Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib joined community environmental and health leaders Tuesday afternoon outside Salina Elementary School in Dearborn to discuss the local effects of President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
The law, which slashes funding for clean energy tax credits, Environmental Protection Agency projects, Medicaid, and other programs, has sparked concerns about public health and environmental protections.
“We all deserve clean water. We all deserve clean air. None of us should be begging our government to protect us. Our health should always come first,” said Tlaib, a Democrat representing Michigan's 12th Congressional District, which includes Dearborn and part of Detroit and other southeast Michigan communities.
Salina elementary sits on the edge of a heavy industrial zone, which Tlaib said underscores the community’s ongoing struggle with air pollution.
"Here in Salina, every window you look out, you're going to see corporate polluters, you're going to see what these children are seeing through these windows," Tlaib said.
"And we all know fighting for environmental justice and public health and speaking out against the current administration's attack on our communities is so important for our babies in these schools."
Speakers at the event also included representatives from Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Michigan Clinicians for Climate Action, and the Detroit Area Disaster Recovery Group.
The Trump administration has defended the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, saying it will protect jobs, support the economy, and make the country more secure.
Tlaib and local advocates argued that the budget cuts threaten public health, clean energy progress, and protections for vulnerable communities in southeastern Michigan — which, in turn, can hurt local and national economies.
