This week in OtherWords, Sabrina B. Valenti talks about the summer mood along the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts.
“Every summer brings the familiar joys of sunny weather, family barbecues, and beach vacations,” she writes. But “the daily weather forecast always comes with a constant thrum of worry — any small disturbance in the Atlantic has the potential to evolve into a major storm.”
Sabrina’s colleagues at the NOAA track those hurricanes and help respond to them. And Sabrina herself worked on a project to help reclaim sunken land in Louisiana, protecting coastal communities there from storms. The problem? Sabrina and thousands of her colleagues just lost their jobs in the Trump administration’s mass purges.
And with hurricane season looming, that could have real risks for folks on the coast.
“It’s not too late to protect the federal workers who remain in their roles working on hurricane preparedness,” she warns. “Much of the damage from hurricanes this summer can be restored, but you can’t bring back the dead.”
Also this week, Chloe Rogers explains why we need to keep medical debt off people’s credit reports. Rick Claypool highlights new research connecting corporations’ donations to Trump’s inauguration with federal investigations they’ve somehow wiggled out of. And Jim Hightower outlines the stakes of the farm bill for small farmers and working people.
P.S. If you’re interested, I’ll be appearing on an IPS webinar at 11am eastern on May 8 to talk about how OtherWords helps policy experts reach heartland communities. I’ll be joined by IPS executive director Tope Folarin and People’s Action leader Sulma Arias. Register now if you’d like to join us!
New This Week…
NOAA Cuts Put Coastal Communities at Risk | Sabrina B. Valenti
I helped restore wetlands that kept the Gulf coast safe while my colleagues tracked hurricanes. Now we’re out of a job — just in time for hurricane season.
Medical Bills Don’t Belong on Your Credit Report | Chloe Rogers
Including medical debt on credit reports doesn’t help lenders assess risk — it simply punishes people for being sick, hospitalized, or denied insurance coverage.
America First? No, Corporations First. | Rick Claypool
Big corporations donated heavily to Trump’s inaugural fund. Just a few months later, federal cases against them are being dropped.
Should America’s Farm Bill Serve Need or Greed? | Jim Hightower
This year’s stripped down farm bill looks to heap subsidies on Big Ag while cutting food aid for working Americans.
In Case You Missed It…
Trump 2.0 at 100 Days: An Onslaught Against Workers | Sarah Anderson
Trump has gutted labor rights, slashed the federal workforce, and opposed a minimum wage hike. But resistance is brewing.
The Real-World Costs of Eliminating Head Start | Stephanie Schmit
Families can’t afford to lose child care. Providers can’t afford to lose jobs. And the economy can’t afford to have less stability for children.
The Only Winners in This Trade War Will Be Trump and His Fellow Billionaires | Peter Certo
Trump’s erratic tariffs aren’t a recipe for an industrial comeback. They’re a recipe for corruption.
Immigrants Are Our Neighbors. Isn’t That Enough? | Meredith Lehman
There’s reams of data showing the benefits of immigration. But at the end of the day, compassion doesn’t have to be complicated.
