WASHINGTON — Dozens of congresspeople were joined by union representatives and former and current federal employees outside of Housing and Urban Development headquarters on Monday evening. They were rallying against what they called illegal actions by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
Rep. Maxine Waters was joined by Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen and others to try to deliver a letter demanding answers from HUD Secretary Scott Turner. The lawmakers were met by security and Turner’s Chief of Staff who told them he was “too busy” to receive their letter, according to Waters.
She was vocal about the actions that Musk has been taking against federal workers and how cuts to programs are going to affect Americans.
“Elon Musk’s 13 children sleep good at night. What about the rest of the children in America?” she said.
WUSA9 also spoke to a federal worker who was fired on Feb. 14.
“[The] programs being attacked help millions of people across the nation, especially HUD,” she explained. “They keep roofs over people’s houses and families. It’s just that our work is important, and we’re worried about the people out there. It’s less about us, and it’s more we’re worried about our constituents.”
The Associated Press reports that 162 HUD grants to various organizations are expected to be cut, including those geared toward fair and equal housing. The report also states that half of federal workers in HUD will be cut.
Programs that will be affected provide funding for disaster recovery, rental subsidies, discrimination investigation and first-time homebuyers.