Illinois Gov. J.B. Pretzker (d) on Wednesday called for President Trump's efforts to reconstruct and reduce the federal government as a “threat to our democracy.”
“What I'm talking about now, you know, the threat to our democracy, this is not the message to win an election. It's something people need to know.” “They need to know that it's happening.”
But Pretzker emphasized the importance of showing what exactly that means, noting that no one knows what democracy at risk looks like.”
“And the reality is, what people need to hear is what the effect is,” he added. “Grocery stores' prices are rising due to democracy being taken away. The impact on you regarding your healthcare will be that 770,000 people in Illinois will lose their healthcare as a result of what Donald Trump, Elon Musk and the Republican Congress are doing now.”
Since he took office last month, President Trump's administration has moved swiftly to restructure the government through actions such as massive layoffs of government workers. Much of this work is led by the Ministry of Mask and the Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The Republican-led Congress is trying to push Trump's agenda and budget cuts plan. Trump has vowed not to touch Medicaid, but Democrats, including Pretzker, and moderate Republicans, have expressed concern that the cuts could affect health programs.
Democrats are looking for a tougher response to these actions, but they struggle to gather around a unified message.
Trump's longtime critic, Pretzker, trolled the president over recent efforts, including his order to rename the “Gulf of Mexico” as the “Gulf of America.” He was also particularly critical of the president's immigration policy.
Hill reached out to the House Republican Congress, the office of John Tune (Rs.D.), the majority leader of the White House and Senate.
