By Lulit Shewan
The Trump Administration has nominated Crystal Carey, an attorney at Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP, as General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). This nomination is a direct attack on worker’s rights. Carey has spent her career defending employers and challenging the existence of the NLRB as a whole. Her confirmation would severely weaken the NLRB’s ability to safeguard workers, protect collective bargaining and fair working conditions, and uphold fair labor practices, as well as shift the balance of power even further in favor of corporations.
At Morgan Lewis, Carey oversees efforts to dismantle workers’ rights throughout the country, including the particularly alarming pursuit to declare the NLRB unconstitutional. She supports captive-audience meetings and has defended the employer practice of spreading negative claims about unionization in the workplace. Carey also advocates limiting corporate oversight and mitigating union growth, stances that are bound to be reflected in the NLRB’s enforcement priorities upon her confirmation.
Morgan Lewis is one of the largest and most powerful employer-favoring law firms in the country. It currently represents large corporations known for violating workers’ rights, including Amazon, SpaceX, Apple, and Tesla. The firm is expressly anti-union and has a storied history of opposition to organized labor. Morgan Lewis attorneys have extensive expertise fighting against unions in NLRB elections, vehemently backing large corporations in worker-led job quality lawsuits and advocating for tactics that suppress unionization.
The firm also had strong links to Trump’s anti-union NLRB during his first term. Former firm employees John Ring and Phil Miscimarra both served as NLRB chairs during Trump’s first term, and both have spoken out in favor of regressive union certification policies with the backing of their firm.
The General Counsel plays a critical role within the NLRB, overseeing the investigation and prosecution of labor violations across the country and setting its overall agenda for changes to labor policy and enforcement priorities. Given this positionality, Carey’s nomination is a clear indication of the direction that Trump’s NLRB is moving toward— an agency that operates with evident bias toward bolstering corporate power and determination.
Carey’s confirmation is an essential part of ongoing administrative efforts to decimate union and worker power. Prior to her nomination, the administration pushed for the discriminatory firing of Board chair and career labor representative Gwynne Wilcox. Just a week after her nomination, the NLRB froze two legal cases against Apple addressing the corporation’s unlawful interference with employee unionization efforts, one of which was due for a hearing this month. Carey is listed in the agency’s records as an attorney acting in Apple’s defense in both cases.
Acting Counsel William Cowen has already helped further the Trump Administration’s reshaping of labor law. He rescinded a series of memoranda issued by his predecessor, Jennifer Abruzzo, including regarding remedies, rights of college athletes, restrictive covenants, and union recognition; and also withdrew several exceptions to administrative law judges’ decisions filed under Abruzzo’s tenure that sought precedent shifts. Likewise, Carey would interpret the NLRB in a way that aligns more closely with employer interests, advancing cases and arguments that give the Board opportunities to change the law and return to more corporate-friendly standards.
As national union density struggles to see growth, the policy direction of General Counsel of the NLRB is a powerful determinant in the future of organizing efforts and working-class autonomy. CLASP unequivocally believes that the confirmation of Crystal Carey is a substantial marker of regression for the labor movement.
Today, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) announces the release of “Safe Leave Documentation and Confidentiality Rules.” This new resource is the second product of the safe leave working group, of which CLASP is a proud member. The document is a resource for policymakers, advocates, and stakeholders that provides recommendations for when and how workers can be required to provide documentation for safe leave claims, along with recommendations for confidentiality practices regarding safe leave use. This product builds upon the working group’s previously released product, “The Need for Paid Safe Leave & Model Legislative Language,” which provided model legislative language regarding paid safe leave.
The safe leave working group is made up of state, national, and tribal experts and advocates from across policy spaces, based on the principle that paid, protected leave from work is an essential tool for the safety, agency, and economic security of survivors of all types of violence, including family violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, harassment, and stalking. The Center for American Progress and Futures Without Violence co-chair the working group.
April 11, 2025 – Washington, D.C. – The Board of Trustees of the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) announced today that it has chosen Wendy Chun-Hoon as the organization’s next president and executive director. She will assume leadership of the national anti-poverty and racial justice organization on May 15, 2025, succeeding Cemeré James who has served as the interim executive director of CLASP since January 2025.
“Wendy brings decades of leadership and experience across the range of issues that CLASP addresses,” said David Hansell, chair of CLASP’s Board of Trustees. “All of us on the Board are delighted to welcome Wendy, who brings enormous skills as an advocate and leader, a demonstrated commitment to our mission and values, and the enthusiasm and passion needed to meet this critical moment. Under Wendy’s leadership, CLASP will continue playing a vital role in addressing the unprecedented assaults on the public policies that support economic security for all people who are marginalized in this country.”
Chun-Hoon most recently served in the Biden Administration as Director of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau from 2021-25. Prior to that, she was executive director of Family Values@Work, a national network of grassroots coalitions in 27 states fighting for care policies and workplace rights such as paid sick and safe days, family medical leave insurance, and child care. Her experience also includes working in state government as chief of staff to the Maryland Secretary of Human Services; in the philanthropic sector at the Open Society Foundations, where she worked on poverty alleviation; and at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, where her portfolio included public benefit programs.
Beyond her work experience, Chun-Hoon’s values align closely with CLASP’s mission to advance racial and economic justice, as she has spent her career fighting to end the marginalization of women and communities of color and to ensure economic security for all. Her deep commitment to equity, inclusion, and social justice makes her an ideal leader to continue CLASP’s work of dismantling systemic barriers and advancing meaningful change.
“CLASP has long been a leader in shaping policies that create pathways to economic security,” said Wendy Chun-Hoon. “I am deeply honored to join this remarkable organization and its dedicated team. As we face increasing challenges, my focus will be on expanding our advocacy efforts, building strategic alliances, and ensuring that CLASP’s work is guided by the diverse needs and voices of the people we serve. Together, we will continue to advance a bold, inclusive vision for racial, gender, and economic justice.”
“This moment calls for a clear-eyed view of the barriers to economic and racial justice and solutions at the scale of the problem,” said Julie Su, former U.S. Secretary of Labor. “There is no one more effective to lead that work than Wendy Chun-Hoon. Wendy is that rare person who combines great vision with concrete strategies and the ability to inspire bold action. I have seen this up close as I got to work side by side with her at the Department of Labor to invest in Black women-led organizations, produce research on the need for child care and drivers of pay inequity, and give women all across the country a real shot at economic security. Wendy’s leadership will be transformative for CLASP and the people and communities CLASP serves.”
“In uncertain times, we turn to values-driven leaders to create critical pathways forward that respect and recognize the power of lived experience and policy solutions that will advance equitable opportunity for all and ensure no person, family, or community is left behind or excluded. Wendy Chun-Hoon brings a proven track record of leadership, that spans the public, social, and philanthropic sectors, to CLASP, one of our country’s most essential policy anchor organizations,” said Anne Mosle, Vice President at the Aspen Institute and Founder & Executive Director of Ascend at the Aspen Institute. “With Wendy at the helm, the next chapter of CLASP’s mission-driven work will build bridges and accelerate policy innovation from the federal to state and local level. CLASP and Ascend at the Aspen Institute share the North Star of creating a more equitable future for families with low incomes, and I look forward to our organizations expanding our collaboration under Wendy’s leadership.”
“The CLASP team and Board of Trustees also extend our deepest gratitude to Cemeré James for her leadership as interim executive director. Under her guidance, CLASP has navigated a transition period with resilience and a continued commitment to our mission,” said Hansell.
CLASP is a 55-year-old national, nonpartisan nonprofit that focuses on economic, social, and racial justice. We work with federal, state, and local policymakers, advocates, and partners to advance policies that reduce poverty, improve the lives of people with low income, and create pathways to economic security for everyone. Our work is rooted in a belief that poverty in America is inextricably tied to systemic racism. The organization has been on the front lines of fighting back against harmful administrative and legislative proposals—particularly those from the current and prior Trump administrations—and advancing a bold and practical vision.
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This statement can be attributed to Rricha deCant, director of legislative affairs at the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)
April 10, 2025, Washington, D.C. – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a budget resolution bill by a vote of 216-214 that was passed by the Senate last week. Its passage highlights the willingness of Congressional leaders to fund tax breaks for the rich and corporations and drive up the deficit through massive Medicaid cuts of $880 billion and SNAP cuts of $230 billion.
The proposal would also slash other public benefit programs that people with low incomes rely on. Instead of passing a budget resolution that would help families grapple with rising costs in an already chaotic economy, Congressional leaders are making it more difficult for families, children, and workers to have access to health care, food, and other essentials.
This measure now opens the door for Congress to write a budget reconciliation bill that could have far-reaching impacts on the lives of millions of Americans for decades to come.
This statement can be attributed to Lorena Roque, interim director of Education, Labor, and Worker Justice at the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)
Washington, D.C., March 31, 2025 – Last week, President Trump signed an executive order declaring an end to collective bargaining with federal labor unions for more than two dozen federal agencies. In addition to weakening the Federal Labor Relations Authority, this action would open federal workers to abuse and retaliation by abolishing union contracts. The order affects workers at over 30 agencies, including nurses and doctors at the Department of Veteran Affairs, researchers at the Environmental Protection Agency, and scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Under the false guise of “national security,” this executive order is retaliation against federal unions that have resisted the Trump Administration’s attacks. A fact sheet released by the White House claims “certain federal unions have declared war on President Trump’s agenda,” including the largest federal union, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). AFGE has successfully reversed the administration’s unlawful firing of thousands of probationary employees. Another case led by federal unions, including the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees and the American Federation of Teachers, successfully blocked access by Elon Musk’s DOGE to the sensitive Social Security data of millions of Americans.
The Trump Administration is threatened by federal sector unions because they empower civil servants. Working people are protected by these unions, which safeguard their rights to free speech, preserve government functions, and protect whistleblowers when government actions violate the law or endanger the public.
CLASP recognizes this action as the gravest attack on workers in a generation. The Trump Administration will continue to attack all workers without further action, harming our democracy and rights as working people. We stand in solidarity with our union partners and urge members of Congress and federal judges to use their authority to protect federal workers.
This statement can be attributed to Cemeré James, interim executive director of the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)
Washington, D.C., March 21, 2025 – Yesterday, President Trump signed an executive order to follow other recent administrative actions meant to decimate the Department of Education (ED) under the veil of “returning power to states.” His action will disrupt the ability of schools to provide the learning opportunities students need. States already hold the primary responsibility and authority for education, while the ED manages and distributes funds, collects essential data, conducts valuable research, and ensures equity in access to public education. Closing ED will disproportionately harm students of color and children with disabilities, instill fear in immigrant students, and reverse decades of progress in enhancing civil rights protections for all students. This order is also consistent with the administration’s stated goal to undo the progress made through Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility efforts that improve and expand educational opportunities.
Closing the Department of Education (ED) will negatively impact students of all races and economic backgrounds. The department plays a crucial role in supporting and holding schools accountable to ensure children with disabilities receive the services they need to succeed, and that young children have access to high-quality early learning. ED also ensures that students receive an education free from harassment and intimidation, and that they are prepared to attend college, universities, and other post-secondary institutions. The withdrawal of federal funds from institutions that do not align with the political values of the Trump Administration will reduce access to education. Ultimately, these actions will deny young children and students from marginalized communities the same educational opportunities, support services, and protections as their peers.
Contrary to language in the Executive Order that ED has failed children, teachers, and families, the department has long defended students’ civil rights to equal education and ensured educational accessibility for students in every state. Eliminating ED deprives immigrant students, students of color, and students with disabilities of federal oversight to shield them from openly discriminatory state governments. Trump’s actions only serve the purpose of resegregating American education along the lines of race and class.
Executive orders are not laws. Trump’s attempt to enact his education policy agenda outside of existing legal parameters is unconstitutional. The order explicitly acknowledges that ED can’t be closed without the approval of Congress, which is an open admission that the administration is undertaking a shameless effort to violate the separation of powers doctrine upon which our government was founded. CLASP stands ready to fight for the educational rights of all students.
We call on federal and state policymakers to oppose these reckless actions and take steps to slow down and mitigate the harm while also supporting children, families, and educators at risk. In addition, we call on our partners in the education and children’s advocacy spaces to join the effort to push back against these harmful attacks, which are an affront to our collective goals to build a more just and equitable country.
This statement can be attributed to Cemeré James, interim executive director of the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)
Washington, D.C., March 14, 2025 – The full-year continuing resolution (CR) passed today by Congress undermines the security, stability, and well-being of millions of workers, immigrants, families, and children throughout the country. It provides no guardrails to stop the administration from using funds for whatever purposes President Trump and Elon Musk deem necessary to further their own political agenda. This CR does nothing to improve the lives of low-income families and children struggling across the country.
While the CR does avoid a government shutdown, it increases military spending by $6 billion, allocates an additional $485 million for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and decreases nondefense spending by $13 billion. It also largely keeps spending levels the same as FY2024, at a time when inflation and costs are rising. This means that even though specific programs may not be targeted by line-item cuts, the current funding levels won’t go as far. For example, since federal housing vouchers won’t cover as many people, 32,000 people could face eviction.
Without safeguards specifying Congressional intent on how funds are spent, the administration could significantly cut or eliminate funding for programs that support housing assistance; public K-12 schools; Historically Black Colleges and Universities; maternal health; child care and early education; and postsecondary education. This undercuts Congress’s “power of the purse” and threatens its oversight authority over the Executive Branch.
This is one of the reasons that ultra-conservatives, who in the past have staunchly opposed stopgap funding measures like continuing resolutions, have been explicit about their support for this CR: it enables administration officials to continue dismantling and defunding government programs that they oppose.
The CR also includes a cruel provision that requires Washington, D.C. to cut more than $1 billion from its current budget. These are D.C. funds that come from locally paid taxes, not federal funds. Although the Senate voted on a standalone bill to restore funding back to D.C., until the House votes on the bill, D.C. could still face hiring freezes and furloughs throughout city agencies. This could result in unsafe streets, increased wait times for EMS calls, and a hiring freeze for teachers, among other devastating impacts to the city’s economy. We urge the House to pass the bill as soon as possible to restore D.C.’s budget.
CLASP remains committed to supporting families and communities and ensuring that they can meet their basic needs. This CR does not achieve that goal.
This statement can be attributed to Cemeré James, interim executive director of the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)
Washington, DC, March 12, 2025—Yesterday, the Trump Administration slashed half of the U.S. Department of Education’s workforce when it laid off approximately 1,300 career staff and 600 probationary employees. A nation’s strength is built on the strength of its public education system, and these actions purposely weaken not only American education but America itself. Mass layoffs also undermine the economy and, if left unchecked, will lead to higher unemployment.
For 46 years, the Department of Education (ED) has helped advance and protect equitable educational opportunities for all students seeking to learn in the United States. The Trump Administration’s “final mission” for the department is to intentionally dismantle it, disregarding both its importance to the nation and the profound unpopularity of shuttering the ED. Allowing Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency to operate the federal government like a private equity firm and unilaterally strip federal agencies of valuable people and resources will be ruinous to students, families, communities, and the economy.
Yesterday’s action is particularly concerning because of the impact on marginalized and vulnerable student populations. Public school systems that rely on federal spending will face increased difficulty in continuing to educate students. With a greatly reduced staff, the ED’s Office of Civil Rights cannot fulfill its obligation to vigilantly enforce federal civil rights laws in schools and among other recipients of ED funding. Researchers will struggle to analyze educational outcomes produced by various federal programs after the elimination of the National Center for Education Studies. Postsecondary students will be unable to begin or continue their educational pathways with the loss of staff capacity to manage financial aid awards. The harm of these cuts to students with disabilities, including the effects on early intervention programs for young children, remains unacknowledged by a Secretary of Education who struggles to remember what IDEA (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) stands for.
The administration has no intention of resolving these concerns or communicating how it will replace the ED’s essential services and programs. Since Inauguration Day the administration has wielded authority without regard to the democratic process, ignoring the laws or livelihoods they break.
CLASP stands ready to work with and on behalf of students, families, and communities to advance and protect the educational rights of all students. We call on federal and state policymakers to oppose these reckless actions and take steps to slow down and mitigate the harm while also supporting children, families, and educators at risk. In addition, we call on our partners in the education and children’s advocacy space to join the effort to push back against these harmful attacks, which are an affront to our collective goals to build a more just and equitable country.
By Max Kutner
(EXCERPT)
Chavez-DeRemer’s union backing could mean she takes a more pro-worker stance, said Lorena Roque, interim director of the education, labor and worker justice team at the Center for Law and Social Policy, or CLASP, which advocates for people with low incomes.
“She has to walk a very fine line,” Roque said. “She has Teamsters support, and I think they can easily take their support away from her if she starts really ramping up pro-business, anti-worker regulations.”
Washington, D.C., March 4, 2025—David Hansell, Chair of the CLASP Board of Trustees issued the following statement today:
The Board of Trustees, Staff, and Alumni of the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) mourn the loss of Alan Houseman who passed away on February 26, 2025, after a brief illness.
Alan’s legacy at CLASP is unparalleled. He served as the organization’s executive director for a remarkable 32 years, joining in 1981 (only 12 years after the organization’s founding) and retiring in 2013. He built a strong, vital organization that transformed the lives of millions of people with low incomes.
“With Alan at the helm, CLASP was an acknowledged leader in the fight to combat poverty and injustice. Under his leadership, CLASP provided crucial guidance to executive branch and congressional staff, as well as to like-minded organizations, and helped develop the next generation of advocates.”
— Joe Onek, Former CLASP Executive Director & Board Chair; Current CLASP Trustee
During his tenure, Alan led CLASP’s efforts to strengthen and preserve the Legal Services Corporation, which funds local legal services offices across the country to ensure people with low incomes have access to quality representation. An outspoken advocate for legal aid as a tool for fighting poverty, he co-authored a definitive report: Securing Equal Justice for All: A Brief History of Civil Legal Assistance in the United States.
“Alan was a visionary leader and champion in the legal services community. He was one of the first presidents of the Legal Services Corporation, a nonprofit corporation created by Congress to assure people with low incomes have access to civil legal assistance in America. Through his work at CLASP, he provided counsel and guidance to legal services programs during pivotal times when Congressional restrictions sought to limit how legal services lawyers could represent their clients.”
— LaVeeda Morgan Battle, Former CLASP Board Chair; Current CLASP Trustee
He also set CLASP on its course as a leading advocate for families and children—fighting for improved child support systems, federal welfare reform, expanded child care and early education, and comprehensive job training and education programs.
While the political climate in Washington, D.C. grew more contentious over time, Alan established CLASP’s reputation as a no-nonsense, nonpartisan voice with only one bias: what’s best for people with low incomes. That approach led to landmark policy victories during his tenure in the movement for economic justice.
“Alan did so much to lay the foundation for what CLASP is today. He had an unstinting, inspiring belief in the power of public policy to advance equity for low-income people and infused CLASP with that commitment. His proud legacy endures.”
— David Dodson, Current CLASP Trustee
In the child policy sphere, Alan was instrumental in transforming the child support system from a focus on recovery of state welfare assistance to a focus on family support; establishing Early Head Start to bring vital Head Start services to infants and toddlers; launching the Child Care and Development Block Grant; and advocating for passage of the Fostering Connections and Increasing Adoptions Act.
“Alan was such a remarkable leader in so many ways. As a career-long legal aid lawyer in Chicago, I know that Alan’s crucial work to advise and support local programs and secure federal sources of funding was both crucial and sensitive to local concerns — he had been a state-based legal aid guy himself. And that contribution to the cause of equal justice was magnified many times over by the way he took CLASP into its national role in fighting poverty. He leaves a giant imprint for the good on many systems and millions of lives. We will miss our champion and good friend.”
— John Bouman, Current CLASP Trustee
In the broader realm of addressing poverty, Alan ensured that CLASP played a crucial role in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which included the $5 billion TANF emergency fund to support the economic security of millions of people with low incomes. CLASP’s work on this emergency fund included extensive technical assistance to states so they could get assistance to the people who needed it most.
“Alan’s 30-plus-year tenure at CLASP shaped the extraordinary organizational strengths that I found when I succeeded him, that motivated me to come to CLASP, and that still make the organization indispensable today. These include the outstanding quality of the work; the commitment to both data and story-telling; the core underlying values of economic and racial justice; the combination of breadth across specific policy topics and depth within each; the understanding of how national policy connects to state and local policy and implementation and to the lives of individuals and families; and the modesty and lack of ego so characteristic of Alan and, because of him, of CLASP. To this day, that lack of ego is a defining feature people mention about CLASP – and one of the big reasons CLASP is so valued as a coalition partner. We’re in a moment when we need Alan’s generosity of spirit, wisdom, and commitment to unfailing core values more than ever. We will miss him, and I know I will try my best to live up to his memory.”
— Olivia Golden, CLASP Executive Director, 2013-2022
After stepping down from CLASP, Alan served as President of the Consortium for the National Equal Justice Library. His numerous awards and honors include the National Equal Justice Award, the Coalition on Human Needs Heroes Award, and the Oberlin College Distinguished Achievement Award.
In these tenuous times for our country, as we witness the likely shrinking or dismantling of programs that support economic security, Alan’s lifetime of service will inspire us and inform our strategy.
Alan’s family asked us to share the following information:
We want to thank everyone who has gotten in touch regarding Alan’s sudden passing. Your thoughts and well-wishes are deeply appreciated, and Alan would be very proud of the kind words we’ve heard from so many of you.
We aren’t conducting a public funeral but will let you know of any plans for a gathering or remembrance in the future.
If you wish to make a contribution in Alan’s name, please consider either a donation to CLASP (click here) or to the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Endowed Internship Fund at Oberlin College (click here and select the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Endowed Internship Fund, noting the gift is in memory of Alan Houseman.)