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A RESOLUTION urging the Kentucky Congressional delegation to stand up for 1
Kentucky businesses and its economy. 2
WHEREAS, President Donald J. Trump issued a flurry of executive orders that 3
halted federal grants, rolled back health care protections provided by the Affordable Care 4
Act, rescinded an executive order lowering prescription drug costs for Medicare and 5
Medicaid recipients, issued tariffs against key trading partners, and established the 6
Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE); and 7
WHEREAS, Elon Musk, who heads DOGE, has been granted unprecedented power 8
to fundamentally and unilaterally transform the federal government, by firing federal 9
government workers, eliminating agencies outright, and obtaining access to sensitive 10
payment and data systems, including those managed by the Treasury Department, 11
Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security; and 12
WHEREAS, a United States District Judge recently found that Elon Musk, as the 13
head of DOGE, has been given "virtually unchecked authority...without proper legal 14
authorization from Congress and without meaningful supervision of his activities," 15
raising serious legal and constitutional questions. Judge Tanya S. Chutkan expressed 16
concern over "what appears to be unchecked authority of an unelected individual and an 17
entity that was not created by Congress and over which it has no oversight."; and 18
WHEREAS, many of the government employees who were terminated were 19
probationary employees – workers who were hired in the last two years to provide health 20
care for veterans, protect our nuclear arsenal, and coordinate wildfire responses. These 21
workers bring specialized expertise, technological skills, and fresh ideas at a time when 22
the civil service is already facing a "silver tsunami" with twice as many employees over 23
the age of 60 than under 30; and 24
WHEREAS, Canada and Mexico have issued retaliatory tariffs; and 25
WHEREAS, over the course of 2023, the United States imported approximately 26
$3.1 trillion worth of goods; and 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 1440
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WHEREAS, the recent tariffs are essentially a tax that the average American and 1
average Kentuckian cannot afford. An estimate by the Tax Foundation found that the 2
proposed tariffs would increase taxes by $1.1 trillion between 2025 and 2034, amounting 3
to an average tax increase of more than $800 per household in the United States in 2025; 4
and 5
WHEREAS, tariffs can disrupt supply chains, leading to higher inflation and 6
preventing interest rate cuts, at a time when the people of this country and this 7
Commonwealth are struggling to afford necessities such as food, heat, gas, and groceries; 8
and 9
WHEREAS, recent economic studies of the impact of tariffs put in place during the 10
previous Trump administration show that consumers bore the brunt of the costs; and 11
WHEREAS, tariffs are expected to have a profound impact on the bourbon 12
industry, this Commonwealth's signature industry, which generates over 23,000 jobs, 13
with an annual payroll topping $1.63 billion, and over $358 million in annual tax revenue 14
for Kentucky state and local governments; and 15
WHEREAS, Kentucky Distillers' Association's president Eric Gregory warned that 16
tariffs would have "far reaching consequences" that could jeopardize growth for years to 17
come." Mr. Gregory also stated that "...the return of retaliatory tariffs on American 18
whisky will have far reaching consequences across Kentucky, home to 95% of the 19
world's bourbon...That means hard-working Americans – corn farmers, truckers, 20
distillery workers, barrel makers, bartenders, servers, and the communities and businesses 21
built around Kentucky bourbon will suffer."; and 22
WHEREAS, the actions taken by the Trump administration have brought chaos and 23
havoc to citizens of the United States and this Commonwealth who rely on government 24
services and benefits and temporarily stalled funding for infrastructure projects and 25
lifesaving medical research, left the livelihoods of millions of small business owners in 26
flux, undermined the privacy of citizens of the United States and this Commonwealth, 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 1440
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weakened our democratic institutions, crippled our economy, quashed health care and 1
environmental protections, and placed health care and Social Security benefits at risk; 2
NOW, THEREFORE, 3
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the General Assembly of the 4
Commonwealth of Kentucky: 5
Section 1. The House of Representatives condemns the executive actions taken 6
by the Trump administration that have been detrimental to the livelihoods and stability of 7
countless citizens of the United States and this Commonwealth and urges the Kentucky 8
Congressional delegation to do the same. 9
Section 2. The Clerk of the House of Representatives is directed to transmit a 10
copy of this Resolution to the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the 11
Majority Leader of the United States Senate, and each member of the Kentucky 12
Congressional delegation. 13