NJ Spotlight News spoke with U.S. Andy Kim (D-NJ) about his and other Democrats’ efforts to block or at least slow down the Trump administration’s scores of orders to dismantle or defund federal operations, from freezing international aid to Tuesday’s discontinuation of dozens of education programs.
“Right now, we are seeing a Trump administration that is brazenly defying law,” Kim said in an interview with NJ Spotlight News.
Much of the attention has been on the courts, where state Attorney General Matt Platkin and other attorneys general have been racking up some victories against the Trump administration – at least for now. A federal judge on Monday temporarily halted an effort by the White House to slash federal funding for medical and public health research through the National Institutes of Health.
“Look at all the range of tools that we have right now,” Kim said. “We have been working closely with [Platkin] on the litigation. On our end, it is making sure we are pushing forward on legislation, as well as the oversight and communication aspects.”
But a key milestone will be upcoming talks over the federal debt limit, he said, where Republicans will likely need to compromise to reach a spending agreement or see another government shutdown. “They have needed Democratic votes for the last two years,” Kim said. “They have had a very hard time with just their own votes.”
