Scientists expect major ‘medical breakthroughs’ despite Trump’s cap on NIH research funding
The Trump administration’s decision to slash overhead costs linked to federally funded research has sparked an immense backlash. But some doctors are praising the move, suggesting it will help “optimize” how taxpayer dollars are used when it comes to scientific research. A new rule from the Trump administration that went into effect Monday, capped facilities and administrative costs, also known as “indirect costs,” at 15% for federally funded research grants provided by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). When a grant is awarded to a scientist by the NIH, an additional percentage, on top of the allocated research funding, goes to the facility housing their work to cover these “indirect costs.” According to an announcement about the new funding cap from the Trump administration, that percentage has historically been around 27% to 28% for each grant. But in some cases, negotiated rates can be as high as 70 to 90%, according to doctors who spoke with Fox News Digital. UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR HAILS THAT SCIENCE ‘THRIVED’ UNDER HITLER IN ATTACK ON TRUMP’S NIH CUTS “If that money is cut to 15%, what that means is there’s actually going to be more grants given out to do science. You get more money back to the NIH to give out more science,” said Dr. Vinay Prasad, a hematologist-oncologist and professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco. “It’s about time,” said Dr. Erika Schwartz, the founder of Evolved Science, which is a concierge medical practice in New York City with more than 1,500 active patients. “While infrastructure support is necessary, there’s room for more efficient cost management. A reformed funding model could redirect more resources to direct research activities while maintaining essential support services. This could potentially increase the number of funded research projects and accelerate medical breakthroughs, ultimately benefiting patients more directly.” HHS WILL REEVALUATE PROGRAMS, REGULATIONS TO ENSURE TAXPAYER FUNDS ARE NOT PAYING FOR ELECTIVE ABORTIONS Prasad posited that universities and research institutions have negotiated “sweetheart deals” that allow them to rake in funds that sometimes aren’t even necessary to the research at hand. To demonstrate his point, he explained the numbers for a research institution that has negotiated a 57% rate for indirect costs: “Let’s say I get $100,000 [for a research project] and I need a laboratory… I get $100,000, and then they still get the $57,000 to the university that goes to the administrators, and presumably the fact that I have a lab bench, and the lights, etc. But now let’s say I do the same $100,000 project, but my project is we’re going to analyze genomic sequences from an online repository. So, I just have a laptop… but they still get the $57,000 even though there’s literally no space being given to this person. There’s no bench, there’s no desk, there’s nothing.” Prasad added that another “fundamental problem” with these negotiated rates is that the money is not formally budgeted, so “the American people don’t know where that money is going.” DOGE CANCELS FUNDING FOR FAUCI MUSEUM EXHIBIT “A famous researcher once said to me, an NIH dollar is more valuable than any other dollar because they can use it for whatever purpose they want. Although, nominally, they’re supposed to use it to keep the lights on and, you know, make the buildings run, but that’s not always the case,” he said. David Whelan, a former healthcare writer for Forbes who has spent time working in hospitals and now works in the healthcare consulting space, echoed this concern in a post on X that claimed universities have used indirect research grant payments “to pocket money.” “Indirects are just ways for wealthy academic hospitals to pocket money that their investigators won and then create slush for those who are incapable of getting funded on their own,” Whelan wrote. “It’s a huge grift and great place for cuts.” ‘LOST ALL CRTEDIBILITY’: NONPROFIT CEO DELIVERS DEMAND TO TRUMP HHS AMID ‘FAILED’ HUMAN TRAFFICKING HOTLINE The Trump administration’s cap on indirect funding associated with NIH research grants was immediately challenged in court with lawsuits from 22 Democratic state attorneys general and a cohort of universities, which argued the move will “devastate critical public health research at universities and research institutions in the United States.” “Once again, President Trump and Elon Musk are acting in direct violation of the law. In this case, they are causing irreparable damage to ongoing research to develop cures and treatments for cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, ALS, Diabetes, Mental Health disorders, opioid abuse, genetic diseases, rare diseases, and other diseases and conditions affecting American families,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., ranking member on the House Appropriations Committee. “The Trump Administration is attempting to steal critical funds promised to scientific research institutions funded by the NIH, despite an explicit legal prohibition against this action.” In response to the lawsuit from Democratic state attorneys general, a federal judge imposed a temporary restraining order prohibiting NIH agencies from taking any steps to implement, apply or enforce the new rule. The judge’s order also required Trump administration agencies that are impacted by the new rule to file reports within 24 hours to confirm the steps they are taking to comply with the ruling. Meanwhile, an in-person hearing date on the matter has been scheduled for Feb. 21.
US trade partners criticise Trump for 25-percent steel, aluminium tariffs
Allies like Canada called the tariffs ‘unacceptable’, arguing they weaken economic integration and hurt economies. Several of the United States’ main trading partners have condemned President Donald Trump’s decision to hike tariff rates on all steel and aluminium imports starting next month. Leaders from Mexico, Canada and the European Union on Tuesday described the move as reckless and counterproductive, warning that they would respond with their own measures in kind. “I deeply regret the US decision to impose tariffs on European steel and aluminum exports,” Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, reaffirmed in a social media post. “The EU will act to safeguard its economic interests.” The EU had already called the tariffs “unjustified” and warned they will “trigger firm and proportionate countermeasures”. The reactions come a day after Trump signed an executive order announcing the 25-percent tariffs as a “means of reducing imports” and “encouraging investment and expansion of production by domestic steel producers”. Trump also framed the issue as a question of national security. Advertisement “It’s 25 percent without exceptions or exemptions,” Trump told reporters. “That’s all countries, no matter where it comes from. All countries.” The tariffs will take effect on March 12 and impact millions of tonnes of imports from countries such as Canada, Brazil, Mexico and South Korea that had previously entered the US largely free of import duties. For much of his political career, Trump has railed against the effects of free trade, portraying agreements with foreign countries as “bad deals” that take advantage of the US. “We were being pummelled by both friend and foe alike,” Trump said as he signed the orders on Monday. “It’s time for our great industries to come back to America.” But his announcement has sparked anxieties about the potential economic fallout that could come with escalating measures and countermeasures between the US and its key trading partners. Mexican Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard said the new tariffs were “not justified” while Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called them “unacceptable”. Trudeau added that he would work with the Trump administration to highlight the “negative impacts” of the tariffs. Canada provides nearly 80 percent of US aluminium imports. “We are the US’s closest ally. Our economies are integrated. Canadian steel and aluminum are used in a number of key US industries, whether it is defence, shipbuilding, manufacturing, energy, automotive,” Trudeau said on Tuesday. “Together we make North America more competitive.” Advertisement But the prime minister added that, if forced, Canada would respond to the tariffs with retaliation. “If it comes to that, our response, of course, will be firm and clear. We will stand up for Canadian workers. We will stand up for Canadian industries.” In Brazil, the industry lobby group Aco Brasil also said it was “surprised” by Trump’s tariffs, arguing the tax hikes would benefit neither country. Criticism of free-trade agreements in the US, from both the right and the left, is not new. For years, labour groups and environmental activists have argued that free-trade deals allow businesses to exert downward pressure on the wages of domestic workers, relocate jobs overseas, and loosen restrictions on environmental and labour protections. But experts have said that, after decades of economic integration, tariffs could upend supply chains and impose heightened costs on businesses and consumers. “Small businesses run on very small margins. And so a 25-percent increase in any product is going to hurt,” Sandra Payne, an owner of Denver Concrete Vibrator, which imports steel and other raw materials, told The Associated Press news agency. “And we can’t just raise our prices every time the cost goes up for us, so we are losing a lot of money.” Adblock test (Why?)
Palestinian father reunites with his lost baby after a year of war
NewsFeed “I had no idea if he was alive or if he was martyred.” A father was able to reunite with his lost son after a Palestinian family took him in, raised him for over a year, and ensured his survival throughout Israel’s war on Gaza. Published On 11 Feb 202511 Feb 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
Starbucks sued by US state of Missouri for using DEI policies
Missouri accused Starbucks of tying executive pay to the company’s achieving racial and gender-based hiring quotas. The US state of Missouri has sued Starbucks, accusing the coffee chain of using a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion as a pretext to systematically discriminate based on race, gender and sexual orientation. In a complaint filed in St Louis federal court on Tuesday, Missouri accused Starbucks of tying executive pay to the company’s achieving racial and gender-based hiring quotas. It also accused Starbucks of singling out preferred groups for additional training and job advancement prospects, and employing a quota system to ensure its own board of directors had a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds. “All of this is unlawful,” and violates federal and state civil rights laws, according to the complaint from Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey. Bailey, a Republican, also contended that Missouri consumers pay higher prices and wait longer for services at Starbucks than if the Seattle-based chain employed the most qualified workers. “We disagree with the attorney general and these allegations are inaccurate,” Starbucks said in a statement. “We are deeply committed to creating opportunity for every single one of our partners [employees]. Our programs and benefits are open to everyone and lawful.” Advertisement United States President Donald Trump, also a Republican, has tried to shut down policies promoting diversity, equity and inclusion inside and outside the federal government, and some companies have ended or curtailed their own programmes. For example, the Wall Street bank Goldman Sachs on Tuesday canceled a policy to take companies public only if they had two diverse board members, generally defined as people from underrepresented demographics. Last week, meanwhile, Google scrapped diversity-based hiring targets, while Amazon.com removed a reference to inclusion and diversity from its annual report. Diversity policies Tuesday’s lawsuit challenged Starbucks policies adopted since 2020, after the murder of George Floyd, a Black man, by a Minneapolis police officer triggered unrest nationwide and led many companies to rethink employment practices. Missouri said Starbucks’ alleged endorsement of quotas “should come as no surprise,” citing new Chief Executive Brian Niccol’s support of environmental, social and governance goals while leading the Chipotle burrito chain. Starbucks employs about 211,000 people in the US and 361,000 people worldwide. In August 2023, a federal judge in Spokane, Washington dismissed a shareholder lawsuit challenging Starbucks’ diversity policies, saying the case addressed public policy questions best decided by lawmakers and companies, not courts. Missouri’s lawsuit seeks to force Starbucks to end alleged discrimination based on race, gender and national origin; rehire and rescind discipline against employees affected by discrimination, and pay unspecified damages. Advertisement The case is Missouri ex rel Bailey v Starbucks Corp, US District Court, Eastern District of Missouri, No. 25-00165. Adblock test (Why?)
Trump picks Virginia official Terry Cole to lead the DEA, vows to ‘save lives’ in new administration
President Donald Trump has nominated a Virginia state official to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in his new administration. In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, Trump wrote that he nominated Terry Cole to become the next administrator of the DEA. Cole is currently the secretary of public safety and homeland security for the Commonwealth of Virginia. According to the Virginia government’s website, Cole was previously the chief of staff and executive officer at the DEA’s Department of Justice Special Operations Division, and also served as the DEA’s representative to the National Security Council. The website also notes that Cole worked for the DEA for 22 years, though Trump wrote that he was employed by the DEA for 21 years. In a social media post, Trump said that he was “pleased” to announce Cole, who will need to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, as his nominee. NOEM, HEGSETH, BONDI PLEAD WITH CONGRESS FOR MORE BORDER FUNDING AMID LARGE-SCALE DEPORTATIONS “Terry is a DEA Veteran of 21 years, with tours in Colombia, Afghanistan, and Mexico City, who currently serves as Virginia’s Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security, leading 11 State Public Safety Agencies, with more than 19,000 employees,” Trump’s post read. Trump also added that Cole holds a degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology, as well as certificates from the University of Virginia and the University of Notre Dame. “Together, we will save lives, and MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN. Congratulations Terry!” the president’s post concluded. TRUMP NOMINEE TULSI GABBARD CLEARS LAST HURDLE, HEADS FOR FINAL CONFIRMATION VOTE Trump originally named Florida sheriff Chad Chronister as his first pick to lead the DEA, but Chronister, who serves as the sheriff of Hillsborough County, later withdrew his name from consideration in December. “To have been nominated by President-Elect @realDonaldTrump to serve as Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration is the honor of a lifetime,” Chronister wrote in a post on X at the time. “Over the past several days, as the gravity of this very important responsibility set in, I’ve concluded that I must respectfully withdraw from consideration. There is more work to be done for the citizens of Hillsborough County and a lot of initiatives I am committed to fulfilling.” The DEA is expected to work with the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to fulfill Trump’s campaign promises of restoring safety at the Southern border. At the end of January, federal agents conducted nationwide roundups of more than 1,200 illegal immigrants accused of committing crimes in the U.S. Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
GOP lawmakers’ bill tackles child trafficking crisis at border
Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, is joining GOP colleagues in the Senate by introducing legislation to protect unaccompanied migrant children from human traffickers. “Over 300,000 unaccompanied migrant children effectively disappeared under the Biden administration, leaving them vulnerable to trafficking, abuse, and exploitation. Instead of ensuring their safety, these children are released with no follow-up, falling into the hands of cartels and criminals,” Luttrell said in a release announcing the Stop Human Trafficking of Unaccompanied Migrant Children Act of 2024. Luttrell’s legislation is a companion to a bill introduced in the Senate by senators Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and aims to prevent further trafficking of migrant children by implementing proper vetting for adults who sponsor a child in the United States, including vetting for parents, immediate relatives and unrelated adults. MIGRANT SEX TRAFFICKING SURVIVOR SPEAKS OUT: ‘I SAW GOOD PEOPLE DIE’ The bill will also require that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) take steps to vet all adults who will live in the home of a migrant child. “It is terrifying to think that over 300,000 young, innocent children have been brought into this nation, potentially forced into unsafe conditions and at risk for human trafficking,” Scott said in the release. “As a parent or grandparent, it’s unimaginable to think what might happen to these children and that former President Joe Biden allowed this to happen by completely dismantling our immigration system and opening our southern border, completely ignoring the consequences or the tolls on human life.” JUDGE APPROVES EMERGENCY ORDER TO CLOSE MIGRANT GANG-INFESTED AURORA, COLORADO, APARTMENT COMPLEX The bill aims to put multiple steps in place to prevent trafficking of children, including a prohibition on children being released to a sponsor who is in the U.S. illegally, unless the sponsor is the child’s legal guardian or a relative. The bill will also require authorities to complete a home visit prior to a child being released to the sponsor and calls for at least five additional unannounced home visits during the child’s first year in the country. The legislation will also require reporting to Congress on actions being taken to account for current missing children, according to the release. “HHS must implement thorough vetting to ensure these children are placed with responsible adults — not predators,” Luttrell said. “President Biden’s border policies failed everyone, and this legislation will support the Trump administration’s efforts to course correct the disaster we were left with.”
Trump budget bill standoff fuels tension in House GOP as leaders press forward
The House and Senate are headed for a collision course on federal budget talks as each chamber hopes to advance its own respective proposals by the end of Thursday. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters Tuesday that the House Budget Committee would take up a resolution for a massive bill to advance President Donald Trump’s agenda later this week. The panel then scheduled its meeting on the matter for 10 a.m. ET on Thursday. Senate Republicans, meanwhile, resolved to push forward with their own legislation after the House GOP missed its self-imposed deadline to kick-start the process last week. And while the two chambers agree broadly on what they want to pass via reconciliation, they differ significantly on how to get those goals over the finish line. BLACK CAUCUS CHAIR ACCUSES TRUMP OF ‘PURGE’ OF ‘MINORITY’ FEDERAL WORKERS “What’s the alternative, the Senate version?” Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., said when asked if House Republicans could come to an agreement. “When has the Senate ever given us anything conservative?” House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, caught some members of the Republican conference by surprise at their closed-door meeting on Tuesday morning when he announced to the room that his panel would be advancing a reconciliation resolution, two lawmakers told Fox News Digital. House and Senate Republicans are aiming to use their congressional majorities to pass a massive conservative policy overhaul via the budget reconciliation process. By reducing the Senate’s threshold for passage from two-thirds to a simple majority, where the House already operates, Republicans will be able to enact Trump’s plans while entirely skirting Democratic opposition, provided the items included relate to budgetary and other fiscal matters. GOP lawmakers want to include a wide swath of Trump’s priorities, from more funding for border security to eliminating taxes on tipped and overtime wages. House Republicans’ plans to advance the bill through committee last week were scuttled after fiscal hawks balked at initial proposals for baseline reductions in government spending – frustrating rank-and-file lawmakers. “This is a mechanism that needs to happen that some people are getting hung up on,” one exasperated House GOP lawmaker said. “Some people are acting as if this – you know, I appreciate they’re taking this seriously, but this is just getting the clock started.” More recent proposals traded by the House GOP would put that minimum total anywhere between roughly $1 trillion and $2.5 trillion. Meanwhile, the Senate’s proposal is projected to be deficit-neutral, according to a press release. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., hopes to advance it by the end of Thursday. Johnson told reporters Tuesday that bill would be dead on arrival in the House. “I’m afraid it’s a nonstarter over here. And, you know, I’ve expressed that to him. And there is no animus or daylight between us. We all are trying to get to the same achievable objectives. And there’s just, you know, different ideas on how to get there,” the speaker said. SCOOP: KEY CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DRAWS RED LINE ON HOUSE BUDGET PLAN Tensions are growing, however, with Johnson’s critics beginning to blame his leadership for the lack of a definitive roadmap. “We’re totally getting jammed by the Senate. Leaders lead, and they don’t wait to get jammed,” Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, told Fox News Digital. “If I had somebody who was arguing with me about a top-line number, and if I was speaker, they wouldn’t be in that position anymore.” “And I would figure out a way to be resourceful working with the conference and working lines of communication, as opposed to hiding everything and then being three weeks late on the top-line number.” Johnson told reporters that details of a plan could be public as soon as Tuesday night. The Senate’s plan differs from the House’s goal in that it would separate Trump’s priorities into two separate bills – including funding for border security and national defense in one bill, while leaving Trump’s desired tax cut extensions for a second portion. House GOP leaders are concerned that leaving tax cuts for a second bill could leave Republicans with precious little time to reckon with them before the existing provisions expire at the end of this year.
Casino and sports betting companies press for a win in Texas despite Senate opposition
With plenty of patience and money, the industry is extending its multi-year campaign to bring legal casinos and sports betting to the state.
Blue state Dems rail against Trump’s plan to shut down Education Dept.
While the nation anticipates an executive order from President Donald Trump to dismantle the Department of Education, New York Democrats sparked a debate about its legality. The White House says cutting wasteful government funding is “not a crime in a court of law.” Sen. Kristen Gillibrand, D-N.Y, and Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., held a press conference at a Manhattan public school this week, calling Trump’s plans for the education department “illegal” and “unconstitutional.” The White House said the Democrats are “gaslighting” Americans. “Earlier this week, we learned that the Trump administration is drafting an executive order to shut down the Department of Education,” Gillibrand said on Sunday. “This would jeopardize thousands of New York jobs, and billions of dollars in federal funding for New York’s kids, teachers, families and schools. We’re here to show them that we are ready to fight for our kids, fight for our communities and fight for our schools.” As Trump is expected to take steps this month to defund the Department of Education, Democrats began another week of Trump’s second term protesting the Department of Government Efficiency. The Trump administration dismissed the protests as an attempt “to recover from their embarrassing loss” in November. MAXINE WATERS, HOUSE DEMS RIPPED FOR ‘UNHINGED’ CLASH WITH SECURITY GUARD AT EDUCATION DEPT “The Democrats have no plan on how to recover from their embarrassing loss, and it shows. Instead of working to become a party that focuses on the will of the people, they are hell-bent on keeping their heads in the sand and gaslighting on the widely supported mission of DOGE. Slashing waste, fraud, and abuse, and becoming better stewards of the American taxpayer’s hard-earned dollars might be a crime to Democrats, but it’s not a crime in a court of law,” White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary, Harrison Fields, told Fox News Digital in a statement. DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKER SAYS KIDS WILL BE IN TEACHERLESS CLASSROOMS, WON’T HAVE LUNCH IF DOGE, TRUMP GET THEIR WAY Gillibrand on Sunday reminded New Yorkers that dismantling the Department of Education would require Congressional approval. “What he’s doing is illegal. It’s unconstitutional. It’s unconstitutional and illegal. It’s unconstitutional because Congress is the only body that is allowed to decide how the taxpayer dollars that New Yorkers send to Washington is spent. Hochul warned New Yorkers that they will pick up the tab if Trump shuts down the Department of Education. “The largest part of your local property tax bill is your school taxes,” Hochul said. “If that money evaporates from the federal government, where are they going to go? This is going to hit homeowners and businesses, and I want them to be aware of this consequence.” Hochul said defunding the Department of Education could deny students Pell Grants, a federally funded program that helps low-income students pay for college, and New York City’s public school nutrition programs, which provide free breakfast, lunch and after-school meals for students. Hochul urged New York Republicans to speak up in Washington for New York’s public school students. “This is an outrage,” Gillibrand added. “The Trump administration is stealing money from our kids, from our teachers and from our schools. These are New York tax dollars.” The New York Democrats said shutting down the Department of Education could cost New York’s 2.6 million students almost one billion dollars annually. Hochul and Gillibrand join a growing coalition of Democrats speaking out against Trump’s education plans. Democrats protested outside the Department of Education in Washington, D.C., on Friday, demanding an audience with acting education secretary Denise Carter. Carter is keeping Linda McMahon’s seat warm during her senate confirmation process.
NY Dems push back on Trump’s plan to shut down Education Dept.
While the nation anticipates an executive order from President Donald Trump to dismantle the Department of Education, New York Democrats sparked a debate about its legality. The White House says cutting wasteful government funding is “not a crime in a court of law.” Sen. Kristen Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., held a press conference at a Manhattan public school this week, calling Trump’s plans for the Education Department “illegal” and “unconstitutional.” The White House said the Democrats are “gaslighting” Americans. “Earlier this week, we learned that the Trump administration is drafting an executive order to shut down the Department of Education,” Gillibrand said on Sunday. “This would jeopardize thousands of New York jobs, and billions of dollars in federal funding for New York’s kids, teachers, families and schools. We’re here to show them that we are ready to fight for our kids, fight for our communities and fight for our schools.” As Trump is expected to take steps this month to defund the Department of Education, Democrats began another week of Trump’s second term protesting the Department of Government Efficiency. The Trump administration dismissed the protests as an attempt “to recover from their embarrassing loss” in November. MAXINE WATERS, HOUSE DEMS RIPPED FOR ‘UNHINGED’ CLASH WITH SECURITY GUARD AT EDUCATION DEPT “The Democrats have no plan on how to recover from their embarrassing loss, and it shows. Instead of working to become a party that focuses on the will of the people, they are hell-bent on keeping their heads in the sand and gaslighting on the widely supported mission of DOGE. Slashing waste, fraud, and abuse, and becoming better stewards of the American taxpayer’s hard-earned dollars might be a crime to Democrats, but it’s not a crime in a court of law,” White House principal deputy press secretary, Harrison Fields told Fox News Digital in a statement. DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKER SAYS KIDS WILL BE IN TEACHERLESS CLASSROOMS, WON’T HAVE LUNCH IF DOGE, TRUMP GET THEIR WAY Gillibrand on Sunday reminded New Yorkers that dismantling the Department of Education would require congressional approval. “What he’s doing is illegal. It’s unconstitutional. It’s unconstitutional and illegal. It’s unconstitutional because Congress is the only body that is allowed to decide how the taxpayer dollars that New Yorkers send to Washington is spent.” Hochul warned New Yorkers that they will pick up the tab if Trump shuts down the Department of Education. “The largest part of your local property tax bill is your school taxes,” Hochul said. “If that money evaporates from the federal government, where are they going to go? This is going to hit homeowners and businesses, and I want them to be aware of this consequence.” Hochul said defunding the Department of Education could deny students Pell Grants, a federally funded program that helps low-income students pay for college, and New York City’s public school nutrition programs, which provide free breakfast, lunch and after-school meals for students. Hochul urged New York Republicans to speak up in Washington for New York’s public school students. “This is an outrage,” Gillibrand added. “The Trump administration is stealing money from our kids, from our teachers and from our schools. These are New York tax dollars.” The New York Democrats said shutting down the Department of Education could cost New York’s 2.6 million students almost $1 billion annually. Hochul and Gillibrand join a growing coalition of Democrats speaking out against Trump’s education plans. Democrats protested outside the Department of Education in Washington, D.C., on Friday, demanding an audience with acting Education Secretary Denise Carter. Carter is keeping Linda McMahon’s seat warm during her Senate confirmation process.