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Weekly Digest
Letter from an Editor | April 5, 2025
Dear John,
With so many departments, agencies and programs being targeted for cuts by Trump and Musk’s DOGE week by week, it can be easy to lose track of what’s happened. Here at Ms. , we’re always keeping an eye on what will impact women—here’s what we’ve had our eyes on this week.
On Monday, the Trump administration sent letters to reproductive health clinics in 20 states announcing a freeze of close to $35 million in federal Title X funds, effective April 1, under the guise of targeting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives. Title X has helped millions of women get reproductive healthcare—everything from birth control and STI services to cancer screenings. As contributing editor Carrie Baker reported, the administration claims the funds are only being withheld “temporarily,” and demanded that the clinics “hand over their names of their patients, including undocumented patients, within ten days," and certify that they are following laws against race discrimination.
Meanwhile in Congress, Republicans are working on budget resolutions that will result in massive cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP and Social Security, in order to provide trillions in tax cuts to corporations and billionaires. These are programs that are popular across party lines: Over 80 percent of Americans oppose cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, according to polling from Navigator.
The cuts to Medicaid will most directly impact women and their families. Lelaine Bigelow and Ai-jen Poo point out in Ms . this week that women make up the majority of Medicaid recipients, both because they are more likely to be caregivers, and because they are more likely to need long-term care as they age. What’s more, Medicaid covers more than 40 percent of births in the U.S.—a crucial xxxxxx against the country’s maternal mortality crisis, which predominantly impacts low income communities and Black women.
Meanwhile, as DOGE has ordered cuts to the Social Security system, not everything has gone as planned. Cuts to both field offices and phone service received widespread pushback from people everywhere, even some Republican members of Congress, forcing the SSA to reverse course on some—keeping open field offices whose leases had been terminated and lessening its cutbacks in phone service. Nevertheless, staffing cuts and policy changes requiring more in-person visits are still likely to result in an overwhelmed system—overloading remaining staff and resulting in long wait times for those seeking benefits. And as is the case with Medicaid, women will be among those most directly impacted—they account for a majority of Social Security recipients.
And of course—the tariffs. When Trump promised to tackle inflation and reduce prices, we didn’t think he meant stock prices.
Later today, April 5, Americans will take to the streets, with over 1,000 local events planned across every state in the country as part of national Hands Off! protests against the Musk-Trump power grab. We hope you’ll be joining these peaceful protests, and if you’re taking part, we’d love to see your photos and hear your stories from the event—you can tag us on Instagram (@ms_magazine), on Bluesky (@msmagazine.com), or email us at [email protected] [[email protected]] . Click here [[link removed]] to find an event near you. Or click here [[link removed]] to join a People’s Town Hall event near you—where you can connect with Democratic representatives standing in for Republicans who refuse to meet with their constituents to hear their concerns.
Our histories of feminist resistance show us that our voices are so much louder when we use them together. Whether you’ll be in the streets, at a town hall, or calling your representatives, we hope you’ll join us in raising our voices.
For equality,
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Kathy Spillar
Executive Editor
This Week's Must-Reads from Ms.
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Trump Administration Slashes Reproductive Healthcare Funding for Millions [[link removed]] When Women Lose Medicaid, We All Pay the Price [[link removed]]
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Social Movements Constrained Trump in His First Term—More Than People Realize [[link removed]] Trump’s War on Older Women [[link removed]]
[link removed] [[link removed]] Tune in for a new episode of Ms. magazine's podcast, On the Issues with Michele Goodwin on
Apple Podcasts [[link removed]] + Spotify [[link removed]] .
As we reckon with an administration hostile to equal rights, feminists will continue to fight. To help keep hope, we must remember and celebrate recent wins.
One of those wins is the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which took effect on June 27, 2023. This is a landmark piece of legislation that prohibits discrimination and ensures workplace accommodations related to pregnancy for workers. But is the PWFA safe, or will it be threatened by the Trump administration’s crusade against reproductive rights and justice?
We hope you'll listen, subscribe, rate and review today!
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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 [[link removed]] . We are grateful for your loyalty and ferocity .
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