Illinois is facing challenges in the still early days of President Donald Trump’s second term, and the state is pushing back. Democratic officials are sounding the alarm — and in some cases filing legal challenges — about the president’s flurry of executive orders and policy changes.

Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton joined “Chicago Tonight: Black Voices” to talk more about the state’s response.

On Cuts to the U.S. Department of Education:

“This really doesn’t come as a surprise,” Stratton said. “Donald Trump has always talked about trying to dismantle this department, and we see this as something that is an attack on public education. And it’s certainly going to have a tremendous negative impact on Black and Brown children all across the country. Title I funds, which really focus on students that are from the lowest income communities, students who need more resources, who are already in under-resourced schools, they’re going to be impacted.”

On the Democratic Coalition to Resist Trump:

“Donald Trump is not interested in getting things done or making any progress on behalf of working families,” Stratton said. “Slashing tens of thousands of jobs, threatening to take away health care. He promised that he was going to lower prices. We’re not seeing that happen. … So what we need to do is we need to keep speaking to working families of America, we need to keep talking about the issues that really matter to them, how to make things more affordable for them. Those are the issues that we’re focused on.”

On Illinois’ Response to the Federal Administration:

“Both the governor and I have made it a point to use our bully pulpits to make sure that the people of Illinois know that we are going to stand with them, stand for them, and we’re going to fight against anything that threatens their well-being,” Stratton said. “… And I think the other thing besides just talking is we’ve been making real progress on behalf of people. … We’re showing the contrast between the Pritzker-Stratton administration and the chaos we’re seeing in Washington.”

On Black Women in Politics:

“(Kamala Harris) was an example of what you can do,” Stratton said. “After Election Day, you know, it was a morning that I woke up saying, ‘Is this a moment where we take our ball and go home or is it a time that we lean in and get back to work?’ And my choice was to get back to work and to keep focused, and Level Up PAC is an example of why. That’s my declaration that there’s more to do.”

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