|
Friend, When Donald Trump was sworn in for his second term in office on Jan. 20, he immediately began taking an ax to the country’s regulatory agencies along with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, the Department of Education and the nation’s social safety net — and he did it fast. One of his first executive orders created the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has been invading federal government offices, taking over key systems and firing or laying off government employees. In large part DOGE, which is not an official federal department, has been dismantling the government’s ability to provide services and support to citizens who need the most help — those who are experiencing homelessness, who are experiencing food insecurity, elderly people and people in need of health care. While the question of whether those cuts are legal is still moving through the courts, the net effect of incapacitating or stopping government agencies and the support they provide is real. Simultaneously, Congress has been debating the next federal budget. With control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, Republicans have embraced the idea of downsizing government, but only the parts everyday Americans depend on. Republicans are pushing a budget that would strip families of health care, food, child care and education — to give more tax breaks to ultra-wealthy people and corporations. The priorities of the current Republican majority — military spending, border security and extending the tax cuts from Trump’s first term that favor wealthy people — are visible in the framework documents passed through both chambers. What’s missing from those documents are the programs designed to uplift people most in need of health care, housing assistance and help escaping poverty. Also missing are programs designed to protect the rights of Black and Brown people who have been disenfranchised for generations.
|
