Floor SpeechUrgent2025-04-30

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FIRST 100 DAYS

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Context

On 2025-04-30, Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) delivered a floor speech titled "TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FIRST 100 DAYS" in the Senate.

Full Text

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FIRST 100 DAYS

Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 72 (Wednesday, April 30, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 72 (Wednesday, April 30, 2025)] [Senate] [Pages S2720-S2721] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FIRST 100 DAYS Mr. MARKEY. Mr. President, 100 days ago, Donald Trump proclaimed ``the golden age of America begins now.'' But in 100 days, since Inauguration Day, ``King'' Donald has shown us that he sits on a throne of fool's gold--one built on empty votes, unfulfilled promises, and lie after lie after lie. In just over 3 months, ``King'' Donald's reign has rained down chaos and corruption and cuts and crisis on the American people. And he is counting on you not to pay attention. He is hoping you don't notice that, every day, costs are rising, retirement savings are sinking, and families are living paycheck to paycheck and they are bearing the burden of the Trump world. He is relying on all of us to roll over, accept his absolute rule, and let him and his caviar Cabinet enjoy the circus while they pass a massive tax break for their billionaire buddies out of all of the programs that would serve every family in our country. So to help us all keep track here on the 100th day of the Trump Presidency, here are the 100 damages from Trump's 100 days: In his first 100 days, Donald Trump, No. 1, propped up Big Tech billionaires at his inauguration, right here in this building. No. 2, withdrew the United States from the World Health Organization. No. 3, pulled the United States out of the Paris climate agreement to save our planet. No. 4, created DOGE. No. 5, called to end birthright citizenship through an Executive order, which is unlawful because it cannot override the Constitution of the United States. No. 6, canceled nearly $400 million in funding to support communities' efforts to eliminate or reduce flood damage. No. 7, eliminated the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity, which addresses greenhouse gas emissions from the health sector and facilitates interagency coordination to address climate change impacts on the public health of all 330 million Americans. No. 8, he attacked clean car regulations that save drivers money at the pump. No. 9, unleashed ICE at schools and hospitals and churches to threaten children and families. No. 10, disbanded the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which championed the first Federal gun safety legislation in more than 30 years. No. 11, repealed the Biden administration's AI protections for minority communities in our country. No. 12, he helped States refuse abortion care in life-threatening emergencies. No. 13, threatened to take over the Panama Canal. No. 14, he fired 18 inspectors general who work to eliminate government waste and fraud and abuse. No. 15, threatened to hold California wildlife aid hostage. No. 16, threatened to use military action against Greenland to take it by force and violate its sovereignty. No. 17, illegally fired two National Labor Relations Board officials. No. 18, banned transgender Americans from serving in the U.S. military. No. 19, restricted access to gender-affirming care. No. 20, he froze the Clean School Bus Rebate funding, standing in the way of keeping our air clean for kids on buses in our country. No. 21, spread misinformation about vaccines and risked the health of millions of Americans. No. 22, he blamed a plane crash on DEI--irresponsible. No. 23, eliminated the public records office at the Centers for Disease Control. No. 24, scrubbed health data related to HIV from the CDC website. No. 25, allowed DOGE access to sensitive Treasury Department information about all Americans. No. 26, fired the Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau because he favors the interests of his billionaire buddies over those of American consumers. No. 27, gutted Federal protections for worker safety. No. 28, scrubbed the mention of climate change from any Federal Agency in our country. No. 29, froze $10 billion in disaster funding as part of a bogus investigation into nonprofit support for undocumented immigrants. No. 30, cut cancer research funding. No. 31, cut diabetes research funding. No. 32, cut HIV-AIDS research funding. No. 33, cut heart disease research funding. No. 34, cut mental health research funding. No. 35, cut family caregiving research funding. No. 36, cut funding to recruit the next generation of health researchers, putting years of innovation at risk. No. 37, withdrew grant opportunities with the Office on Violence Against Women. No. 38, threatened providers, hospitals, and community health centers because of the type of care which they provide. No. 39, froze funding for community health centers in our country. No. 40, ordered the suspension of EV charging funding. No. 41, tried to rename the Gulf of Mexico. No. 42, illegally rescinded $80 million in congressionally appropriated FEMA funding for New York City bank accounts. No. 43, fired--and then rehired--over 300 staffers at the National Nuclear Security Administration, jeopardizing [[Page S2721]] the security of the U.S. nuclear stockpile. No. 44, threatened to take over Canada. No. 45, weakened NATO by cozying up to Russia and alienating our allies. No. 46, cut Alzheimer's research, delaying breakthroughs that could find a cure for this tragic and deadly disease. No. 47, terminated the American Climate Corps. No. 48, cut hundreds of employees from the FAA. No. 49, fired more than 200 probationary FEMA workers. And No. 50, fired more--this is unbelievable--than 2,400 National Park Service workers nationwide, including at Minute Man National Park, Springfield Armory, and Cape Cod National Seashore. No. 51, called to privatize the U.S. Postal Service, jeopardizing jobs and the fast, safe, and efficient delivery of our mail. No. 52, fired workers responsible for answering the Veterans' Administration Crisis Line. No. 53, worked with Republicans in Congress to gut Medicaid. No. 54, terminated hundreds of VA contracts, including those in cancer research and suicide prevention. No. 55, fired more than 1,000 NOAA employees nationwide. No. 56, gutted USAID and halted global humanitarian assistance. No. 57, fired 2,400 VA employees, with plans to cut 80,000 additional VA employees. No. 58, froze funding and canceled classes at the National Fire Academy. No. 59, canceled the Local Food for Schools and Local Purchase Assistance Programs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, ending subsidies that go directly to farmers for schools and costing Massachusetts alone and our farmers $18 million. No. 60, ordered the closure of the environmental justice offices at the Environmental Protection Agency and not just at headquarters but at all the regional EPA offices as well. No. 61, froze and announced the termination of the climate bank, the green bank funding. No. 62, froze $20 million in community change grant funding to improve air quality in Springfield, MA, the former asthma capital of the United States; and cut another $1 million from Massachusetts Department of Public Health to combat asthma rates in Western Massachusetts. No. 63, eliminated the Institute of Museum and Library Services. No. 64, wiped the Surgeon General's advisory calling gun violence a public health crisis--wiped. No. 65, called for the firing of judges who have disagreed with him, which clearly would violate the U.S. Constitution. No. 66, illegally fired the Democratic Commissioners at the Federal Trade Commission. No. 67, cut off legal representation for unaccompanied children in immigration proceedings. No. 68, cut funding to fight the opioid epidemic in our country. It is still an epidemic. No. 69, threatened to block a media merger if CBS didn't change its reporting. No. 70, gave DOGE access to sensitive Small Business Administration data. No. 71, Signalgate. No. 72, abducted Rumeysa Ozturk off the streets of Somerville, MA--a graduate student whom I just visited in prison in Louisiana. The Trump administration has not charged her with a crime, has presented no evidence. The Trump administration must release Rumeysa now. No. 73, cut funding to help kids get vaccinated. No. 74, terminated collective bargaining for tens of thousands of Federal workers. No. 75, called to end funding for the broadcasters of the public broadcasting system of our country. No. 76, cut off $106 million in education funds for Massachusetts. No. 77, threatened a military attack against Iran, which could have set off a full-blown regional war in the Middle East. No. 78, fired nearly everyone who works on the low-income heating assistance program and their Federal staff--fired nearly everyone. No. 79, fired 870 workers at the National Institutes for Occupational Safety and Health, approximately two-thirds of their workforce. That is occupational safety and health. No. 80, cut funding for the Head Start program. There are 800,000 young people in Head Start. Slashed that funding. No. 81, canceled more than 1,000 National Endowment for the Humanities grants totaling more than $363 million. No. 82, delayed broadband grant funding. No. 83, allowed a measles epidemic to spread uncontrolled across our country--a measles epidemic in 2025. No. 84, eliminated more than $880 million in Federal climate resilience aid that helps communities build disaster-resilient infrastructure. No. 85, opened America's public lands to new coal mining. No. 86, targeted State and local laws aimed at tackling the climate crisis. No. 87, moved to end lifesaving parole programs for Afghans and Ukrainians and Cubans and Haitians and Nicaraguans and Venezuelans. No. 88, moved to sunset critical environmental regulations. No. 89, blocked $2.2 billion in Federal grant funding to Harvard. No. 90, froze public safety grants for public broadcasters in our country. No. 91, halted Federal leasing and permitting for wind projects in our country as they open our public lands for coal mining. No. 92,

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TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FIRST 100 DAYS Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 72 (Wednesday, April 30, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 72 (Wednesday, April 30, 2025)] [Senate] [Pages S2720-S2721] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FIRST 100 DAYS Mr. MARKEY. Mr. President, 100 days ago, Donald Trump proclaimed ``the golden age of America begins now.'' But in 100 days, since Inauguration Day, ``King'' Donald has shown us that he sits on a throne of fool's gold--one built on empty votes, unfulfilled promises, and lie after lie after lie. In just over 3 months, ``King'' Donald's reign has rained down chaos and corruption and cuts and crisis on the American people. And he is counting on you not to pay attention. He is hoping you don't notice that, every day, costs are rising, retirement savings are sinking, and families are living paycheck to paycheck and they are bearing the burden of the Trump world. He is relying on all of us to roll over, accept his absolute rule, and let him and his caviar Cabinet enjoy the circus while they pass a massive tax break for their billionaire buddies out of all of the programs that would serve every family in our country. So to help us all keep track here on the 100th day of the Trump Presidency, here are the 100 damages from Trump's 100 days: In his first 100 days, Donald Trump, No. 1, propped up Big Tech billionaires at his inauguration, right here in this building. No. 2, withdrew the United States from the World Health Organization. No. 3, pulled the United States out of the Paris climate agreement to save our planet. No. 4, created DOGE. No. 5, called to end birthright citizenship through an Executive order, which is unlawful because it cannot override the Constitution of the United States. No. 6, canceled nearly $400 million in funding to support communities' efforts to eliminate or reduce flood damage. No. 7, eliminated the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity, which addresses greenhouse gas emissions from the health sector and facilitates interagency coordination to address climate change impacts on the public health of all 330 million Americans. No. 8, he attacked clean car regulations that save drivers money at the pump. No. 9, unleashed ICE at schools and hospitals and churches to threaten children and families. No. 10, disbanded the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which championed the first Federal gun safety legislation in more than 30 years. No. 11, repealed the Biden administration's AI protections for minority communities in our country. No. 12, he helped States refuse abortion care in life-threatening emergencies. No. 13, threatened to take over the Panama Canal. No. 14, he fired 18 inspectors general who work to eliminate government waste and fraud and abuse. No. 15, threatened to hold California wildlife aid hostage. No. 16, threatened to use military action against Greenland to take it by force and violate its sovereignty. No. 17, illegally fired two National Labor Relations Board officials. No. 18, banned transgender Americans from serving in the U.S. military. No. 19, restricted access to gender-affirming care. No. 20, he froze the Clean School Bus Rebate funding, standing in the way of keeping our air clean for kids on buses in our country. No. 21, spread misinformation about vaccines and risked the health of millions of Americans. No. 22, he blamed a plane crash on DEI--irresponsible. No. 23, eliminated the public records office at the Centers for Disease Control. No. 24, scrubbed health data related to HIV from the CDC website. No. 25, allowed DOGE access to sensitive Treasury Department information about all Americans. No. 26, fired the Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau because he favors the interests of his billionaire buddies over those of American consumers. No. 27, gutted Federal protections for worker safety. No. 28, scrubbed the mention of climate change from any Federal Agency in our country. No. 29, froze $10 billion in disaster funding as part of a bogus investigation into nonprofit support for undocumented immigrants. No. 30, cut cancer research funding. No. 31, cut diabetes research funding. No. 32, cut HIV-AIDS research funding. No. 33, cut heart disease research funding. No. 34, cut mental health research funding. No. 35, cut family caregiving research funding. No. 36, cut funding to recruit the next generation of health researchers, putting years of innovation at risk. No. 37, withdrew grant opportunities with the Office on Violence Against Women. No. 38, threatened providers, hospitals, and community health centers because of the type of care which they provide. No. 39, froze funding for community health centers in our country. No. 40, ordered the suspension of EV charging funding. No. 41, tried to rename the Gulf of Mexico. No. 42, illegally rescinded $80 million in congressionally appropriated FEMA funding for New York City bank accounts. No. 43, fired--and then rehired--over 300 staffers at the National Nuclear Security Administration, jeopardizing [[Page S2721]] the security of the U.S. nuclear stockpile. No. 44, threatened to take over Canada. No. 45, weakened NATO by cozying up to Russia and alienating our allies. No. 46, cut Alzheimer's research, delaying breakthroughs that could find a cure for this tragic and deadly disease. No. 47, terminated the American Climate Corps. No. 48, cut hundreds of employees from the FAA. No. 49, fired more than 200 probationary FEMA workers. And No. 50, fired more--this is unbelievable--than 2,400 National Park Service workers nationwide, including at Minute Man National Park, Springfield Armory, and Cape Cod National Seashore. No. 51, called to privatize the U.S. Postal Service, jeopardizing jobs and the fast, safe, and efficient delivery of our mail. No. 52, fired workers responsible for answering the Veterans' Administration Crisis Line. No. 53, worked with Republicans in Congress to gut Medicaid. No. 54, terminated hundreds of VA contracts, including those in cancer research and suicide prevention. No. 55, fired more than 1,000 NOAA employees nationwide. No. 56, gutted USAID and halted global humanitarian assistance. No. 57, fired 2,400 VA employees, with plans to cut 80,000 additional VA employees. No. 58, froze funding and canceled classes at the National Fire Academy. No. 59, canceled the Local Food for Schools and Local Purchase Assistance Programs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, ending subsidies that go directly to farmers for schools and costing Massachusetts alone and our farmers $18 million. No. 60, ordered the closure of the environmental justice offices at the Environmental Protection Agency and not just at headquarters but at all the regional EPA offices as well. No. 61, froze and announced the termination of the climate bank, the green bank funding. No. 62, froze $20 million in community change grant funding to improve air quality in Springfield, MA, the former asthma capital of the United States; and cut another $1 million from Massachusetts Department of Public Health to combat asthma rates in Western Massachusetts. No. 63, eliminated the Institute of Museum and Library Services. No. 64, wiped the Surgeon General's advisory calling gun violence a public health crisis--wiped. No. 65, called for the firing of judges who have disagreed with him, which clearly would violate the U.S. Constitution. No. 66, illegally fired the Democratic Commissioners at the Federal Trade Commission. No. 67, cut off legal representation for unaccompanied children in immigration proceedings. No. 68, cut funding to fight the opioid epidemic in our country. It is still an epidemic. No. 69, threatened to block a media merger if CBS didn't change its reporting. No. 70, gave DOGE access to sensitive Small Business Administration data. No. 71, Signalgate. No. 72, abducted Rumeysa Ozturk off the streets of Somerville, MA--a graduate student whom I just visited in prison in Louisiana. The Trump administration has not charged her with a crime, has presented no evidence. The Trump administration must release Rumeysa now. No. 73, cut funding to help kids get vaccinated. No. 74, terminated collective bargaining for tens of thousands of Federal workers. No. 75, called to end funding for the broadcasters of the public broadcasting system of our country. No. 76, cut off $106 million in education funds for Massachusetts. No. 77, threatened a military attack against Iran, which could have set off a full-blown regional war in the Middle East. No. 78, fired nearly everyone who works on the low-income heating assistance program and their Federal staff--fired nearly everyone. No. 79, fired 870 workers at the National Institutes for Occupational Safety and Health, approximately two-thirds of their workforce. That is occupational safety and health. No. 80, cut funding for the Head Start program. There are 800,000 young people in Head Start. Slashed that funding. No. 81, canceled more than 1,000 National Endowment for the Humanities grants totaling more than $363 million. No. 82, delayed broadband grant funding. No. 83, allowed a measles epidemic to spread uncontrolled across our country--a measles epidemic in 2025. No. 84, eliminated more than $880 million in Federal climate resilience aid that helps communities build disaster-resilient infrastructure. No. 85, opened America's public lands to new coal mining. No. 86, targeted State and local laws aimed at tackling the climate crisis. No. 87, moved to end lifesaving parole programs for Afghans and Ukrainians and Cubans and Haitians and Nicaraguans and Venezuelans. No. 88, moved to sunset critical environmental regulations. No. 89, blocked $2.2 billion in Federal grant funding to Harvard. No. 90, froze public safety grants for public broadcasters in our country. No. 91, halted Federal leasing and permitting for wind projects in our country as they open our public lands for coal mining. No. 92,