Protests Against Trump, DOGE Education Cuts Continue In Newark
NEWARK, NJ — A protest against "drastic funding cuts" for education, research and health care being done under President Donald Trump will take place on Tuesday in Newark, organizers say.
The rally is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Military Park (51 Park Place) in Newark. It is part of a
Here's why protesters are planning to hit the streets, organizers said:
"The Trump administration's devastating cuts at the U.S. Department of Education will cost New Jersey schoolkids over $1 billion in funding for support programs. Funding freezes and grant restrictions at the National Institutes of Health and other federal agencies are threatening life-saving biomedical and other research at the state's public colleges and universities, including Rutgers, one of the world's leading public research universities. Threatened bans on medical procedures and cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and other programs will cause chaos in New Jersey's health care system."
"Trump wants to punish New Jersey and everyone who lives here who doesn't vote for him – we have to work together to stop that from happening," said Todd Wolfson, president of Rutgers AAUP-AFT, which represents full-time faculty, graduate workers and others at the university.
Jessica Hunsdon, a program coordinator at Rutgers and vice president of the Union of Rutgers Administrators, said the federal cuts will have a "destructive impact" on higher education.
Hunsdon said that some staff layoffs are already taking place at Rutgers.
"We need to fight with all we have to keep building spaces of research, learning, and service that focus on the public good," Hunsdon urged.
Tuesday's rally comes in the wake of a
Another local protest against the federal education cuts
TRUMP AND NEW JERSEY
Trump's return to the Oval Office and the controversial rise of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), have seen both cheers and jeers as the administration continues to gut federal funding across the nation.
Trump has made trimming "woke" ideology from the federal budget one of his priorities since his inauguration.
In the
Several government departments and agencies have since been reporting major cuts and layoffs, with the U.S. Department of Education among those facing elimination. Read More: Trump Prepares Order To Close Dept. Of Education (See NJ Impacts)
The White House
- See Related:
- Trump Administration Revokes $85M In Funds To NJ Schools, Murphy Says
Elon Musk, the head of DOGE, has insisted that the "temporarily disruptive" efforts to trim the federal budget are paying off for Americans – although many people have
Supporters include several Republican lawmakers, who have pitched the creation of New Jersey's own version of the federal agency. Read More: Bringing DOGE To NJ Proposed By Lawmakers
Critics include U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, who recently made a record-setting speech on the Senate floor against Trump, Musk and the federal cuts. Read More:
A lot of people need to move from low to negative productivity roles in government (and some in industry) to high productivity roles in the commercial sector. That is temporarily disruptive, but ultimately for the best.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk)
IMMIGRATION, FREE SPEECH
Organizers of Tuesday's rally said they also plan to speak out against the Trump administration's "assault on the state's immigrant communities" and threats against free speech.
Trump
- See Related:
- Hundreds Protest Against Reopening ICE Detention Facility In NJ
Last month, Trump
"Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came," the president wrote. "American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on the crime, arrested."
It's unclear what Trump meant by "illegal protests" or how his mandate would work. But it's possible that some schools might censor first and ask questions later,
- See Related:
📢TOMORROW!📢 Save the date for a rally in Newark as part of
— Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union (@ruaaup_ptl)
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