100 Days and 100 Ways: How Trump and Republicans are Hurting Illinois
In only 100 days, the Trump Administration threatens centuries of progress
April 29, 2025
CHICAGO- As the Trump Administration reaches its first 100 days in office, the State of Illinois is outlining 100 ways that Republicans in Washington keep overreaching into the states and harming the people of Illinois. Their radical, extreme, and cruel actions are raising costs for working families while chipping away at our Constitutional rights.
“The entire start of this administration has been no help and all hurt. As Donald Trump works to give his wealthy Republican friends a tax cut, working families are footing the bill at grocery stores, farmers are facing taxes on their goods, and seniors are struggling to access the Social Security benefits they earned,” said Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. “As attacks on our Constitutional rights and on our economy continue, I will keep standing up for Illinois. My administration will focus on improving affordability, growing our economy, and keeping the Land of Lincoln a beacon of freedom and fairness.”
ABUSING TAXPAYER DOLLARS
- 1. Illegally withholding approximately $2 billion in federal funding owed to the people of Illinois.
RAISING COSTS FOR FAMILIES
- 2. Trump’s Tax on Working Families (aka tariffs) continues to cause significant uncertainty for Illinois families, putting retirement accounts in flux, raising costs, and disrupting the supply chain.
- 3. Launching a trade war with Illinois’ largest trading partners, including Mexico and Canada, which will raise prices for Illinois’ consumers.
- 4. Illinois households can expect to pay $2,000 to $3,000 more each year with Trump’s tariffs.
- 5. Prominent Illinois economist’s research finds that “Tariffs would have an outsized impact on Illinois.”
- 6. Current tariffs could lead to as many as 15,000 job losses in Chicago
- 7. Raising the anticipated cost of building housing in Chicago by an average of 1.5%.
- 8. Ushered in the worst stock market performance since Nixon.
- 9. Moved to effectively shutter the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which enforces consumer protections such as caps on overdraft and credit card fees.
TAKING AWAY HEALTHCARE
- 10. Attacks on the Affordable Care Act and state marketplaces threaten to eliminate enrollment options for low-income families and make coverage less accessible for Illinoisans.
- 11. Threatened Medicaid coverage for 3.4 million Illinoisans, including 1 million children.
- 12. Threats to Medicaid put intellectual and developmental disability services and organizations that Illinoisans rely on at risk.
- 13. Cuts to the Department of Human Services and the National Institute of Health put life-saving medical care and research at risk for Illinoisans.
- 14. Cuts to fertility and maternal health programs threaten to exacerbate reproductive health disparities.
- 15. Mass layoffs and shutdowns at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services gut the support that state and local departments rely on to keep Illinoisans safe and healthy.
- 16. Rescinded $125 million in pledged federal funding from the Illinois Department of Public Health’s programs that protect Illinoisans from infectious disease outbreaks.
- 17. Terminated $28 million in federal funding for mental health and substance abuse services that provides critical support to 77 Illinois community organizations.
- 18. Blocked an additional $324 million in future federal support intended for Illinois' public health infrastructure. This funding was earmarked for enhancing vaccination programs, wastewater surveillance, and emergency preparedness initiatives. The rescission hampers the state's ability to respond effectively to public health crises.
- 19. Shuttered the Chicago Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) regional office, which served Illinois and 5 other states.
- 20. Slashed funding for Title X family planning programs, limiting access to contraceptive services, cancer screenings, and preventative care for thousands of low-income Illinoisans.
- 21. Erased funding for cancer research and related data collection.
HARMING FARMERS AND THE AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY
- 22. Tariffs and escalating trade war has one Illinois farmer saying it’s the 'Most pessimistic I've ever been'.
- 23. Ended the Local Food Assistance Program and Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program that Illinois farmers and foodbanks rely on.
- 24. Cut USDA Energy Saving Programs for farmers which leave construction projects on the hook for project costs.
- 25. Trump nearly forced closure of the University of Illinois’ globally recognized National Soybean Research Laboratory that created opportunities for Illinois farmers.
- 26. Tariffs are hurting sales and raising costs of critical supplies like machinery and fertilizer for Illinois farmers.
- 27. Halting the purchase of crops from Illinois farmers that was used for USAID foreign aid.
- 28. Causing chaos for Illinois farmers with uncertainty around the Farm Bill.
HALTING INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS
- 29. Blocked Illinois from accessing $826.4 million in federal infrastructure funds allocated by Congress.
- 30. Halting progress on the Brandon Road infrastructure project designed to stop the flow of Asian Karp.
- 31. Canceling the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program from FEMA, which invested in infrastructure to mitigate the risk of damage from floods and other natural disasters.
GUTTING EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS AND FAMILIES
- 32. Dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, threatening funding for Illinois communities.
- 33. Causing extreme uncertainty for Illinois’ student loan borrowers.
- 34. Disrupting financial aid and support for student borrowers.
- 35. Trump’s budget cuts threaten Pell Grants for low-income students.
- 36. Threatening support for special education students by transitioning it to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
- 37. Exercising extreme government overreach by threatening to pull federal educational funding from universities.
- 38. Threatening to withhold Title I funding that supports low-income students in Illinois schools.
- 39. Halting investigations on student loan issues and firing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) student loan ombudsman.
- 40. Paused and threatened long-term funding for Head Start, forcing some Illinois programs to conduct layoffs.
- 41. Terminated a $26.3 million contract with the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) that would have enabled school districts to purchase high-quality, locally-grown, fresh food from Illinois farmers to use in meals and snacks.
- 42. Froze $790 million in research funding from Northwestern University.
- 43. Reduced indirect cost reimbursement rates for research institutions, impacting Illinois universities and medical centers. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) lowered the reimbursement rate from an average of 27%-28% to 15%, leading to potential layoffs, research disruptions, and lab closures
- 44. Revoked visas of international students studying at universities across Illinois.
- 45. Cut federal funding for libraries and museums.
- 46. Abruptly canceling extensions for grant funding provided to school districts during the pandemic, with billions in funds outstanding nationally.
- 47. Terminated K-12 teacher preparation pipeline grants that are essential to combating the state’s teacher shortage
KILLING CLEAN ENERGY JOBS
- 48. Cutting funds for National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program which pays for EV charging ports.
- 49. Threatened Illinois clean energy jobs after the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved a plan that gives fossil fuel plants preference over clean energy.
- 50. Threatened Illinois climate protections by an Executive Order directing the DOJ to stop the enforcement of state laws on climate change.
- 51. Halting funds to the Illinois Climate Bank, which provides grants and funding for clean energy projects in Illinois.
- 52. Rolled back federal EV investments and initiatives that helped promote EV adoption in Illinois and throughout the country.
ATTACKING CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS
- 53. Eroding the Constitution by wrongly deporting someone legally residing in the U.S. to El Salvador and refusing to bring that individual back despite a Supreme Court ruling.
- 54. Banned qualified Americans who are transgender from enlisting or serving in the military, including the Illinois National Guard.
- 55. Attacked voters’ rights by signing an Executive Order that creates barriers to voting and disenfranchises millions of voters.
- 56. Arrested a sitting judge in Wisconsin as part of Trump’s latest attacks on the Rule of Law.
- 57. Proposed cuts to public broadcasting, representing an attack on the free press and defying longstanding support for these institutions.
- 58. Deporting U.S. citizens.
HURTING SMALL BUSINESSES
- 59. Shut down Chicago’s Small Business Administration (SBA) location.
- 60. Tariffs causing uncertainty among small businesses across the state from Chicago, to Springfield, and beyond.
- 61. Slashed funding and personnel for critical small business support programs that provide capital, technical support and lift up minority-owned businesses.
- 62. Threatened funding for Manufacturing Extension Partnerships nationwide, such as the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center, which provide essential services to small- and medium-sized manufacturers.
- 63. Tariff-driven uncertainty is holding back a Chicago-based family business from creating and retaining jobs.
- 64. Fees for imported goods are nearly ten times higher for a local independent shop in Chicago.
- 65. Gutted the Minority Business Development Agency, the only federal agency focused solely on the growth of minority-owned businesses.
BETRAYING VETERANS, SENIORS, AND VULNERABLE ILLINOISANS
- 66. Forcing layoffs at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, impacting services for Illinois veterans.
- 67. Cut 1,000 AmeriCorps employees in Illinois, an organization that served through 30 grantees and more than $11 million annually that has sent volunteers across the country to help fellow Americans build homes, recover from disaster, and more.
- 68. Shutting down Social Security Administration locations and cutting support positions, making it harder for vulnerable Illinoisans to access needed benefits.
- 69. Laid off the entire staff for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a program which helps over 300,000 low-income households in Illinois each year with heating and cooling bills.
- 70. Rolled back federal nursing home regulations, putting thousands of Illinois seniors at greater risk of neglect and unsafe conditions in long-term care facilities.
- 71. Imposing new rules for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that will limit access to crucial benefits.
- 72. Ended federal support for refugee and asylee health programs, reducing access to essential health services for newly arrived vulnerable populations in Illinois communities.
- 73. Weakened non-discrimination protections under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, threatening the ability of LGBTQ+ Illinoisans to access health care without fear of discrimination.
- 74. Threatened Meals on Wheels, which provides home delivered nutrition to isolated seniors.
UNDERMINING PUBLIC SAFETY
- 75. Stopped providing K-9s to the Office of the State Fire Marshal, challenging state law on public safety signed by a Republican governor.
- 76. Department of Justice terminated $811 million in grants nationwide for community violence intervention programs, including those that support victims of hate crimes, child abuse, school violence and more in Illinois.
- 77. Gutting the National Weather Service, putting Illinoisans at risk during severe weather events.
TARGETING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
- 78. Gutted protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by limiting the ability of individuals to sue public entities for disability discrimination, making it harder for Illinoisans with disabilities to assert their rights.
- 79. Proposed drastic cuts to Medicaid Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS) that help nearly 80,000 Illinois residents with disabilities live independently rather than being forced into costly institutions.
- 80. Threatened elimination of federal funding for Special Education programs (IDEA grants) that assist more than 250,000 students with disabilities across Illinois.
- 81. Slashed funding for vocational rehabilitation programs, jeopardizing job training and employment support services that help Illinoisans with disabilities enter and stay in the workforce.
- 82. Rescinding federal funding intended for Centers for Independent Living (CILs), which cover all 102 counties of Illinois through 22 Centers and provide critical peer support, advocacy, and skills training.
- 83. Delayed enforcement of web accessibility standards, making it harder for Illinois residents with disabilities to access public websites and vital government services.
- 84. Halted grants supporting autism research and services, affecting families across Illinois who depend on early intervention and community-based programs.
- 85. Proposed to disrupt Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) work requirements, risking benefits for thousands of vulnerable Illinoisans.
- 86. Pursuing massive cuts to State Councils on Developmental Disabilities, including the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities.
RAISING HOUSING COSTS AND DESTABILIZING COMMUNITIES
- 87. Proposed gutting of HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher program, risking eviction for tens of thousands of low-income Illinois families who rely on rental assistance.
- 88. Eliminated federal funding for new affordable housing construction, derailing efforts to address homelessness and housing shortages in Illinois cities including Chicago, Kankakee, Joliet, and East St. Louis.
- 89. Proposed reducing funding by 30% for public housing capital repairs, forcing Illinois housing authorities to defer vital upgrades to aging, unsafe housing stock.
- 90. Substantially weakened HUD’s regional office in Chicago, firing longstanding, high performing civil servants en masse.
ATTACKING CHILDREN'S HEALTH AND SAFETY
- 91. Attempted to slash the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) funding by billions, jeopardizing health care coverage for over 325,000 Illinois kids.
- 92. Proposed cutting nearly 40% of funding for child abuse prevention programs, which support critical services for abused and neglected children across Illinois.
- 93. Eliminated grants and fired staff working to prevent childhood lead poisoning prevention, endangering the health of thousands of Illinois children in older homes with lead-based paint.
- 94. Blocked previously-approved federal funds intended to replace contaminated drinking water infrastructure in Illinois schools and childcare centers.
- 95. Proposed ending the Preschool Development Grants, undermining Illinois' efforts to expand access to high-quality early childhood education.
STRIPPING SUPPORT FROM AT-RISK YOUTH
- 96. Proposed eliminating all federal funding for afterschool and summer learning programs, including programs that serve low-income youth in Illinois communities.
- 97. Cut funding for McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance programs, risking educational instability for thousands of Illinois students experiencing homelessness.
- 98. Targeted the staff supporting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), leaving Illinois children at greater risk of food insecurity.
- 99. Eliminated Serve Illinois programs that place mentors and tutors in Illinois schools to help students who have fallen behind in reading and math.
- 100. Seeking to end funding for youth violence prevention grants that help Illinois cities combat gun violence and provide alternatives for at-risk youth.
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