Statement From VDP Chair David Glidden and Vice Chair Amanda Gustin On Vicious, Illegal Gop Overreach

The Vermont Democratic Party condemns in the strongest possible terms the most recent reckless, destabilizing action by the Trump administration.

Freezing federal grants, appropriations, and loans will directly harm Vermonters in every walk of life and every county of our state.

Communities, organizations, and families have all woken up to a world in which Trump has taken another huge leap toward authoritarianism with this unconstitutional order that threatens the basic necessities of life.

• Families struggling to put food on the table and depending on food payments like SNAP and support from food pantries and foodbanks will be hungry
• Seniors whose fixed incomes do not stretch to record high fuel costs will grow cold as supplemental fuel assistance payments through the LIHEAP program are halted
• Flood-ravaged towns working on buyout programs, rebuilding after catastrophic damage, 
• Parents who depend on Head Start programs to care for and educate their children will run out of options for quality support
• Low income renters desperately trying to keep a roof over their heads will lose the money that helped them make up the gap between income and rent
• Small businesses depending on low-interest SBA loans to grow, expand, and make a difference in their communities will lose cash flow and struggle to make payroll
• Workers across the state will put down their tools and cease to make federally-funded improvements in our roads, highways, and bridges

We know this order is unconstitutional and illegal. We know that Vermont’s Democratic representatives in Congress will fight for Vermonters at every step. We are here to support them in resisting the cruel authoritarianism of the Trump administration.