How We’re Responding to the Trump Administration

Although I had hoped that President Trump would serve on behalf of all Americans and uphold the values of our Constitution, he has so far chosen to implement an agenda of chaos, destruction, and retribution.

His actions are causing enormous panic and pain in people’s lives, and having devastating impacts on our economy, democracy, freedoms, and the most vulnerable in our society.

I am listening closely to the many messages and phone calls I have received from constituents. I know that there is very real fear, anger, frustration, and uncertainty right now. I know people want answers and action, and I am committed to serving as a transparent, reliable, and pragmatic leader for Southwest Ohio, and delivering for you and your family.

This page is updated with what our office is working on to combat the Trump Administration’s dangerous agenda, including media, and legislation, letters, and litigation efforts we’re involved in and supporting.

MEDIA

We’re going everywhere: national and local TV, radio, podcasts, and town halls to take the fight against what the Trump Administration and Elon Musk are doing to the people.

We’re talking about fighting for children, families, working people, seniors, small businesses, and farmers, while they’re fighting to tear apart our government, pass massive tax scams for the uber-wealthy, and abandon our democracy and our allies.

LITIGATION & LEGISLATION

Bills we’ve cosponsored: 16

Letters we’ve sent and signed: 59

Lawsuits filed by partner organizations: 160+

I am working closely with House Democratic leadership to support outside partner organizations in strategically filing lawsuits against the Trump Administration’s illegal and unconstitutional actions.

Although Democrats in Congress are in the minority and don’t have the ability to directly file lawsuits and issue subpoenas, we are actively collecting information and data – including the impacts of the Administration’s actions on constituents, nonprofits, local governments, and federal agencies – and coordinating with our partner organizations on a litigation strategy against the Trump Administration.

You can stay up to date on the status of key lawsuits filed against the Trump Administration’s actions through this tracker from the Washington Post.

COMBATING ELON MUSK AND DOGE

  • Bills cosponsored and letters signed:
    • Taxpayer Data Protection Act (H.R.1101): To stop unauthorized access to the Treasury Department’s payment system by Elon Musk, DOGE, and anyone else with a conflict of interest or without a security clearance.
    • Ending DOGE Conflicts Act (H.R.1321): To require Elon Musk and all government employees to disclose their financial conflicts of interest to the public, and to force Musk to stop all work with DOGE until his conflicts of interest are resolved.
    • Nobody Elected Elon Musk Act (H.R.1145): To require that Elon Musk and anyone involved with DOGE be liable for claims filed against the federal government because of DOGE’s illegal actions – ensuring that American taxpayers are not responsible for paying for the damage, pain and chaos that DOGE is creating.
    • CLEAR Act (H.R.1099): To require DOGE and all federally established entities to comply with the Freedom of Information Act and to prevent any presidential administration from creating secretive government entities that escape public scrutiny.
    • Protecting Americans’ Social Security Data Act (H.R.1877): To prohibit political appointees or special government officials like Elon Musk from accessing Social Security beneficiary data systems.
    • Hatch Act Enforcement Transparency and Accountability Act (H.R.1688): To hold political appointees accountable for violations that threaten the integrity of our government, strengthen guardrails against partisan influence in federal agencies, and ensure transparency in the U.S. Office of Special Counsel’s enforcement of the Hatch Act.
    • Amendment to the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act (H.R.1968): To reinforce the Congress’ constitutional power to authorize and appropriate funds, and affirm that the President acknowledges and will respect this authority and will fully use funds as directed by Congress.
    • Letter to the Secretary of the Treasury Department opposing Elon Musk and DOGE gaining access to the Department’s data and payment system.
    • Letter to the Secretary of the Labor Department opposing Elon Musk and DOGE gaining access to the Department’s internal systems and data.

COMBATING ATTACKS ON FEDERAL AGENCIES AND PROGRAMS

  • Bills cosponsored and letters signed:
    • Keeping Our Field Offices Open Act (H.R.1876): To prevent the closure of Social Security field and hearing offices.
    • Department of Education Protection Act (H.R.433): To prevent the Department of Education from being dismantled or defunded, and to reinforce the fact that the Department is an independent agency and any changes to its structure must be authorized by Congress.
    • Resolution supporting public education (H.Res.94): To express support for local K-12 public schools and condemn all attempts – whether through legislation or executive action –  to defund, weaken, or dismantle public education and the Department of Education.
    • Bipartisan Resolution Opposing the Privatization of the United States Postal Service (H.Res.70): To express support for the USPS to remain an independent establishment and not be subject to privatization.
    • Letter to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Secretary of Health and Human Services condemning OMB’s memo on the federal funding freeze and demanding information about the impacts on public health.
    • Letter to the Office of Management and Budget and the Treasury Department condemning efforts to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
    • Letter to the Secretary of State condemning the Trump Administration’s attempts to shut down USAID as an independent agency.
    • Letter to the Secretary of State expressing concern about the impact of the foreign aid funding freeze on global health programs, especially the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and demanding that essential HIV services resume uninterrupted.
    • Letter to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget calling for the immediate restoration of public access to federal datasets and data-driven tools which have been taken offline by the Administration.
    • Letter to the Federal Highway Administration opposing the rescission of National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program guidance.
    • Letter to the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) condemning the Trump Administration and DOGE’s attacks on HUD and requesting information regarding staff terminations, stop-work orders, funding cancellations, and the role of private corporations in the work of DOGE.
    • Letter to the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development urging the agency to ensure that it will finish processing FY2024 homelessness funds already appropriated by Congress and comply with the two-year Continuum of Care funding cycle.
    • Letter to the Acting Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA) demanding that the SSA immediately stop plans to gut the SSA workforce and close field offices, and highlighting the impact that these cuts will have on 70 million Social Security beneficiaries.
    • Letter to the Comptroller General of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) urging the GAO to develop a public database to track the status of funds that have been appropriated and are owed to American communities through the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
    • Letter to President Trump expressing grave concerns over his proposal to fire the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) Board of Governors and merge USPS into the Department of Commerce, and urging the President to reverse course on any potential action to interfere with the USPS.
    • Letter to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) demanding clarification and expressing concern over potential budget and staff cuts at the EPA, and urging the Administration to allow the EPA to continue its important work of protecting public health and the environment.
    • Letter to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture expressing profound concerns about the recent cancellations of the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program and Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program, which provide funding to purchase locally produced food from farmers and distribute the food to feeding organizations, schools, and child care facilities.
    • Letter to the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) expressing concern over plans to terminate half of all HUD employees and the impact on HUD’s ability to carry out its obligation to enforce our country’s fair housing and civil rights laws, and demanding transparency and oversight to ensure that HUD carries out its responsibilities.
    • Letter to the Acting Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA) expressing alarm over reports that the SSA is considering eliminating phone services, and emphasizing the impact cutting this service would have on the millions of Americans – especially seniors and people with disabilities – who rely on SSA phone services to receive their benefits.
    • Letter to President Trump demanding that he immediately reverse his decision to dismiss two Commissioners from the bipartisan U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and calling attention to this unlawful use of presidential power which undermines the EEOC’s independence, politicizes its work, and impedes the EEOC’s ability to do its important job on behalf of  U.S. workers.
    • Letter to President Trump urging him to immediately reverse plans to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and outlining the devastating impact that eliminating IMLS would have on communities across the country, especially rural and underserved communities.
    • Led a letter to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) demanding the immediate reversal of plans to cut EPA offices, programs and employees – specifically within the EPA’s Office of Research and Development – and requesting an explanation of how the EPA plans to fulfill its mission to protect public health and the economy.
    • Letter to the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) expressing deep concern over the staffing reductions and proposed closures at HUD Regional and Field Offices in Ohio, demanding the immediate reversal of these harmful actions, and requesting full transparency regarding this decision.
    • Led a letter to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) expressing concern about the freeze on funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for the Clean School Bus Program, and the negative impact on school districts in Ohio’s First Congressional District, most notably, Cincinnati Public Schools.
    • Letter to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) expressing opposition to the USDA’s suspension of at least $500 million in the Emergency Food Assistance Program funding, which helps food banks purchase food directly from farmers, and requesting answers about how the USDA plans to limit the impact on families and farmers especially during a time of high inflation and economic uncertainty
    • Letter to the Secretary of the Treasury Department expressing concern about the Department’s plan to reduce the Internal Revenue Service workforce and the effects that this decision will have on taxpayer services, tax compliance and enforcement, and revenues.
    • Letter to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) calling out his complete disregard of the EPA’s central mission – to protect human health and the environment – and demanding that he immediately stop his attacks on the environment,  public health, and well-being of Americans, and fulfill his obligations as EPA Administrator.

COMBATING ATTACKS ON FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

  • Bills cosponsored and letters sent and signed:
    • Veteran Retention and Reporting Act (H.R.1637): To allow for the reinstatement of any veteran who was removed or dismissed from federal employment without cause since President Trump took office on January 20, 2025. The bill would also require new reporting requirements to Congress of any veterans who have been removed from federal positions and the justification for such removal going forward.
    • MERIT Act (H.R.1835): To require federal employees who have been fired as part of the Trump Administration’s purge on the federal workforce to be reinstated immediately with back pay.
    • Protect Our Probationary Employees Act (H.R.1989): To allow probationary federal employees who have been fired to resume their probationary or trial periods from where they left off without having to start from the beginning.
    • Letter to twenty-four federal agencies demanding that they provide clear guidance stating that federal employees are not obligated to respond to the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) email requesting that every federal employee provide five bullets on what they accomplished the previous week, and demands that such guidance make clear that nonresponse to said email cannot constitute resignation, despite Elon Musk’s claim on his X account.
    • Letter to the Acting Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) requesting information on the OPM’s deferred resignation offer and expressing grave concerns about the impacts on essential government services across the country.
    • Letter to President Trump urging him to reverse his decision to fire National Labor Relations Board Member Gwynne Wilcox and expressing concern over the impact this decision will have on working people.
    • Letter to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) condemning the administration’s decision to terminate over 1,000 VA employees.
    • Letter to the Secretary of the Interior opposing the administration’s cuts to the National Parks Service workforce and demanding that seasonal employees be immediately reinstated.
    • Letter to the Acting Commissioner of the IRS condemning the Trump Administration’s decision to lay off almost 7,000 IRS employees, and requesting information on the number of employees who have been terminated and how the agency plans to handle the significant workload during tax season.
    • Letter to President Trump, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services expressing concern about the Administration’s attacks on the federal workforce and the impacts on Indian Country, and urging the  Administration to immediately end and reverse any federal workforce or federal funding reductions for Tribal programs and services.
    • Letter to the Acting Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) raising alarm about the Trump Administration’s mass firings of probationary federal employees and the impact on veterans and military spouses, and urging OPM to implement protections for these employees during future workforce reductions.
    • Letter to Acting Director of the Office of Personnel Management expressing strong opposition to the Trump Administration’s efforts to purge nonpartisan civil servants – specifically the recent unlawful mass firings of probationary-status employees – and demanding that the Administration immediately reinstate these employees.
    • Sent a letter to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Labor Relations Office requesting information about the Title 42 employees at the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health within the CDC – specifically related to the critical public health roles they fulfill – and highlighting the impact that reducing the Title 42 program would have on public health.
    • Letter to the Deputy Postmaster General Calling for the immediate reversal of plans to cut 10,000 workers from the United States Postal Service (USPS) and expressing opposition to DOGE’s reckless policies and involvement in USPS.
    • Letter to the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) urging HUD to maintain its existing field offices with adequate staffing levels, and demanding the full and immediate reinstatement of HUD employees who have been illegally fired.
    • Letter to President Trump demanding that he immediately rescind his executive order stripping the right to unionize and collectively bargain from 1.5 million federal workers — 75 percent of the federal workforce – and highlighting the negative impact this action will have on federal workers and the services they provide.

COMBATING ATTACKS ON HEALTHCARE

  • Letters signed:
    • Letter to the Acting Director of the National Institute of Health (NIH) demanding that the NIH reverse its decision to cut reimbursement rates for indirect research costs.
    • Letter to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) from Democrats on the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Health raising priorities – including reproductive freedom, gender affirming care, and the NIH – and opposing unauthorized access to HHS information and systems.
    • Letter to Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget and the Acting Secretary of Health and Human Services expressing concern about and demanding clarification on President Trump’s Executive Order to rescind  Biden’s Executive Order “Lowering Prescription Drug Costs for Americans.”
    • Letter to the Speaker of the House urging him to reject any cuts to the critical programs that Americans rely on, including Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
    • Letter to the Acting Administrator and Chief of Staff of the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services expressing opposition to the Trump Administration’s decision to cut $90 million dollars from the Affordable Care Act Navigator Program – which amounts to a 90% budget cut – and calling attention to the impact on hardworking families.
    • Letter to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) opposing DOGE’s reckless and dangerous decision to fire staff at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and demanding that these actions be reversed immediately.
    • Letter to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) expressing concern about the recent announcement that the Trump Administration is planning to shut down six regional offices in the HHS Office of General Counsel, and emphasizing the impact that this decision would have on HHS’s ability to promote public health and effectively use American taxpayer dollars.
    • Letter to President Trump urging his Administration to reconsider any plans to eliminate or dismantle the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of HIV Prevention, which would put infants at increased risk of being born with HIV, threaten public health and lead to unnecessary deaths, and cost the federal government and taxpayers billions of dollars.
    • Letter to the Secretary of Health and Human Services Urging the Administration to reverse its decision to abruptly cancel over $11 billion in Center for Disease Control funding  and $1 billion from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 
    • Letter to the Secretary of Health and Human Services calling for the immediate reversal of the Agency’s decision to cut $11.4 billion in funding from the Center for Disease Control and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration without approval from Congress, and highlighting the detrimental impact this decision will have on public health.
    • Letter to the Secretary of Health and Human Services demanding the restoration of all appropriated funds for the Title X program (Title X) – the country’s only federal program dedicated to family planning – and highlighting the impact this decision will have on access to quality, affordable healthcare for millions of people.

COMBATING ATTACKS ON EQUALITY

  • Bills cosponsored and letters signed:
    • H.R.989: To codify President Lyndon Johnson’s “Equal Employment Opportunity” executive order.
    • Letter to the Secretary of State calling for an immediate reversal of the State Department’s policy preventing transgender, non-binary, and intersex Americans from renewing or updating their passports, and to restart the processing of passports.
    • Letter to the Secretary of Defense demanding that the administration reverse its executive order banning transgender people from serving in the military.
    • Letter to President Trump urging him to reverse his executive order banning gender affirming care to transgender people under the age of eighteen.
    • Letter to the Acting Secretary of the Department of Education and the Acting Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) demanding that OCR repeal their February 14th Dear Colleague letter, which threatens to stop federal funding for preschools, K-12 schools, higher education institutions, and state educational agencies if they do not get rid of DEI programs and activities.
    • Letter to the Secretary of the Veterans Administration (VA) demanding that the VA immediately reverse its decision to rescind the Veterans Health Administration directive, “Providing Health Care for Transgender and Intersex Veterans,” – which provided healthcare for transgender veterans and required VA providers to use the preferred names and pronouns of transgender patients – and requesting answers to a series of questions to increase congressional oversight over the VA’s anti-trans actions.

COMBATING RISING PRICES

  • Bills cosponsored and letters signed:
    • Prevent Tariff Abuse Act (H.R.407): To prevent the president from imposing import tariffs under the guise of a national emergency without approval from Congress.
    • Letter to President Trump urging him to reverse his executive order imposing tariffs against Canada.

ADDITIONAL

  • Bills cosponsored and letters sent and signed:
    • H.Res.116: Resolution condemning the pardons of the violent January 6th defendants, including those convicted of assaulting our law enforcement officers.
    • Letter to the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee from the Congressional Dads Caucus expressing serious concern with the upcoming budget reconciliation bill and the Republicans’ tax giveaway to the uber-wealthy, and calling on Chairman Smith to instead work with the Dads Caucus to pass legislation that helps working families instead.
    • Letter to the Secretary of State opposing the appointment of  Darren Beattie as Acting Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs at the State Department and demanding his immediate removal due to his history of extremism, white nationalism, and pro-Chinese Community Party views.
    • Led a letter to the Secretary of State and Secretary of the Treasury Department calling attention to the State Department’s suspension of the database that supports the Ukrainian government in rescuing abducted Ukrainian children, and urging them to expand sanctions against Russians and Belarusians involved in the systematic abduction, repatriation, and forced adoption of Ukrainian children by Russian families.
    • Letter to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and Secretary of the Interior calling for the immediate and full renewal of the federal contract that currently provides legal representation to over more than 26,000 unaccompanied children across the U.S, protecting children from mistreatment, exploitation, and trafficking.