PEORIA, Ill. – Workers at Peoria’s Ag Lab were joined by a U.S. Senator in their fight back against proposed cuts to the facility by the Trump administration.
Senator Dick Durbin (D) led a rally of workers and local leaders outside the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research Friday afternoon.
The administration is proposing slashing 10% of the workforce, of mostly probationary employees.
“There are people who want to talk about Making America Great Again. I believe that research is critical to making America great,” Durbin said. “Medical research, agricultural research, and research across the board.”
Durbin says he wants to get rid of government waste, but not at the expense of the talent at the AG Lab and other federal workers.
A spokeswoman for Democratic Congressman Eric Sorensen also spoke, saying cuts to the Ag Lab would hurt Peoria’s economy.
Mayor Rita Ali spoke about that sentiment in showing support for the Ag Lab’s workers, which she says “are some of the best in the world.”
“They’ve come from many places from across the country to come live in Peoria or the Peoria region. It is a travesty to lose that kind of talent to our city and to our region,” Ali said.
American Federation of Government Employees Local 3247 President Ethan Roberts also spoke at the rally, saying that funding the research at the Ag Lab is important because their work is “high-risk.” He says that’s because the Ag Lab does the research that private companies would not fund, and that college and university research labs would not have the time for.
Roberts also believes the Trump administration is engaging in illegal termination of federal employees, and that attacks on federal employees and unions will continue.
