“There’s a lot of bad information going out these days, and so I want to make sure that we’re giving you the correct information,” U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes said to a crowd of more than 200 people Tuesday evening.
“That way, when you are asking questions, and, most importantly, talking to people who couldn’t make it today, you are equipped with the most recent, up-to-date information.”
Just hours after she attended a protest against the elimination of thousands of federal jobs, Sykes spoke to the crowd attending a “community conversation” at Akron’s Second Baptist Church about why she did not sign the spending bill passed by the House of Representatives last week.
The continuing resolution, which allocates money for federal departments, agencies and programs, does not include the $38 million in projects for the 13th District that were previously approved, Sykes said. The list of projects includes $5 million in improvements for downtown Akron.
“The most important thing I want you to remember is that these are your taxpayer dollars that are now not coming back to this community,” Sykes said.
And the future of federal funding for local organizations is unknown, Sykes said, referring to the $341.3 million in federal grants and investments she helped secure for the 13th District in 2024. Sykes’ team is collecting information from organizations whose funding has been affected, so that they can try to “chase” the funding down, she said. Those organizations can fill out a form online.
State Sen. Casey Weinstein, who joined Sykes for the event, gave a shout out to the advocacy groups who drive to Columbus to make their voices heard. As the state legislature works on the budget, Weinstein said he is working on maintaining programs that are important to his constituents.
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“We will fight for every last dollar for this community as we go through this budget process,” he said.
Following their addresses to the audience, Sykes and Weinstein answered questions from attendees.
The conversation has been edited lightly for clarity.
What is happening with Medicaid?
Weinstein: “In the governor’s budget, it is stated that if we see a $1 reduction in federal support, we will unwind the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid expansion that we did in Ohio in the Kasich administration, would strip Medicaid coverage from over 700,000 Ohioans.
This is something we absolutely have to be aware of. I won’t repeat the stats about how impactful and how important this program is for the people that we serve, but that is a terrible aspect of the governor’s budget that is almost certain to happen if we don’t step up and do our very best to advocate for and push against that and talk about the risk that’s going to be to so many people in our community.”
How will you help ensure access to Social Security benefits and services?
Sykes: “As far as what we are doing as members, is educating our community, pushing back on legislation, voting against legislation… If you are a beneficiary of Social Security, especially a recent beneficiary of the Social Security Fairness Act, I would encourage you to keep all of your documents printed out. You should have your own copy in case the servers go or the information is no longer accessible.”
How has the Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE, run by Elon Musk, been able to operate? What is the path forward?
Sykes: “This program, this entity, is a group of people that President Trump decided to put together for government efficiency… Why is he able to do this? Because he’s the president, and this is what he’s authorized to do.”
Weinstein: “We have a gubernatorial candidate already running to be our next governor, who is already trying to “DOGE” Ohio and trying to rename bodies of water that don’t need to be renamed. So pay attention to what’s going on in this governor’s race.”
What does the future look like for the U.S. Department of Education?
Sykes: “So the first thing I’d say is the Department of Education is a creature of Congress and it takes Congress to eliminate it. So there’s a lot of ‘We’re going to get rid of this through executive order.’ That is not possible. I am now saying that with a giant asterisk because we’ve seen a lot of things that are not possible happen. What you will see and what they’re trying to do is eliminate funding the diversity and inclusion programs…”
