April 18, 2026
Dear Friends,
During his time on the campaign trail in 2024, Donald Trump pledged to “immediately bring prices down on Day One.” Nearly 450 days later, this has proven to be yet another broken promise. After Trump’s tariffs cost the average American family nearly $1,750 during his first year in office, his senseless war in Iran is now driving costs even higher — with the latest inflation report showing the largest jump in gas prices since 1967.
Measures like the “Big, Ugly Bill” have made the affordability crisis even worse. That legislation, along with the termination of enhanced tax credits from the Affordable Care Act, kicked 15 million Americans off their health insurance while slashing more than $1 trillion from Medicaid and another $187 billion from food assistance programs — all to give billionaires another massive tax break and finance endless wars in the Middle East. Donald Trump and his administration have made their priorities clear, and they must be held accountable for the harm they’ve caused to millions of Americans.
One of the prime architects of Trump’s disastrous agenda has been Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought. A key proponent of Trump’s Project 2025, Vought has spent his tenure at OMB gleefully terrorizing public servants with the threat of mass layoffs and illegally withholding money already allocated by Congress — often specifically targeting programs in states that did not support President Trump.
Throughout this time, Vought has refused to answer basic questions from Congress or to submit to any form of oversight or accountability over his actions. This week, when Vought finally made his first appearance before the House Budget Committee to defend the President’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget request, I took the opportunity to demand answers about this latest proposal and the damage it promises to inflict on our communities.
At Wednesday’s hearing, I questioned Director Vought on the administration’s plans to sideline the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) by placing it under the control of the so-called Administration for a Healthy America, or AHA. This move would reverse decades of progress in ending the stigma against behavioral health and substance use treatment by burying this critical agency under a new layer of bureaucracy — making it even more difficult for SAMHSA’s dedicated public servants to fulfill their lifesaving mission.
I also pressed Director Vought for answers on Trump’s proposal to slash $4 billion in funding from the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). At a time when home energy costs are skyrocketing across the nation, this action would put more than 6 million households in danger of being unable to afford their utility bills. The Trump administration claims that LIHEAP funding is unnecessary because lower energy prices are on the way. But we’ve heard that before from President Trump, and Americans can clearly see the evidence that this is another broken promise waiting to happen.
Donald Trump and his administration are categorically making Americans poorer, sicker, and less safe — but my Democratic colleagues and I are forging ahead in our efforts to make life better and more affordable for working families. While Trump and his allies eliminate desperately needed behavioral health resources, I’m working to advance bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the School-Based Health Centers (SBHC) program, which provides primary care and mental health services to more than 6 million K-12 students nationwide. And while this administration continues to send energy costs through the roof, I’m introducing measures to bring costs down — like the Energy Bills Relief Act, which would guarantee Americans access to the most reliable and low-cost sources of power available, and the Power for the People Act, which would ensure that data centers pay for their own exorbitant energy costs without passing them on to taxpayers.
A budget is a statement of our priorities and a test of our values. Through his cruel and reckless management of the OMB, Russell Vought has provided perhaps the clearest picture of how backward this administration’s priorities and values really are. Americans are already struggling because of the rash and illegal actions of Donald Trump and his allies, and his latest budget proposal will only make those struggles worse. I will continue to work tirelessly to fight back against these actions and demand accountability from this administration, and I look forward to Congress rejecting the President’s budget resoundingly.
As always, thank you for reading.
Your friend,
DID YOU KNOW?
My office and I are working to make sure you remain informed with the latest updates and recommendations from governments and agencies. With that in mind, here is some information that may be of interest to you:
- Next week, the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) is partnering with the Hudson River Directors of Community Services to host in-person Community Engagement Sessions to hear your feedback on the Office’s work.
- OMH is holding these sessions to hear from people who receive or have received mental health services, and from people who have wanted to get services but haven’t.
- OMH is asking for help from peer workers and other mental health providers, advocates, and anyone who works with people participating in mental health programs.
- The sessions are open to all community members, including children, youth, adults, older adults, and families. There will be breakout sessions specifically for young attendees.
- The sessions will be held on Tuesday, April 21st from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM and on Wednesday, April 22nd from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the Lansingburgh Boys and Girls Club, located at 501 4th Avenue, Troy, NY 12182.
- Click HERE to register for one of these sessions today!
