PITTSBURGH — Since taking office President Donald Trump has signed more than 60 executive orders. He has signed more orders in his first 10 days in office than any recent president had signed in their first 100 days. However, many of these orders are now being challenged as unconstitutional.
Channel 11 News spoke with Congresswoman Summer Lee who represents Western Pennsylvania’s District 12. Lee has been outspoken about the legality of these orders and raised concerns about how they could impact residents in Western Pennsylvania.
Through a series of executive orders, President Trump has added tariffs on imports from China, tried to freeze federal funding, and terminated all diversity, equity, and inclusion-related federal government departments and positions. The president has also established a Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, which is tasked with cutting costs and what the administration deems “government waste.”
“It is difficult for the American people to keep track,” said Lee when asked about the flurry of orders presented by the President.
Lee went on to explain that she has grave concerns about the recent cuts to the federal workforce, cuts that she explained will impact Western Pennsylvania. The federal government is one of the largest employers in the region, and Lee explained that by cutting federal positions there will be a burden placed on the region’s unemployment resources.
“These are people who are not just bureaucratic excess these are jobs that we rely on these are people with expertise that keep our country going they keep our communities going,” Lee said.
Lee also questioned whether the current administration understands the far-reaching implications cutting diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) funding will have on critical research and the future of the nation’s education system.
“We are talking about researchers and research dollars that have been cut, research that will one day cure cancer or other diseases that we may not find cures for because of cuts,” she said.
Lee told us that the president’s use of executive orders to fundamentally reshape the government has made their job difficult.
“What makes our job difficult is we want people to be informed, to understand the real implications of what so many of these illegal executive orders would do,” Lee said.
On Monday, hundreds protested outside of the City-County building in Downtown Pittsburgh. Protestors rallied against Trump’s use of executive orders. Lee said Congress will continue to fight against what she called illegal executive orders. By federal law, the president can’t hold funds that Congress has approved for spending.
“With just three Republican colleagues we could stop illegal executive orders. With three Republican colleagues, we can ensure social security and Medicaid are not touched. [With three Republicans] we can ensure that farmers get the subsidies that they need, we can ensure that our veterans are cared for, we can ensure that schools are not just appropriately funded but that they have the programs that children need to thrive,” Lee said.
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