[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 174 (Tuesday, October 21, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7697-S7698]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           GOVERNMENT FUNDING

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I often think about times when government 
resources played an important role in my family's life, long before I 
became a U.S. Senator.
  When I was in high school, shortly after my father passed away, my 
family received a Social Security disability assistance check. That 
check helped send me to college. But when I arrived at Georgetown, the 
costs of tuition, books, and housing became more than that check could 
support.
  Luckily, I was able to borrow money under the National Defense of 
Education Act of 1958. This money had to be paid back to the 
government, but it helped put me through college. Had the government 
not been there in my time of need, I may not be addressing you from the 
Senate floor today.
  Millions of Americans have similar stories when there was a time they 
needed a helping hand. Maybe they needed help paying for groceries, 
finding safe and affordable housing, or accessing healthcare--and in 
all those experiences, the government was there to give them a 
lifeline.
  But, since his inauguration, President Trump and his enablers have 
taken a chainsaw to the Federal Government, hacking away at the support 
systems that everyday Americans rely on. And at the President's 
direction, congressional Republicans have plunged the Nation into a 
government shutdown.
  Rather than address a looming healthcare crisis that will cause 
healthcare costs to soar, the President--and Project 2025 mastermind 
Russell Vought--have used it as cover to settle petty political scores 
against Democratic-led cities and States. Don't believe me? Let me show 
you.
  Look at this chart from the New York Times. Since the start of this 
Republican-led shutdown, the Trump administration has frozen or 
canceled nearly $28 billion across 87 Democratic districts. How does 
that compare to Republican districts? Look at this, just $738 million 
across 14 Republican districts.
  This is petty, unfair, and wrong. The administration is using these 
projects as pawns in their crusade against Democrats and denying 
communities the benefits these projects would have provided residents 
regardless of their political leanings.
  As part of this administration's attacks on Democratic-led States, 
Director Vought announced the cancellation of $8 billion in clean 
energy and grid enhancement grants--including almost $700 million for 
the State of Illinois.
  Bringing down energy costs and preventing power outages are not 
partisan issues. But the Trump administration wants you to believe 
these dollars were going to radical climate policies. In Illinois, more 
than $150 million of the

[[Page S7698]]

canceled awards were going to upgrade the power grid. These upgrades 
would have made our grid more reliable in the face of rising energy 
demand. Now, that work is in jeopardy. Other canceled awards in 
Illinois are for methane detection and leak prevention along natural 
gas pipelines.
  When the government refuses to upgrade the grid and protect our 
pipelines, it does not mean utilities don't need these enhancements 
anymore. Instead, utility companies will pass along these costs to 
consumers. You will soon be forced to pay more for your electricity and 
heat because the Trump administration wants to punish Americans for the 
candidate they voted for last November.
  The administration also has aggressively targeted billions of dollars 
of previously approved transportation funding. Wreaking havoc in 
Chicago neighborhoods with cruel immigration raids and sending the 
military in to patrol the city's streets is not enough for this 
President. Two weeks ago, the President further escalated his feud with 
Mayor Johnson and Governor Pritzker--whom he has called to be jailed--
by withholding $2.1 billion in funding for Chicago infrastructure 
projects.
  The Red Line project has been decades in the making, would finally 
extend mass transit to the far South Side of Chicago, and would 
generate tens of thousands of good-paying jobs. But Donald Trump is 
fine with ripping this away as long as he scores a few political 
points.
  For decades, State and local governments have been able to compete 
for grant awards for projects--no matter where they live or who they 
vote for. The Trump administration is taking that tradition and tearing 
it at the seams. Even some of my Republican colleagues have publicly 
stated how wrong this is, and I applaud them for bravely coming forward 
to say so.
  I urge the President to stop targeting resources that help everyday 
Americans and negotiate a reopening of government. Every day that goes 
by, Americans face increased healthcare costs while the President 
remains hyperfixated on inflicting as much pain as possible on his 
political opponents and the communities they represent.
  We owe it to the American people to fund the government in a manner 
that protects their health coverage and ensures government funding and 
the resources that so many rely on are there in their time of need.

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