On Monday Donald J. Trump ordered the Office of Management and Budget to freeze nearly all federal funds and grant awards by end of business Tuesday.  This freeze is both unlawful and would affect school lunch programs, a veterans’ suicide hotline, housing vouchers, college Pell Grant programs, NASA  and cancer research, and efforts to contain the historic outbreak of Tuberculosis in Kansas, to name just a few of the dozens upon dozens of frozen programming that millions of Americans rely on every day.  The reasons for this freeze are nonsensical. 

After pushback and outcry across the nation, the Trump administration began to walk back freezes to SNAP, Medicaid, and a few other programs.  Governor Evers and AG Kaul joined other state leaders in a lawsuit against Trump and his administration for these egregious acts.

However, the reality is that we are in the middle of an attempt by the new administration to cancel our democracy that must be faced full on by regular citizens everywhere. During a time when tensions, anxieties, and basic needs are already high in our communities, it is critical that we call out the behavior and hold accountable all who are complicit through either action or inaction.  Pushback was effective.  This public action must continue, and we must be vigilant, because many of those freezes and orders are still in effect, and more illegal actions to undermine our democracy will be coming.

We, the KCDP Executive Board, call on every state and federal elected representative of Wisconsin to decry this order immediately.  We further call on citizens to contact their representatives at the state and federal levels to ask them whether they support or will work against these and other such orders to their fullest capacity. 

Senator Ron Johnson (202) 224-5323 

Senator Tammy Baldwin (202) 224-5653

Representative Bryan Steil (202) 225-3031

State Senator Bob Wirch (608) 267-8979

State Senator Steve Nass (608) 266-2635

State Representative Tip McGuire (608) 237-9164

State Representative Ben DeSmidt (608) 237-9165

State Representative Amanda Nedweski  (608) 237-9132