U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin is concerned about the long-term impacts of federal cuts to agencies and funding coming out of the Trump administration and the Elon Musk-helmed Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
“It’s going to have an impact on the economy. People losing their jobs, it’s going to have an impact on communities,” the Illinois Democrat said last week, standing outside of a Peoria United States Department of Agriculture [USDA] facility impacted by layoffs. “Some of the research here, the researchers came to this town believing that this job had a great future for them. Now, many are being tempted with the possibility of leaving.”
The purpose of DOGE, according to the executive order establishing the team, is to “maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.” Trump administration officials say the targets of the department’s changes are waste and fraud.
Durbin is concerned the widespread layoffs of federal employees and slashed contracts go beyond those goals.
“I want to root out waste and fraud and inefficiency,” he said. “But what’s happening [at the Peoria National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research], for example, where they terminate people and announce that they have poor job performance, is just fundamentally wrong and unfair.”
Durbin says his objections to cuts expand beyond federal research. He’s also critical of the Trump administration's plans to limit the power of, if not fully dismantle, the U.S. Department of Education. Durbin sees only two possible outcomes.
“You’re either going to have more kids in the classroom being taught by one teacher,” he said. “And secondly, you may end up with higher property taxes as local property taxpayers try to make up the difference.”
Some changes also have a direct effect on Durbin’s home state.
Last week, the USDA announced the end of reimbursements for costs incurred after Jan. 19 by programs that purchase food from local farmers and distribute it through food banks. In Illinois, the program is facilitated by the University of Illinois Extension as IL-EATS and works with more than 170 farmers.
“I think there’s the thing where you’ve got to look beyond the immediate impact at the long-term impact of changing food policy,” said Durbin. “We’re trying to make sure that we have affordable food for every family in America. I was not surprised the president didn’t even mention this in his State of the Union address. It was supposed to be the highest priority. It didn’t come up.”
Tariffs on American trading partners is a Trump administration policy outside of federal agencies that Durbin expects to put stress on Americans.
“I do know putting a tax on imports means that consumers in America will have to pay more for things as basic as lumber to build their homes. That’s just the reality,” he said. “So the president said these are almost painless. He’s wrong.”
Durbin says he doesn’t have specifics on plans from Democratic lawmakers to support the federal agencies losing funding and staff. He said various court cases challenging the changes need to resolve before the party can solidify its next steps.
