Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohen lit into President Donald Trump’s labor record ahead of the U.S. leader’s 100-day mark, calling his White House “probably the most hostile administration” ever for workers in Charm City.
“I don’t care if you show up at a McDonald’s and pretend to serve fries for 20 minutes, this administration is extremely hostile to working people,” Cohen said at Monday’s Baltimore City Council meeting, referring to Trump’s campaign stunt in Pennsylvania in October. “That means going after the NLRB, that means DOGE-ing your way into cutting so much of the federal workforce for absolutely no reason. Folks who are just there to serve their country, just as we’re doing in this chamber, have lost their job due to a president who does not respect work or workers.”
Cohen’s passionate statements marked a rhetorical shift, as he has generally kept his comments focused on how the president’s policies would impact Baltimoreans — such as when he fretted about the impact of proposed city fines and fees on top of Trump’s tariffs. By more aggressively criticizing Trump, Cohen appears to be aligning himself closely with Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, who has doubled down on defending the city’s diversity, equity and inclusion policies from White House attacks.
Cohen’s comments came as the council passed a resolution to recognize Monday as “Workers’ Memorial Day” in Baltimore. This occasion honors people who have died from serious injuries suffered on the job — especially relevant following the deaths of two city trash collectors, Timothy Cartwell and Ronald Silver II, as they worked last year.
Vacant properties
Councilman Paris Gray introduced the only new bill of the evening, which would allow vacant buildings to be sold to the city if they don’t sell at public auction. Gray says the move would help keep Baltimore’s 13,000 vacant buildings from falling into disrepair.
“This approach prevents properties from slipping back into legal limbo,” Gray said. “It allows the city to regain control of these properties faster, model them into redevelopment opportunities, and most importantly restore hope to our communities.”
According to Gray, properties would be sold to “the mayor and city council” for no greater than what it cost to prepare and hold the preceding public auction. The bill was referred to the Housing and Economic Development Committee.
LGBTQ+ community
A month after she sponsored a resolution on the “well-being” of Baltimore’s transgender residents, Councilwoman Phylicia Porter introduced two more resolutions authorizing council hearings on the LGBTQ+ community. The two resolutions are focused on gay men and lesbian women, respectively.
Porter said these groups needed separate actions because the LGBTQ+ community is often lumped into one broad community when the needs of its members vary greatly.
“I just want to remind folks that when we think about the LGBTQ+ community, it is not a monolith, it is not a collective,” Porter said. “This is an opportunity for each of the respective communities to in their own autonomy to request and access services, and also have representation in the city council.”
Porter noted that LGBTQ+ residents face higher rates of mental health struggles “not because of who they are,” but because of “discrimination, isolation and barriers they experience every single day.”
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