By S.E. Michael
Photos: CC via Bing
February 27, 2025 (San Diego) -- Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress ran on a pro-life platform. But it’s clear from recent actions of the Trump administration that its leaders don’t care about babies. Its actions are putting lives and wellbeing of millions of infants and children at risk, both around the world and here in the U.S.
Cutting off U.S. Aid including food in famine-stricken areas, clean water and medical supplies without notice, for instance, means that “millions of children will suffer and thousands may die” around the world, according to an analysis by First Funding for Children. Ships laden with food were prohibited from unloading, leaving food to rot rather than save lives of starving children, CBS reports. The United Nations warns of “mass death” in Sudan from starvation and is seeking donations after the U.S. abruptly cut off all aid.
Similarly, Republicans’ Congressional budget cuts to Medicaid, school lunch programs, and the child tax credit will all harm children.
Mass federal firings by the Dept. of Government Efficiency (DOGE) include workers who ran childcare and Head Start programs and also ended a program to improve maternal healthcare for pregnant women, threatening the wellbeing of their unborn babies.
East County News Service
February 27, 2025 (Washington D.C.) -- U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) joined 14 other Democratic Senators in urging senior Trump Administration officials to reverse the hiring and onboarding freeze of federal seasonal firefighters that they say threatens the safety of communities in California and across the nation. The Trump Administration’s January 20 hiring freeze of federal civilian employees inexplicably did not exempt federal seasonal firefighters, despite exempting other critical public safety personnel.
By Suzanne Potter, Public News Service
February 25, 2025 (Washington, D.C.) - A coalition of environmental groups is suing the Trump administration to reinstate protections against new offshore drilling.
Republicans also seek to increase national debt to fund tax breaks for wealthy
By Alexander J Schorr
Image: Cc by NC-ND via Bing
February 24, 2025 (Washington D.C.) – Republican senators pushed a $340 billion budget framework to passage early Friday that would give massive new tax cuts to wealthy people and corporations, while slashing Medicaid and other programs benefitting vulnerable Americans.The budget passed the Senate in spite of an all-night session during which Democrats raised numerous objections, including to releasing money that the Trump administration says is required for mass deportations and border security. The budget now heads to the House of Representatives for a vote.
The budget includes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, a $4 trillion increase in the debt limit, and aims to slash $1.5 trillion from social programs while boosting spending on border security and the military.
The Center for American Progress has set up a link for concerned citizens to contact their members of Congress and urge opposition to the SAVE Act.
By Alexander J Schorr
Photo: Suffragists outside White House in 1917 urged that women be granted right to vote, which was approved with passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in 1920
February 22, 2025 (Washington D.C.) – The19th Amendment guarantees women in the U.S. the right to vote. But H.R. 22, the ironically named “Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE), Act is actually poised to take away that right for millions of married women, as well as anyone else whose current name does not match the name on their birth certificate. Potentially, hundreds of millions of voters could become disenfranchised if the Save Act becomes law.
Currently, House majority Republicans are fast-tracking the Save Act, which was originally introduced in 2024 and has been brought back in the 119th Congress by Representative Chip Roy, on a pretext of making sure undocumented immigrants don't vote. But if enacted, it would force every single American citizen to prove their citizenship status in person when registering to vote.This “show-your-papers” bill would require proof of citizenship once more even for those who have already registered, or wish to update their voting information, such as when moving or changing parties.
For the majority of Americans, this means having to present a passport or birth certificate at their local election office. But if you don’t have a passport, or the name on your passport or other ID does not match the name on your birth certificate, you would not be allowed to vote.The Save Act would disenfranchise 146 million Americans who do not have a passport and nearly 70 million women who are married do not have a birth certificate that matches their new legal name, according to PolitiFact.