DeKALB– House Rep. Lauren Underwood said President Donald Trump, Elon Musk and the current administration are attacking the Constitution and the institutions that have made America a beacon to the entire world at a town hall in DeKalb Thursday evening.
The town hall, held at 6 p.m. at DeKalb High School, came one day after Underwood spoke at a protest organized by NIU faculty in support of international students.
Underwood opened her town hall address by vocalizing her dissatisfaction and worry surrounding the Trump administration’s numerous executive orders and institutional cuts.
Cuts made by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) include layoffs to social security offices and the Department of Education.
“None of this is normal,” Underwood said.
In light of widespread funding cuts by what she called “extremist” DOGE, Underwood recognized the uncertainty felt by community organizations such as food pantries and domestic violence shelters.
“These executive orders and actions threaten the health, safety and wellbeing of our communities. Which is why I oppose them so strongly,” she said.
Proponents of the changes made by Trump argue the government had become bloated and was not doing enough to decrease the federal deficit.
Underwood reaffirmed her commitment to ensuring the voices of the district were heard despite the political climate.
In response to rapid changes being made by the Trump administration, a formal task force has been organized and is actively disputing executive orders. Over 190 cases have been filed against the administration’s executive orders and agency actions.
Cases resulting in favor of the task force included a challenge to a blanket federal funding freeze that would have affected critical infrastructure in the 14th District, the signing of an Amicus Brief that proved the unconstitutionality of an executive order that would end birth-right-citizenship and blocking measures to decrease funding to the Department of Education.
Underwood said the Trump administration and DOGE have been insincere about the intention of eliminating waste and fraud within the government. Eliminating waste and fraud is a bi-partisan issue, she said.
Instead, the representative said Trump has allowed Musk to steal from taxpayers in order to generate wealth for high status individuals.
Underwood highlighted employment cuts to veterans assistance programs and Social Security office layoffs that have made these resources more difficult to access by individuals in need.
“No matter how much he wants to be, Donald Trump is not a king, and nobody elected Elon Musk to anything,” Underwood said.
The U.S. House representative opened the town hall to questions from the public in which community members voiced their concerns.
A Northern Illinois University graduate who currently works as a professor shared her concerns over a shift away from “evidence based teaching” and research funded education citing Harvard University’s current legal battle with the Trump administration.
Underwood shared a similar sentiment.
“The FDA is no longer able to put out guidance documents,” she said. “We see the secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert Kennedy, not only expressing vaccine skepticism, but not investing or notifying communities when we have measles outbreaks.”
When asked about how the community and educators could protect international students, Underwood credited universities and schools for having great commitment to their student body.
At NIU there have been five confirmed cases of international student’s visas being revoked. The circumstances of the revocations have not been publicly released.
“We have an administration that is unlawfully detaining, removing and in some cases deporting individuals without due process,” Underwood said.
Underwood urged community members to call Republican representatives to voice concerns and share their personal stories.
“We the people, we have the power,” she said.
Underwood’s town hall in DeKalb came one day after an announcement from Illinois’ senior Senator Richard (Dick) Durbin that he would not run for re-election.
At the town hall, Underwood was asked whether she plans to enter Illinois’ Senate race next year. The state representative declined to comment on whether she will launch a senate campaign.
Underwood is among a crowd of Illinois Democrats including Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, Rep. Robin Kelly and Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton who are expected to run for the Senate seat.
If she announces a Senate campaign, Underwood would be the junior Senator to Senator Tammy Duckworth.
While she declined to confirm a Senate run, Underwood outlined her work with Durbin, the Senate’s No. 2 Democrat.
“We’ve worked together on a lot of great bills and initiatives,” she said.
Underwood said Durbin supported her bill to help decrease maternal deaths and sponsored her bill expanding family and medical leave while protecting job positions.
Underwood and Durbin also passed the Veteran Rapid Retraining Assistance Program Restoration and Recovery Act of 2022 which restored veteran education protections.
Underwood began her congressional career during the first Trump administration and is now in her fourth term as Illinois’ state representative of the 14th District which covers parts of Bureau, DeKalb, Kane, Kendall, LaSalle, Putnam and Will counties .
“I will continue working to bring down the cost of living, create more good jobs, grow the middle class and ensure that federal funding is coming home to our neighborhoods,” Underwood said.
Underwood was re-elected to a fourth term to represent the 14th district in November. When she was first elected in 2018, she was the youngest Black woman to join the U.S. House.
