Dear John,

If you're like me, you were following the drama around the Republican funding bill that played out on Friday in the Senate, just hours before the government was set to run out of money. A resolution to fund the government—constructed entirely by Republicans who refused to negotiate a bi-partisan bill with Democrats—was finally passed, over nearly unanimous Democratic opposition. Once again, programs that make a profound difference in the lives of women and their families were sacrificed in a high stakes political game, played by people who won’t experience any the real-world impacts. 

As we’ve previously reported, the Republican funding bill will lead to massive cuts to the Medicaid insurance program—which covers 40 percent of births that happen in America—and significant cuts to SNAP food assistance programs that support nutrition for poor families, and feed over 13 million American children.

Democratic women Congressmembers were particularly harsh in their criticisms of the resolution. “It cuts 32,000 in rent subsidies for low-income households, including domestic violence survivors. It cuts $860 million in cancer research and $23 billion for veteran care. And it does nothing to protect Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid,” said Democratic Women’s Caucus Chair Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03). 

Continuing its massive layoffs, the Trump administration this week slashed half of the Department of Education’s staff—a move that will have devastating effects on a number of crucial programs run by the department including funding for children with special needs and funding to schools, both urban and rural, whose students fall below the poverty line. When asked on Fox News whether the layoffs were “the first step to a total shutdown,” Trump-appointed Education Secretary Education Secretary Linda McMahon described the laid off employees as “bureaucratic bloat,” and said, “Yes, actually it is, because that was the president’s mandate as directed to me clearly is to shut down the Department of Education.”

Whether these mass firings will be allowed to stand, however, is another matter. More than 100 lawsuits have been filed so far on behalf of fired employees; and judges are finding the firings unlawful. In one of the most extensive rejections of Trump’s cuts thus far, a federal judge ordered agencies to rehire tens of thousands of fired probationary employees across the departments of Defense, Treasury, Energy, Interior, Agriculture and Veterans Affairs on Thursday. And later that same day, a second federal judge followed suit, issuing a similar yet more expansive order that includes the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Labor, State, Transportation and Treasury, among others.

But in the meantime, the firings and the cuts to funding of vital programs is creating chaos—which is the point. Where it all ends up is unknown, but real and significant damage is being done to our democratic institutions—and to our democracy. 

Here at Ms., we’re doing our best to keep score—and to keep an eye on the battles feminists care about most. And when we can, we’ll provide ideas and information for how you can join the fight back. For more information on the fight back, check out the article below from Ava Slocum on the Black faith leaders who are calling for a 40-day “fast” from Target, to protest its caving to the federal government’s anti-diversity rhetoric. And if you're wondering where to redirect your dollars, Shoshanna Ehrlich's feature on Spending Spotlight offers encouraging alternatives.

For equality,

Kathy Spillar

Executive Editor

Listen to the latest Ms. Studios podcast The Z Factor: Gen Z's Voice & Vote — now on Apple Podcasts + Spotify.

In the fourth episode of The Z Factor, host Anoushka Chander is joined by Ashwin Ramaswami to dive into how we deal with political loss. Anoushka and Ashwin discuss his campaign’s strategy to use technology to reach people, how he engages with young men disillusioned with politics, and what Democrats can change about their messaging going forward. Ashwin also shares how his Indian-American upbringing influenced his political service work.

We hope you'll listen, subscribe, rate and review today!

U.S. democracy is at a dangerous inflection point—from the demise of abortion rights, to a lack of pay equity and parental leave, to skyrocketing maternal mortality, and attacks on trans health. Left unchecked, these crises will lead to wider gaps in political participation and representation. For over 50 years, Ms. has been forging feminist journalism—reporting, rebelling and truth-telling from the front-lines, championing the Equal Rights Amendment, and centering the stories of those most impacted. With all that’s at stake for equality, we are redoubling our commitment for the next 50 years. In turn, we need your help, Support Ms. today with a donation—any amount that is meaningful to you. We are grateful for your loyalty and ferocity.

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