Sanders: Trump Claims He’s on the Side of the Working Class. Really?
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), today released the following statement:
At a time of massive income and wealth inequality, when 60% of our people live paycheck to paycheck, millions of Americans understand that if they are going to make it to the middle class, they need to be in a trade union so they can negotiate for decent wages, benefits and working conditions.
When Trump campaigned for president, he claimed he was on the side of the working class. But that’s not what he’s delivering. Rather than standing up for average Americans, he’s protecting the interests of some of the wealthiest people in the world.
When Donald Trump fires the most pro-union General Counsel in the history of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and illegally removes a member of this independent board, he is not a champion of the working class. He is a champion of unfettered corporate greed and union busters.
As a result of Trump’s unprecedented move, the NLRB no longer has a quorum and has effectively been shut down. What does this mean? It means that it will be far, far harder for workers to exercise their constitutional right to form a union and improve their standard of living. It means that during a union election, corporate bosses can illegally fire workers who vote to join a union. It means that corporate CEOs have free rein to illegally intimidate and coerce pro-union workers without recourse. It means that corporations can aggressively decide not to bargain in good faith with union workers or sign a first contract.
And because the NLRB is now dysfunctional, workers have no recourse.
Trump’s decision has already had disastrous consequences. Last week, workers at a Whole Foods grocery store in Philadelphia voted 130-100 to join the United Food and Commercial Workers union. But Whole Foods, owned by Jeff Bezos, has made it crystal clear that they will ignore this union victory and will not bargain with their union workers in good faith. Without a functioning NLRB, Whole Foods cannot be held accountable for its illegal behavior.
For months, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, the two wealthiest men alive, have been working overtime to abolish the NLRB. Why is that? These notorious anti-union billionaires want the absolute power to exploit their workers and violate labor law. The lower the wages they pay, the more money they make. Since Election Day, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have become $184 billion richer and are now worth $669 billion. But, apparently, that’s not enough.
As the Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee I will continue working with the trade union movement to oppose Trump’s decision and make it easier for workers to join unions, not harder.
Democrats Hold Floor Overnight, Welch Speaks at 5 A.M. to Oppose Nomination of Project 2025 Author and Nominee for OMB Russell Vought
Welch spoke on the Trump Administration’s lawlessness and illegal actions—from pardoning January 6th defendants to freezing federal funding and international aid
U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) took to the Senate Floor at 5:00 a.m. Thursday morning to sound the alarm on the dangers of Donald Trump’s lawlessness and to oppose the nomination of Russell Vought, Trump’s nominee to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Senator Welch spoke for an hour.
View his remarks here:
Senate Democrats held the floor all night to oppose Russell Vought’s nomination to OMB and to slam the Trump Administration’s freeze on federal loans and grants. Vought’s radical Project 2025 would slash federal funding, and threaten the programs and services Vermonters rely on, like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. As director of the OMB, Vought will be tasked with carrying out President Trump’s federal funding freeze, which is unconstitutional. Additionally, Vought is an open election denier and told Senators in his confirmation hearing he believed the 2020 election was ‘rigged.’ The Senate is expected to vote on Vought Thursday.
Senator Welch last week convened Vermonters to discuss how the Trump Administration’s federal funding freeze has impacted communities, families and workers across the state. The federal courts temporarily blocked the order, and on Monday extended the temporary restraining order. In addition, the court has required OMB to re-open funding currently held by the government and provide the court a compliance report by the end of the week.
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Senator Welch’s Committee and Subcommittee Assignments for the 119th Congress include:
- Senate Committee on Finance
- Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry
Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit
- Senate Committee on the Judiciary
Ranking Member, Subcommittee on the Constitution
- Senate Committee on Rules & Administration
Rep. Balint Denounces Attempts to Shut Down the Department of Education
“It is absolutely outrageous that they're trying to take money away from our kids to give it to billionaires.”
Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vermont) joined her colleagues in front of the Department of Education to call out Trump and Musk’s intention to defund and close the department. Members of Congress demanded to speak to the acting secretary and conduct oversight of the department but were denied entry.
View the speech here.
Her remarks below:
All of us know that when we stand here, we are standing in front of your schools back home in your districts. That's what this is about.
And I'm thinking about all of the students that I have had over the years, kids from all different backgrounds who have hopes, who have dreams, and who understand in the most deep way that knowledge is power. Knowledge is opportunity. Knowledge is their ticket to a better life.
And I know that parents and grandparents across this country, they want their kids and grandkids to do better than they did. How's that going to happen? It's going to happen through education. That's how it's going to happen.
It is a path to a better life. It's a shot at something, a shot at something better.
I don't care if you're in Idaho or Texas or Maryland or Maine. You deserve opportunities for your kids and your grandkids. That's why we're out here today.
Follow the money. As so many of my colleagues have said, follow the money. Who are they taken from and who are they given to?
It is absolutely, absolutely outrageous that they're trying to take money away from our kids to give it to billionaires.
Knowledge is power, and we need to make sure we use our power to protect public education.
Welch Demands Answers from U.S. Trade Representative Nominee on the Impact of Trump Trade War on Vermonters
U.S. Senator Peter Welch on Thursday questioned Jamieson Greer, President Trump’s nominee to be the United States Trade Representative (USTR), at his confirmation hearing. Senator Welch demanded that Mr. Greer answer for the impact of the Trump Trade War on American businesses and consumers and outlined the cost of Trump’s new proposed tariffs for Vermont industries. Tariffs on imports from Canada, and subsequent retaliatory tariffs, could result in higher costs and layoffs for Vermonters.
Watch the exchange between Senator Welch and Jamieson Greer, President Trump’s pick for U.S. Trade Representative.
Read excerpts of their exchange below:
Sen. Welch: My view is that trade policy has failed the average American. We’ve exported jobs in return for importing cheap goods, and it’s hollowed out a lot of communities. It’s something that President Trump did talk about...What role do you see tariffs playing in our trade policy?
Mr. Greer: So, with respect to tariffs and trade policy, we need to create incentives to produce in America, and we need to create incentives to get market access overseas. Our average tariff rate in the United States is 3.5%, which is substantially lower than many markets—
Welch: So, you see tariffs as a tool for market access and for onshoring jobs here?
Greer: Exactly. It can be used as a tool for revenue—
Welch: Wait. That’s a whole new thing. Your job is trade policy, and if what we’re talking about is tariffs for revenue, would you agree with me that that’s a tax? That's raising—the tariffs are ultimately paid by the consumers.
Greer: Taxes, Senator, are an assessment on foreign goods, on the value of foreign goods, made by foreign workers in foreign countries. And then that exporter has to decide—
Welch: I want to stop here a minute. When you’re using your responsibility on trade policy, I get that. But if a tariff is being used essentially as a negotiating tool on a one-off situation— as these recent tariffs on Mexico and Canada were—that’s a tax and it’s beyond trade policy. It’s the president trying to use that power for leverage. Do you think that the proper use of the congressionally extended authority to the president in national emergencies to impose tariffs apply to a national emergency that we have with Canada?
Greer: Yes.
Welch: I don’t.
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Welch: This has a huge impact on Vermont. You know, we do most of our trade with Canada. And we had a roundtable, and I just asked various businesses—we had over 150 businesses on this call. And it was everyone from a large, very successful construction company, PC Construction, to a woman who gets yarn and does weaving, and organic farmers. Every one of these people was just stunned at the implications that these out-of-the-blue threats of tariffs were going to have on their businesses. I mean, don't people deserve a heads up in Vermont before they get whacked with what appears to be a tariff for an individual objective of President Trump?
Greer: So, Senator, the president was very transparent about this for several months that he was contemplating doing this specifically because of the fentanyl and illegal migration issues. And so, I think it is very important for people to understand what might be coming, especially when the president’s going to use his congressionally delegated responsibilities to execute the laws.
Welch: I appreciate you and your candor. But, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member, I do have concern about the delegation, the abuse of the delegation of tariff authority to a President, to be used in national emergencies. To be used in one-off negotiating tactics. And I do believe that’s a tax. And I don't think that any President should be able to unilaterally impose a tax. And one of the things I’m increasingly worried about is the abdication of our own Article I authority, and weakening this branch of government, for any President to totally disregard the people's branch.
On Tuesday, Senator Welch took to the Senate floor to blast the proposed tariffs, which would be a tax on Vermonters. Senator Welch shared stories from Vermonters about how President Trump’s economic policies will impact their family, farm, and community. Watch his speech on the Senate Floor here and read his remarks as delivered here.
Becca Balint Calls Out Dangers of Republican “DEI” Obsession
“Do you believe that people in Los Angeles died because the fire chief is a lesbian?”
“It’s become clear that the phrase DEI is used in place of much more offensive terms to talk about people of color, women and queer people in this country.”
Rep. Becca Balint, a member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust, on Thursday called out the Republican obsession with “DEI”. Immediately following the Los Angeles wildfires in January, Republicans blamed diversity for this tragedy in a committee hearing.
Transcript below:
Balint: The scale of this disaster is really almost impossible to comprehend. We've got 29 people who are dead. We've got 16,000 structures that were destroyed. So many Californians were injured. And while these devastating fires were raging on, Republicans first reaction was to blame the wildfires on DEI.
So I’d like every witness to answer this simple question, yes or no. Do you believe people in Los Angeles died because the fire chief is a lesbian?
Mr. Greenhut: No.
Mr. Ring: No.
Mr. Hilton: No.
Mr. Frievalt: No.
Balint: Great. So glad we established that, but I want to remind everyone that while fire raged through Main Street in the Palisades, Elon Musk said that ‘DEI means people die,’ in reference to the Los Angeles Fire Department's response. And my house colleagues seem to agree.
This here is a tweet from Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene posted on her official social media. It says, ‘How's your DEI mayor of Los Angeles working out for you?’ So it's become crystal clear that the phrase DEI is used in place of much more offensive terms to talk about people of color. You talk about women, queer people in this country. It's sickening and they're literally saying this while people were dying.
So obviously, this has nothing to do with the families who lost everything. It does not do anything for the communities that were destroyed. It's absolutely the wrong way to deal when you have a natural disaster.
I know because the last two summers in Vermont, we've had catastrophic flooding. What people need in this moment is leadership. Americans need us to get the resources that they need out to them immediately. America does not need a president that is hell-bent on dismantling our federal emergency management system or conditioning aid to California to profit off of a community's devastation. All this talk of DEI is a complete and utter distraction from the fact that we need a plan, an actual plan to help the people of California who lost everything.
See video of her remarks here.
Balint calls out Trump's attack on federal workers and civil servants
“The Trump administration is treating our federal workforce as if they are the enemy.”
Rep. Becca Balint spoke on the House floor on Wednesday evening to call out President Trump’s attack on the federal workforce. Vermont is home to 8,000 federal workers. By purging federal workers, President Trump and Elon Musk are trying to create chaos and confusion that will harm Americans.
View the speech here.
Her remarks below:
I'm here today to stand with our federal workers and civil servants and to tell them that we will fight these illegal actions.
The Trump administration is treating our federal workforce as if they are the enemy. These are regular Americans who work important jobs all over the country, not just in D.C. but in all of our districts.
In fact, 85% of the nonpartisan civil servants are spread around the country. Vermont is home to 8,000 of these federal workers. They're part of the 2 million federal workers that operate our national parks.
They're scientists at the FDA. They work at hospitals, at NASA. They protect our national security. In fact, 70% work on behalf of our national security and defense.
And I will tell you, Mr. Speaker, I am deeply concerned that the illegal purge of our civil servants at the Department of Justice and at the FBI will lead to another 9/11 terrorist attack.
And Americans, I ask you, do we really want to put our nation at risk so that billionaires can get a massive tax cut? Follow the money. That's what this is about. Firing our federal workforce to fund tax cuts for billionaires.
Don't keep, don't be fooled by what's happening here. It is about the money. Follow the money.
Our federal workers are civil servants because they're here to serve the people. They are hired on a nonpartisan basis because they keep our country running. They keep us safe.
This, what is happening, is an illegal takeover of our government. Our government.
By locking them out of their jobs, firing them illegally, and bullying them out of a job, Trump and Musk are trying to create chaos and confusion and it will harm Americans. Not just the people who are being fired illegally, but it will harm all of those Americans in our districts who seek services from these workers.
And none of this, none of this is about making our government work better for Americans.
It is a well worn tactic used by authoritarians and dictators like Orban in Hungary and Bolsonaro and Brazil. And they do it to destroy government services so that they create chaos and they create confusion and then we turn against each other.
This administration is using chaos and cruelty to amass power and wealth, but not for us, not for Americans. Only for them.
I yield back.
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