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At the State of the Union, Trump’s Claims Betray Americans’ Reality
In his State of the Union address, President Trump opened by boasting about a roaring economy, falling inflation and a richer and stronger nation. But those claims ring hollow for many Americans who feel economic security slipping further out of reach, a reality made worse by the policies he and his Republican Congress have championed.
In Tucson, Ariz., Angelica Garcia begins most mornings waiting for her Lyft app to ping. She’s a driver raising three children in a two-bedroom apartment that costs $1,400 a month. Her summer electric bills hover around $300. At the grocery store, it costs her over $100 just to cover basic essentials. Angelica and her children rely on Medicaid and SNAP. Medicaid covered her daughter’s broken arm and her son’s tonsil surgery. “It’s been a blessing. A godsend,” she says.
But her representative in Congress, Juan Ciscomani (R), voted to cut Medicaid and SNAP and to impose new work requirements.
Meanwhile, in Iowa, a retired woman named Jill is enrolled in a Marketplace healthcare plan that once cost her $75 a month thanks to enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies. But when Republicans voted against extending those subsidies, her premium jumped to nearly $800 a month.
Her representative in Congress, Marianette Miller-Meeks (R), voted to let those subsidies expire.
In Eau Claire, Wis., Erin Klaus has spent 17 years building up and running her small business. Erin’s representative in Congress, Derrick Van Orden (R), voted to protect Trump’s tariffs—tariffs that made small businesses like hers pay upfront, even as multinational corporations are better positioned to shift supply chains or pass along costs.
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The Heritage Foundation’s Plan to Keep Women Uneducated, Pregnant and Subservient
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Why Menopause Belongs in Democracy Conversations (with Omisade Burney-Scott)
Menopause will affect most women during their lifetime—but until fairly recently, it was a topic largely relegated to the shadows. More and more, advocates are calling for the spotlight to be put on menopause—highlighting not just the important health issues at play, but the ways in which they affect diverse populations, from Black and brown women to queer and trans people to incarcerated people and more.
Omisade Burney-Scott, creator of The Black Girls’ Guide to Surviving Menopause, is one of those advocates. She joins Dr. Michele Goodwin to discuss why intersectional conversations around menopause are so important, and why these discussions are important for the preservation of democracy.
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- Taliban’s New Penal Code Institutionalizes Exclusion and Threatens Afghanistan’s Vulnerable Communities
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- With LA Maternity Wards Closing at Alarming Rates, Patients Are Giving Birth in ERs
- Removal of “Option 3” on the 988 Suicide Hotline Poses Extreme Mental Health Risk for LGBTQ+ Youth
- Investors’ Undervaluation of Women’s Health Mirrors America’s Devaluation of Women’s Bodies
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Trump-Era Federal Layoffs Hit Black Women Hardest
There is a shift happening in the labor force that favors men in general, and white men in particular. And Black women—who historically have found more job security and upward mobility in federal employment—are now seeing those federal jobs slip away in record numbers.
“What we are seeing happening is a federal government that is intent on creating a DEI boogeyman to radically change how workplaces operate in ways that disadvantage women, people of color and LGBTQ workers,” says Gaylynn Burroughs, vice president for education and workplace justice at the National Women’s Law Center.
Alex Wroblewski / AFP via Getty Images
In Mississippi, Parents and Community Groups Are Feeding the Kids the State Left Behind
For three years now, the state of Mississippi has chosen to opt out of Summer EBT, now called SUN Bucks, which is a federally funded program that would provide an additional $120 in grocery benefits per child to families who qualify for free and reduced lunches. The decision means that this summer, 324,000 Mississippi children will go without these benefits—joining more than 9 million kids nationwide who are left hungry because of political choices, not policy gaps.
For the past two summers, Jackson-based nonprofit Springboard to Opportunities has stepped in with its own summer cash program to fill the gap—providing direct cash assistance to families, trusting them to make the best choices for their children.
As we mark Black History Month, we’re reminded that the story of food insecurity in Mississippi, and across this country, is also a story about structural racism.
