Dick Durbin Details Trump Cuts To AmeriCorps Causing Difficulty In U.S. Communities

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On the Senate floor, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke about President Trump's cuts to AmeriCorps.

Transcript

00:00Democratic Whip.

00:01Mr. President, before I make my remarks, I want to join my colleague, Republican colleague

00:06from Wyoming, in the salute to our military and appreciation for all that they have given

00:11to America.

00:12It was a touching story.

00:15I know he spends so many holidays visiting with Wyoming guard troops stationed around

00:20the world, and I didn't know he carried his father's World War II dog tags with him, but

00:25it's an indication of his love and respect for his dad.

00:29I want to join in those sentiments, but though the military commitment that people make is

00:35a unique commitment because you say that you'll risk your life for this country, there are

00:40many other commitments that can be made in public service which make this a greater nation

00:45too.

00:46For more than three decades, AmeriCorps has strengthened communities across the United States.

00:52From rebuilding homes to providing rural health care, tutoring kids after school, cleaning

00:58up after natural disasters, AmeriCorps supports our most under-resourced communities.

01:03My Republican colleagues represent communities that benefit from AmeriCorps whose members serve

01:10in their state.

01:11For decades, AmeriCorps has had bipartisan support, which it deserves.

01:16But last week, unfortunately, the Trump administration pulled the rug out from under these community

01:22organizations by eliminating their funding.

01:25Eliminating it.

01:27Organizations like Leslie Bates Davis Neighborhood House in East St. Louis, Illinois, my hometown,

01:33provides meals to members of all ages of the East St. Louis community.

01:36They were left scrambling after the President's announcement eliminating AmeriCorps.

01:41Right after the funding cuts were announced, Reverend Gaston, the CEO, met with workers who serve

01:46as drivers for the Center's Meals on Wheels program.

01:50For many of the senior citizens in that town and around the country, the Meals on Wheels is

01:56literally the only physical contact they have with the outside world.

02:00It is a moment in the day that they look forward to with great anticipation.

02:04It is more than just food.

02:06The night before the drivers were set to deliver meals, Reverend Gaston had to tell them there

02:10is nowhere to go.

02:12He added that those workers would not get paid, even though they had worked earlier in

02:16the day.

02:18The East St. Louis community is located in a food desert, which means members like Aisha,

02:24who takes care of her grandfather, have come to rely on the Center's food pantry for health

02:28options like fruits and vegetables.

02:31I know I was just there two weeks ago.

02:33Last month, eight dedicated AmeriCorps members worked in the Center's Cafe to offer a safe

02:38place for the community to eat a hot meal.

02:41Today, because of Trump's cuts, the tables are empty.

02:46Camille, who is Leslie Bates Davis Program Director for AmeriCorps, shared that she has

02:51120 days to close out the program.

02:54After that, even she will be left without a job.

02:57While Camille is concerned about her own future, she has also shared how overwhelming it is to

03:02tell people that she doesn't know the path forward, especially because she's a leader

03:06in the community.

03:07Other programs across Illinois are feeling similar impacts.

03:11Take Lucas, an AmeriCorps volunteer who has worked at the Boys and Girls Clubs in Livingston,

03:17Illinois, providing students with a safe place to learn and to play after school.

03:22He won't get paid because of the Trump cuts, but he plans to continue to volunteer unpaid,

03:28because the impact in his community without people would leave him feeling very bad for

03:33the young kids he knows so well.

03:36Another constituent, Ann, is an AmeriCorps Program Director at Severson Dells Nature Center

03:41in Northern Illinois in Rockford.

03:44Ann shared that one alum of AmeriCorps was inspired to serve his country by joining the U.S.

03:49Coast Guard after working in the community as an AmeriCorps volunteer and member in the

03:54Nature Center.

03:55To use Ann's words, AmeriCorps members are the best of us and have collectively served

04:01this country.

04:03I urge my Republican colleagues to fight against this Administration's senseless attempts to

04:09eliminate such small amounts of funding that have such incredible, positive impact in

04:14their communities as well as my own.

04:17Don't sit by in silence.

04:20As if cutting funds from AmeriCorps wasn't enough, last Thursday, in the dead of the night,

04:26President Trump signed an executive order trying to end federal funding for national

04:31public radio and public broadcasting.

04:34As it currently stands, only 1% of federal funding goes directly to NPR and PBS.

04:41It is a marginal expense in comparison to the amount of good it does.

04:46They provide news coverage, life-saving emergency alerts, educational programs for our kids.

04:53While President Trump falsely claims that public media is, quote, biased and partisan, he's

04:58wrong.

04:59Public media provides local communities with unbiased and nonpartisan news coverage, especially

05:06in rural and small-town areas, where our newsroom often is working off limited resources.

05:11The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a private, non-profit corporation authorized

05:17by Congress since 1967.

05:20For more than 50 years, Congress has provided funding on a bipartisan basis for public broadcasting.

05:26By doing so, we have ensured the independence of the public media system and provided an opportunity

05:32for a long-standing public-private partnership in service to all Americans.

05:37President Trump's attempts to silence the media he does not deem acceptable should be responded

05:42to on a bipartisan basis.

05:45We must be united to let this President know that silencing a reliable news source is unacceptable

05:51in modern America.

05:53We have come to expect this kind of censoring by dictators and others.

05:57We don't expect it in the United States.

06:01Things like Russia and China spend billions of dollars trying to undermine our news and

06:06spread disinformation.

06:08And cuts to free, untampered public news are not the way to fight off their advances.

06:14As soon as I learned about the proposed cuts, I spoke out on the need for Congress to respond,

06:19to save these important institutions.

06:21And where was the response of my Republican colleagues?

06:24Silence.

06:25Crickets.

06:26It's the silence of the lambs.

06:29My Republican colleagues cannot afford to stay silent any longer.

06:34We must work in a bipartisan manner.

06:36We continue to work to stop these funding cuts and prove to the American people that we care

06:41about our local communities and everyone's access to free, unbiased broadcasting.

06:46We must continue to allow NPR and PBS to provide essential news, information, and life-saving

06:53services to the American public.

06:55Democracy cannot survive in silence.

06:58Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a court.

07:02The

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