long-term strategies to reduce the frequency and severity of forest fires, he added." [KSMU Radio, 2/26/25]
February 2025: Trump Administration Fired 18 Employees At North Chicago VA. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, "Noschese is one of more than 24,000 federal workers, including nearly 1,700 at the VA, who were fired in February after President Donald Trump put billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk in charge of cutting spending and shrinking the federal workforce as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. This new entity swiftly commandeered the Office of Personnel Management, which functions as the government’s HR department, and set about terminating 'probationary' workers whose relatively short tenures made them easier to fire. In North Chicago, 18 people were fired, according to Lovell employees. Many had received exemplary performance reviews, but they all got the same email saying that 'based on your performance,' their work was not 'in the public interest.'" [Chicago Sun-Times, 3/30/25]
February 2025: Trump Administration Fired Equipment Technician At James Lovell VA Center. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, "The night before Valentine’s Day, Ricky Noschese and his wife, Laurie, left their jobs at a military and veterans hospital in North Chicago and stopped to pick up a heart-shaped chocolate cake to share with their three kids, a family tradition. As he waited in the car, Noschese’s phone lit up with one of the alerts he had set up 10 months earlier, when he started supervising a team of technicians in charge of keeping equipment running at Lovell Federal Health Care Center. In less than a year on the job, he had identified more than $10 million in cost savings and had a long list of ideas to improve operations and complete long-delayed projects. But when Noschese checked his phone, it wasn’t about a problem with the ventilation systems, fire alarms, elevators or emergency generators that he monitored even when he was away from Lovell, which is run jointly by the Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs, his employer." [Chicago Sun-Times, 3/30/25]
February 2025: Trump Administration Fired 20-Year, Bronze Star Army Veteran Who Worked At North Chicago VA Center. According to the Daily Herald, "As a former U.S. Army cavalry scout and sergeant first class who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, Adam Mulvey knows what it’s like to be under fire. But his 20 years in the military did not quite prepare the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs worker for being sacked Feb. 13 as part of massive cuts to the federal workforce. 'They fired employees who didn’t have a way to fight back,' said Mulvey, who was U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider’s guest at President Donald Trump’s March 4 joint address to Congress. Mulvey, who lives in Spring Grove with his wife and three young kids, was a probationary employee at Capt. James Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago. [...] Mulvey, who has received two Bronze Star Medals, learned his fate in a work email, after his supervisor called him, concerned about layoffs. [...] Mulvey was an emergency management specialist at Lovell developing plans for crises, like a tornado or train derailment." [Daily Herald, 3/10/25]
February 2025: Trump Administration Fired Trump-Supporting Illinois Veteran From IRS Role Who Said Cuts Had “No Thought Behind It.” According to WQAD, "Thousands of probationary employees have already been fired in President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's efforts to cut the federal workforce. That now includes a Monmouth veteran. James Diaz started working at the IRS field office in Galesburg in April 2024 as a tax advisory specialist. A few months later he became a fuel compliance officer, a move he received a pay raise for and took as a promotion. [...] On Friday, Feb. 21, Diaz received a letter from the Office of Personnel Management terminating his employment at the IRS. A portion of the letter reads, 'taking into account your performance, and in light of current mission needs, the Agency finds that your continued employment at the Agency is not in the public interest.' Diaz took that to mean he was underperforming, something he calls a lie. He showed News 8 his performance reviews from his supervisors. Part of it reads, 'You consistently take steps to identify and avoid work delays. You attempt to use your time in an efficient manner whether waiting on customers, researching or other duties assigned. You keep yourself constantly busy with productive work.' [...] Diaz is an Army combat veteran. He served during the first Gulf War and later decided to get his college degree, graduating in 2020. 'I am upset, mad and just confused at how they could treat people who put their life on the line for the country, who put themselves in harm's way, can be treated like this,' Diaz said. Diaz said he voted for Trump and still supports many of his policies, including getting rid of 'waste, fraud and abuse.' 'But I don't necessarily support the method that he's implementing them,' he said. 'To me, there's no thought behind it. It's just chop and roll, chop and roll, and then we'll fix it at the other end.’” [WQAD, 2/28/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration Shut Down Chicago-Area VA Program That Helped Veterans With Healthcare And Housing. According to WGN-TV, "The Department of Veterans Affairs will cut tens of thousands of jobs and shut down an outreach program that serves veterans in several Chicago wards. Alderman Matt Martin, 47th Ward, says he received a notice from the Chicago’s VA office Wednesday morning. It states that effective this week, the VA outreach program will not be able to serve veterans in his ward and surrounding areas. The program is geared towards connecting veterans to healthcare and housing needs." [WGN-TV, 3/6/25]
February 2025: Trump Administration Laid Off Workers At Jesse Brown VA Center In Chicago. According to WLS-TV, "Federal workers rallied in Chicago on Wednesday in response to mass layoffs by the Trump administration. Some workers have already been let go at the Jesse Brown Department Of Veterans Affairs Medical Center on the Near West Side. [...] Federal employees who work at the local VA said some of their coworkers have already lost their jobs. They're now fearing that veterans benefits will be next, so they're fighting back." [WLS-TV, 2/26/25]