SEN DICK DURBIN: Closing federal offices punishes everyday Americans

In conscionable a fewer months since President Donald Trump took office, his medication has chopped thousands of national jobs, leaving American workers unemployed and indispensable national enactment unfinished. Now, Trump and his billionaire buddy — un-elected Elon Musk — are going further by terminating national authorities leases successful buildings crossed the country, seemingly without rhyme oregon reason. 

Government employees are the experts who assistance Americans with their Social Security checks, process Medicaid and Medicare, and truthful overmuch much — and they bash this indispensable enactment successful national buildings crossed the country. Terminating leases successful the buildings wherever national workers are assisting Americans is careless and cruel to those who worked hard for these benefits. And it surely does not marque the authorities much efficient.  

As of March 6, 2025, the General Services Administration (GSA), successful conjunction with Musk’s alleged Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), claims to person terminated 793 national leases crossed the state — 24 of which are successful my location authorities of Illinois. These abrupt lease terminations person near impacted agencies successful the acheronian and created alarm and disorder for national workers. I precocious wrote a missive to GSA asking for clarification astir however the decisions were made. I person yet to person a response.  

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The Trump medication has made wide its intent to trim GSA’s footprint by selling fractional of the buildings owned by the national authorities and terminating fractional of the leases utilized by national agencies nationwide. However, the deficiency of transparency astir these actions and DOGE’s power successful the process of lease terminations is troubling.  

DOGE protesters extracurricular the Department of Education successful Washington, D.C., connected Mar. 11, 2025. (Peter Pinedo/Fox News Digital)

The "wall of receipts" touted connected the DOGE website is not an capable root of information, yet it appears to beryllium the lone root of accusation provided to the public. The alleged "DOGE Department" has acted carelessly, terminating leases without due consultation with the agencies progressive oregon information for the workers, constituents, and communities impacted by these decisions. 

It is conscionable a substance of clip earlier Americans consciousness the wounded from these closures. Take the Social Security Administration (SSA) bureau successful Rockford, Illinois. Termination of a proceeding country lease means radical with disabilities whitethorn person to hold longer for their benefits to beryllium processed.  

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Several Department of Labor bureau leases successful Illinois were besides terminated, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration bureau successful Naperville, Illinois, and the Wage and Hour Division bureau successful Springfield, Illinois. These closures volition marque it much hard for Illinoisans to study workplace incidents and record confidential complaints against employers who interruption wage and kid labour laws, arsenic good arsenic wellness and information standards. 

Further, the termination of the Small Business Administration (SBA) bureau lease successful Springfield, Illinois, on with a March 6, 2025, announcement that SBA plans to relocate its Chicago determination office, could permission Illinois without an SBA bureau astatine all.  

These abrupt lease terminations person near impacted agencies successful the acheronian and created alarm and disorder for national workers. I precocious wrote a missive to GSA asking for clarification astir however the decisions were made. I person yet to person a response.  

This determination would marque it much analyzable for tiny businesses successful Illinois to entree SBA indebtedness programs, catastrophe betterment loans, and national contracts important to their livelihoods. And don’t forget, each pupil loans ($1.6 trillion) are being transferred from the Department of Education to the SBA. 

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It seems similar nary coincidence that SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler is targeting Illinois — a authorities that does not align with the administration’s hateful migration policies. States specified arsenic Massachusetts, Georgia, New York, Colorado and Washington are besides being targeted.  

Like galore of the actions of this administration, the caller terminations of national leases person nary justification and volition inflict pain. The radical who volition consciousness the symptom of these rash decisions are not the president, Elon Musk, oregon his billionaire friends — it is mundane Americans. Our national employees and Americans merit better. 

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