This week in OtherWords, we continue our look at the federal budget, which could include enormous cuts to the social safety net, tax cuts for billionaires and corporations, and another significant hike for the Pentagon.
Marisa Pesce, a teacher who’s struggled with mental health issues, domestic abuse, and poverty, shares her story this week of what these safety net cuts would look like for people like her. And my colleague Hanna Homestead, who studies Pentagon spending and the federal budget, shares a story about when Medicaid came through for her. “Pentagon contractors don’t save lives or money,” she warns of the budget proposal, but “Medicaid does.”
Also this week, Mitchell Zimmerman accuses Trump of blaming federal workers for economic uncertainty caused by his own tariffs. And Jim Hightower warns against privatizing the U.S. Postal Service.
New This Week…
Basic Human Needs Are Not Fair Game for Billionaire Tax Cuts | Marisa Pesce
Tens of millions of Americans like me rely on public programs to get back on their feet. The GOP wants to slash that help to fund tax breaks for billionaires.
Pentagon Contractors Don’t Save Lives or Money — Medicaid Does | Hanna Homestead
Cutting life-saving services to further enrich billionaires and Pentagon contractors is the worst possible option.
Federal Jobs Don’t Threaten the Economy, But Trump’s Tariffs Do | Mitchell Zimmerman
Trump’s crazy tariffs may trigger a recession. He wants you to blame federal workers instead.
Don’t Let Trump Kill the Public Postal Service | Jim Hightower
The president’s billionaire allies are desperate to dismantle USPS and rip off Americans for lousier service.
In Case You Missed It…
The Greatest Threat to Social Security in Its 90-Year History | Nancy J. Altman
Donald Trump and Elon Musk are planning to utterly demolish Social Security’s workforce to pay for billionaire tax cuts.
We Need Medicaid More Than Billionaires Need Tax Cuts | Raven MacFarlane-Bradbrook
Republicans in Congress want to gut Medicaid, denying life-saving health care for regular families to cut taxes for billionaires.
How Overpaid CEOs Hurt the Rest of Us | Kieran Cuadras
At Wells Fargo, I saw firsthand how excessive CEO pay harms workers and customers. Congress should use tax policy to rein it in.
In An Age of Scams, Our Economy Needs a Referee | Chloe Rogers
The Consumer Finance Protection Bureau has saved Americans $21 billion in cancelled debt and money back. But Trump and Musk want to eliminate it.
