JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Last night, Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) held his first statewide town hall, with thousands of New Jersey residents from across the state dialing into this virtual event. During the event, Senator Kim discussed the recent chaos and resulting impact that Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s actions have caused during the first few weeks of the new Administration, what Senator Kim and other Democrats are doing to stop this overreach and abuse of power, and what that means for the state of New Jersey. 

Senator Kim was joined by special guests Richard Williams, Executive Director of St. Paul’s Community Development Corporation, and Marily Gonzalez, President and CEO of Heightened Independence and Progress Center for Independent Living. Both community leaders represent organizations that will be directly impacted by the massive cuts proposed by the Trump Administration. During the call, they both spoke about how the funding freeze would impact their organizations and the resulting losses to the communities they serve because of it. 

During this town hall, Senator Kim heard from constituents about rooting out corruption in government and what federal funding freezes would mean for the country. In addition, he answered questions about the realities of Trump and Elon’s actions, and what these funding cuts would mean to Veterans programs and families who rely on public programs. He also touched upon what he is trying to do to protect the Department of Education and the importance of securing the border.

Link to full town hall audio can be found HERE 

Highlights of the town hall include: 

On recent funding and department cuts put forward by the Trump Administration:  

“I’ve worked in a number of different departments of [federal] agencies. I’ve seen a lot that I think we can be able to make more efficient, to make more effective, to try to address the needs of the American people and cut back on some of the waste, fraud, abuse, and red tape that’s out there. But this effort that is just wholesale going after huge swaths of our government…these are career public servants that work under both Democrats and Republicans that are just trying to do the work of our nation.” 

“It’s not just about USAID…it’s spreading to other parts of the government. We see that there is a similar type of effort right now when it comes to FEMA and disaster response, when it comes to the Department of Education and the National Institutes of Health, and a lot of other places that are doing important work. And we really can’t have a situation where we’re seeing a dismantling of these institutions just in a matter of days without any type of public discussion about this, especially when these entities, these agencies and departments are codified by federal law, by Congress. It is not a place for the executive branch to be able to dismantle on their own.” 

On government corruption and ways to combat it: 

“…we should have a lot of transparency. And we should be able to give the American people clarity in terms of where resources are going, what actions are happening, and certainly the oversight capacity in Congress is part of that as well. But [proof is key]- some of the allegations that were made about USAID and other agencies and departments were just not true. And we need to make sure that that proof point is out there. And that we are not just looking at the first thing that’s on social media and taking that to be the truth about it.” 

“I mean, look, we have our fair share of [corruption] problems in New Jersey. 84% of people in New Jersey believe that their elected officials are corrupt…And this is a big reason why I stepped up to run for the seat the first place. We absolutely need to take on the corruption and stop it. And so, for instance, probably the most popular piece of legislation I’ve ever introduced in Congress was a piece of legislation that would ban Members of Congress, executive branch officials like the President, the Vice President, the cabinet, as well as Supreme Court justices and federal judges. [The legislation] would ban them from owning and trading individual stocks…to try to make sure that they are focused in on the work of the people. And look, that’s not going to solve all of the problems, but I think that we see the need for that type of action- try to restore a sense of integrity and trust from the American people at a time when it’s at an all-time low.” 

On future cuts to places like the Department of Education:  

“[Secretary of Education nominee Linda McMahon] did confirm she expects that they’re going to do major cuts to personnel, as well as make reassignments to other departments and agencies…But I’ve been meeting with a lot of educators across New Jersey, a lot of school administrators, trying to make sure we’re able to tell the story of what would happen if we see the kind of cuts we are expecting…and certainly we’re trying to offset some of these challenges by, continuing to invest at the state level.” 

To stay up to date with the work Senator Kim is doing for the people of New Jersey, click here to sign up for his office’s newsletter 

Senator Kim works to expand access to opportunity through education as a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP). Kim also sits on the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; and the Special Committee on Aging. Learn more about Senator Kim’s service on behalf of New Jersey here. 

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