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 administraiton 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 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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
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 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 Peoria 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."" [Peoria Journal Star, 2/21/25]
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 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]