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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Sean Casten (IL-06)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Huffman Representing the 2nd District of California

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Sean Casten (IL-06)

April 23, 2025

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Representatives Sean Casten (IL-06), Gwen Moore (WI-04), Don Beyer (VA-08), and Jahana Hayes (CT-05) led 39 House Democrats in a letter to Department of Education (DOE) Secretary Lisa McMahon demanding DOE immediately restore shuttered Office for Civil Rights (OCR) hubs and fulfill its statutory civil rights mandate.

“While slashing the Department’s workforce has impacted every aspect of the Department’s role, OCR was particularly hard hit,” the lawmakers wrote. “At the time of these terminations, OCR had 550 employees, at least 243 of whom have reportedly been put on administrative leave or terminated. These terminations, and the shuttering of offices across the country, will make the Department less able to protect vulnerable students against harassment and civil rights violations.”

The OCR is the core federal body that protects students’ right to equal access to education. OCR lawyers and staff are responsible for investigating complaints of discrimination brought by students when they are discriminated against by schools based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, and age. They also develop regulations and policy guidance to support these protections and provide technical assistance to schools attempting to protect their students’ rights. OCR administers the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), a biennial survey of early education and K-12 local education agencies and schools on enforcing civil rights protections in their districts.

In March, reports indicate DOE enacted significant staffing cuts to OCR, and closed OCR hubs in Chicago, Boston, Cleveland, Dallas, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco.

In addition to Reps. Casten, Moore, Beyer, and Hayes, the letter was signed by Barragan, Cherfilus-McCormick, Chu, Clarke, Danny Davis, Espaillat, Evans, Friedman, Goldman, Huffman, Ivey, Jonathan Jackson, Julie Johnson, Keating, Krishnamoorthi, Landsman, Lynch, Mannion, McCollum, Meng, Moulton, Nadler, Panetta, Peters, Pocan, Ramirez, Ruiz, Sanchez,  Schakowsky, Simon, Tlaib, Torres, Vargas, Veasey, and Williams.

A copy of the letter can be found here. Text of the letter can be found below.

Dear Secretary McMahon:

The staffing cuts to the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the Department of Education and the closure of OCR hubs in Chicago, Boston, Cleveland, Dallas, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco, clearly compromise the Department’s ability to fulfill its statutory civil rights mandate. We demand an immediate restoration of these staff and offices to fulfill the Department’s congressionally directed responsibilities.

The Department of Education was established with the express purpose to strengthen the Federal commitment to ensuring access to equal educational opportunity for every individual, as well as to increase the accountability of Federal education programs to the President, the Congress, and the public. The Office for Civil rights was explicitly established within the Department to ensure that all schools receiving federal funds abide by federal civil rights laws.

The OCR, established by the Department of Education Organization Act in 1979, provides an invaluable service to students nationwide, protecting their equal access to education. OCR lawyers and staff are responsible for investigating complaints of discrimination brought by students, when they are discriminated against by schools based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, and age. They also develop regulations and policy guidance to support these protections and provide technical assistance to schools attempting to protect their students’ rights.

OCR also administers the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), a biennial survey of early education and K-12 local education agencies and schools on enforcing civil rights protections in their districts. The data collected through the CRDC informs the investigation and enforcement work OCR conducts when it receives specific complaints from students and the regulations and guidance that the Department of Education promulgates. This data is critical to help the Department of Education and lawmakers understand trends in discrimination and school climate.

No student should be unsafe in school and OCR is a key component of keeping our students safe. 

OCR provides a crucial safeguard when state and local education agencies are unable or unwilling to protect their students, and robust funding for their work is more critical than ever. In 2023 OCR received over 19,000 individual complaints from students who alleged discriminatory treatment by their publicly funded schools. 

This broke the 2022 record and is more than double the number of complaints received in 2021. Eliminating staffing and closing the hubs flies in that face of the transparently increasing demand.

Despite the increasing number of complaints, OCR was already underfunded and understaffed and closing these regional offices will worsen the situation and further jeopardize the office’s vital work. As of 2023, OCR had eighteen percent fewer staff than in 2016, and OCR was recently further diminished by the widespread layoffs that hit the Department in March 2025. While slashing the Department’s workforce has impacted every aspect of the Department’s role, OCR was particularly hard hit. At the time of these terminations, OCR had 550 employees, at least 243 of whom have reportedly been put on administrative leave or terminated. These terminations, and the shuttering of offices across the country, will make the Department less able to protect vulnerable students against harassment and civil rights violations.

After meeting with House Members who expressed concern with the unlawful dismantling of the Department of Education, you tweeted, “[our] collective goal should be to support students, not the broken bureaucracy.” OCR’s role is to do just that – guaranteeing students equal access to education, but firing these staff just contributes to broken bureaucracy. The legacy of Ruby Bridges demands that we have a successful and robustly staffed OCR.

To better understand the Trump Administration’s plans regarding the Department of Education, please respond to the following questions:

1. Please describe in detail how the proposed OCR hub closures and staffing reductions will improve its authorized and funded activities, and how it will enhance the educational climate and well-being of students across the country.
2. What impact, if any, does the Administration estimate these closures and terminations will have on the number, type, depth, or length of investigations at the Office of Civil Rights? How did you arrive at these estimates?
3. How were the Office for Civil Rights offices in Chicago, Boston, Cleveland, Dallas, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco chosen for closure? How did the Department assess the impact of these office closures on the work of the Office of Civil Rights prior to initiating these terminations?
4. Please provide a justification for whether or not these closures include any reprogramming or transfer of funds.
5. How will these office closures impact the process by which students, families, and teachers report allegations of civil rights violations in schools? How will any new processes be communicated to these groups?

We are deeply concerned that these actions are a de facto violation of the Department’s legislative mandate, urge you to reemploy OCR staff and reopen essential OCR regional offices nationwide. We look forward to your prompt response.

Sincerely,

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Rick Larsen (2nd Congressional District Washington)

Rep. Larsen Statement on Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-MA-03)

Trahan Nominates Third District Students to Service Academies

Lowell, April 23, 2025

LOWELL, MA – Yesterday, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) hosted a ceremony to nominate students from across the Third District to United States Service Academies. The event was held at Dracut’s Harvey J. Gagnon Harmony Hall.
“It’s one of my greatest honors and most serious responsibilities to nominate outstanding young men and women from our district to our nation’s service academies,” said Congresswoman Trahan. “These students are driven by something bigger than themselves – by a desire to serve, to lead, and to contribute to the common good. Their commitment to country and community inspires hope for the future of our armed forces and our nation.”
This year, Trahan nominated students from across the Third District to the United States Military Academy at West Point, the United States Naval Academy, the United States Air Force Academy, and the United States Merchant Marine Academy. Nominees include:
West Point:

Savannah Liles, Littleton, Littleton High School
Gavin Datta, Acton, Acton-Boxborough Regional High School
Harold Nerrow, Concord, Concord-Carlisle High School, Villanova University
Samuel Richenburg, Haverhill, St. John’s Prep
Tait O’Koniewski, Lawrence, Austin Preparatory School
Hieu-Shawn Phan, Methuen, Northeastern University – Liberty Battalion Army ROTC
Private First Class Pearl Kalungi, Lowell, United States Army
Thomas Collins, Tyngsborough, Tyngsborough High School
Raily Romano Hidalgo, Haverhill, Haverhill High School

Naval Academy:

Thomas Livens, Carlisle, Lawrence Academy
Lincoln Green, Concord, Concord-Carlisle High School
Yazmin Jenkins, Lowell, Greater Lowell Technical High School
John James Rubera, Haverhill, Haverhill High School
Eliot Hong, Billerica, Shawsheen Valley Technical High School

Air Force Academy:

Charles Stone, Concord, Concord-Carlisle High School
Darro Sieu, Billerica, Billerica Memorial High School

Merchant Marine Academy:

Gunnar Lyons, Concord, Concord-Carlisle High School

The student nominees were interviewed and recommended by volunteer members of Trahan’s Service Academy Board, which is composed of academy alumni, veterans, and community leaders. Current board members include:

Pat Wojtas: A United States Air Force veteran, Pat was the first woman in Massachusetts to be commissioned to the Air Force through the ROTC program at UMass Amherst. She is currently a member of the Chelmsford Select Board.
Leanne Collazo: A retired Army Lieutenant Colonel and West Point graduate, Suzanne was a UH-60 pilot and Battalion Commander.
John Moses: A United States Army veteran, John has been an active member of the Afghan Evac community since the start of evacuation in August 2021. He is currently a member of the Chelmsford School Committee.
Harold Naughton Jr.: A Major in the United States Army Reserve, Harold previously represented the 12th Worcester District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
David Cote: A United States Marine Corps veteran and graduate of the United States Naval Academy, David leads The Summit Project, a veteran-focused nonprofit that sustains the memories of post-September 11th servicemembers who were killed in action. In 2011, he was named the Military Times Marine of the Year.
Paulette Joyce: A retired Westford teacher, Paulette advocates for veterans following the passing of her husband, United States Army Lieutenant Colonel Fred Joyce.

More information on the military service academy nomination process can be found HERE.
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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Norma Torres (35th District of California)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (1st District of Maine)

Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, issued the following statement on the Trump Administration’s move to significantly reorganize the Department of the Interior:

“On Friday afternoon before a holiday weekend, the Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittees received a letter from the Department of the Interior related to a Department-wide reorganization to consolidate administrative and support services. The letter does not include any detail about changes to organizational structure, funding flows, staffing, or any other functions, and the Trump Administration has not yet agreed to provide any further information. The letter states that the first phase of the reorganization would start within 48 hours—on Easter Sunday.

“It is unacceptable for the Administration to unilaterally overhaul agency structure and funding through a hasty, mid-year shuffle—especially when the fiscal year 2025 Appropriations bill clearly maintains the Department’s longstanding operations and organization. The services it seeks to move from each individual bureau to the department level—like hiring seasonal park rangers, engaging with communities around specific public lands, conducting fair and cost-effective bidding for major construction projects, and overseeing grants tied to program-specific eligibilities—form the operational backbone of each bureau and reflect their distinct missions and authorities. Making such broad-sweeping changes without conducting detailed organizational research, evaluating consequences, planning a transition, or consulting Congress is reckless.

“Given the Administration’s ongoing illegal funding freezes, assault on the federal workforce, haphazard cancellation of building leases, and other efforts to throw agencies into total chaos and paralyze the federal government, we cannot take any such reorganization as a serious attempt to improve efficiency. We demand that the Department of the Interior halt implementation of this large-scale reorganization and propose such changes in the President’s budget request for full examination and final determination by Congress.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (8th District of Illinois)

CHICAGO – Today, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) brought together leaders, educators, and students from eight Chicagoland community colleges at Harry S Truman College for a roundtable discussion on expanding access to career and technical education (CTE) programs that are vital to Illinois’ economic future. The conversation followed a tour of Truman’s Child Development Laboratory School, a prime example of how community colleges are training students for in-demand careers in early education. The roundtable focused on advancing CTE pathways in sectors like healthcare, childcare, and the skilled trades—fields facing urgent workforce shortages across the state.

“Every Illinoisan deserves the opportunity to work a good-paying job where you don’t need a four-year degree to earn a living wage. At the same time, our state needs high-quality health care professionals, child care workers, and skilled labor workers to grow our economy,” Congressman Krishnamoorthi said. “Career and technical education programs at community colleges provide us with a unique opportunity to make both those happen at the same time. By investing in high-quality CTE programs at colleges from across the Chicago area now, we can ensure all Illinoisans have the chance to succeed while also modernizing our workforce to keep Illinois at the forefront of an ever-changing economy.”

Congressman Krishnamoorthi has long championed CTE in Congress, co-authoring the bipartisan Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act that increased federal funding to CTE programs by $1.3 billion annually to meet today’s workforce demands. At the roundtable, he reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that federal policy keeps pace with the evolving needs of students, employers, and educators.

College leaders underscored the importance of stable federal funding, expanded apprenticeships, and industry-aligned curricula to strengthen pipelines into high-growth career fields. They also highlighted the critical role of wraparound services that help students overcome barriers to completing their education and entering the workforce.

Participants included leaders from Harry S Truman College, Harper College, Elgin Community College, Joliet Junior College, Malcolm X College, Oakton College, Wilbur Wright College, Olive-Harvey College, and the Illinois Community College Trustees Association.

The roundtable discussion was the latest in a series of conversations Congressman Krishnamoorthi has initiated across the state to ensure Illinois students have the skills and support needed to thrive in a rapidly changing economy. Congressman Krishnamoorthi has held similar events in cities such as East St. Louis, Rock Island, and the Quad Cities in recent months.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA) and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) wrote to Acting Director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Susan Monarez criticizing the elimination of all full-time staff at the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP), a vital program that works to prevent and control public health incidents and disease outbreaks aboard cruise ships. In their letter, Matsui and Blumenthal cite recent reports of illnesses spreading on cruise ships, including norovirus. The decimation of the VSP comes at a time of cuts, freezes, and firings at the CDC from the Trump Administration’s Department of Government Efficiency.

“Through routine inspections, training of cruise ship personnel, and responses to and documentation of outbreaks aboard cruise ships, the VSP protects and promotes public health for cruisegoers everywhere. This critical information helps the traveling public make informed decisions before they sail,” wrote the lawmakers. “It is therefore confounding that the VSP has been swept up in the indiscriminate cuts that were initiated recently at the CDC.”

“As we saw with the rampant spread of COVID-19 aboard cruise ships in the early days of the pandemic, these environments provide a prime opportunity for the transmission of disease. That is why it is absolutely critical that the CDC maintains the office and staff responsible for dealing with outbreaks on cruise ships. Severely reducing or eliminating the program that holds CDC’s subject matter expertise on this issue is short-sighted, and will ultimately lead to more illnesses,” continued Matsui and Blumenthal.

The full text of the letter can be found below.

 Dear Acting Director Monarez,

 We are extremely alarmed by reports that all full-time employees of the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) have been terminated.^[1] As news of the worst outbreak aboard a cruise ship this year is making headlines, it is incomprehensible that the officials responsible for protecting the health of the cruise-going public would be abruptly terminated.^[2]

 The VSP is a vital program that works to prevent, control, and publicize public health incidents aboard cruise ships.^[3] Through routine inspections, training of cruise ship personnel, and responses to and documentation of outbreaks aboard cruise ships, the VSP protects and promotes public health for cruisegoers everywhere.^[4] Among its most important functions are VSP’s maintenance of databases of outbreaks in its jurisdiction and inspection scores for cruise ships.^[5] This critical information helps the traveling public make informed decisions before they sail. It is therefore confounding that the VSP has been swept up in the indiscriminate cuts that were initiated recently at the CDC. According to reports, the CDC’s Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice, which housed the VSP, was decimated by staff losses.^[6] 

Elimination of the VSP is especially concerning now, when just last month a massive norovirus outbreak was reported on a luxury cruise liner travelling from England to the Caribbean.^[7] This outbreak aboard the Queen Mary 2 sickened 224 passengers and 17 crew members.^[8] And indeed, while this is the most widespread cruise ship outbreak so far this year, it is far from the first. According to the database maintained by the VSP, there have already been thirteen confirmed outbreaks aboard cruise ships in the first three months of 2025, sickening almost 1,400 people this year alone.^[9]

 As we saw with the rampant spread of COVID-19 aboard cruise ships in the early days of the pandemic, these environments provide a prime opportunity for the transmission of disease. That is why it is absolutely critical that the CDC maintains the office and staff responsible for dealing with outbreaks on cruise ships. Severely reducing or eliminating the program that holds CDC’s subject matter expertise on this issue is short-sighted, and will ultimately lead to more illnesses. 

It is therefore critical to understand CDC’s plan to continue its vital cruise ship monitoring efforts, in the absence of the VSP. To that end, we request answers to the following questions by May 6, 2025:

1. Please describe what plans, if any, the CDC has for eliminating the VSP.
   1. Please describe what metrics, if any, were used when evaluating the potential elimination of the VSP.
2. Please describe how the CDC intends to fulfill its statutory obligations to protect public health aboard cruise ships in the absence of the VSP.
3. How many employees working for the VSP have left since January 20, 2025? Please include employees who accepted a deferred resignation offer, had their employment terminated, or were placed on administrative leave.
4. Will CDC continue to update its inspection scores database so the travelling public can make informed decisions when planning a cruise?
5. Will CDC continue to update its database of outbreaks to ensure the public has access to critical public health information about illnesses on cruise ships?

 We appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to your timely response. 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-07), co-chair of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), Assistant Democratic Leader Joe Neguse (CO-02), and Reps. Steve Cohen (TN-09), and Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) led a group of 48 lawmakers in introducing a resolution to commemorate Earth Day 2025. The resolution celebrates recent historic environmental actions that have improved the health and wellbeing of our planet, while also reaffirming the work that still needs to be done to secure a livable future for the next generation. 

“Since the first declaration of Earth Day fifty-five years ago, we have made incredible progress towards protecting and restoring the natural world that we rely on and enjoy,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “However, in less than 100 days, President Trump has worked to erase decades of progress, dismantling climate science, weakening critical environmental agencies, and launching an all-out assault on clean air and clean water. This unprecedented assault on clean air and clean water is a stark reminder that Earth Day remains as important and revolutionary today as it was in 1970. This Earth Day, I am honored to join my colleagues in reaffirming and celebrating our shared responsibility to protect and preserve our planet for future generations, and I will never stop fighting to uphold these ideals at every level of government.”

“On Earth Day, communities across the country reaffirm their commitment to protecting the environment and our treasured public lands,” said Congressman Neguse. “And for me, as a proud Coloradan, the fight to ensure future generations can enjoy the outdoors the same way we have is deeply personal. Which is why I’m proud to join my colleagues in continuing to charge forward in Congress with efforts that prioritize protecting our planet.” 

“Fifty-five years after the first Earth Day, our commitment to environmental protection must be stronger than ever,” said Congressman Cohen. “The Trump administration is once again doing the bidding of polluters—rolling back clean air and clean water standards, halting enforcement of environmental safeguards, and illegally freezing congressionally authorized funding meant to combat climate change, reduce pollution, and protect public health. Climate change is accelerating. Our air, water, and communities are under threat. Earth Day is not just a reminder of what’s at stake—it’s a call to rededicate ourselves to the fight for a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable planet for the next generation.”

“Our children deserve a future where clean air, safe water, and a stable climate are not luxuries, but guarantees,” said Congresswoman McClellan. “This Earth Day, we must reaffirm our commitment to climate action and environmental justice. We are not just responding to a crisis today — we are building a better, more just world that our children will inherit tomorrow.”

Congresswoman Matsui has long been a champion of strong environmental protections, life-saving pollution regulations, and bold climate action. In Congress, she has led efforts to strengthen vehicle and power plant pollution standards and supported energy efficiency programs that save American families money. As Co-Chair of the SEEC Lands, Waters, and Nature Task Force, Congresswoman Matsui also coordinates the coalition’s work to preserve the environment, protect public lands and critical habitat, and advance nature-based approaches to addressing climate change. 

Read the full resolution HERE.

                                               

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