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mariatown.bsky.social
Maria Town
@mariatown.bsky.social
9.2K followers 74 following 47 posts
Disability Advocate. Cat Mom.
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Reposted by Maria Town
crampell.bsky.social
Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 1d
Per CDC source: At internal leadership meeting this afternoon, it was shared that 1,257 people were RIF'd at CDC. Number may not be final. Apparently, chief of staff was unaware that RIFs were going to occur so not clear who is making decisions. (Short 🧵)
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Reposted by Maria Town
ericmgarcia.bsky.social
Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · 1d
If you work in the Office of Special Education for the Department of Education and have been RIF'ed or if you work in a school that has been notified about it, please message me. My Signal is emgarcia.85. I'll protect your identity.
sarapartridge.bsky.social
Sara Partridge, Ph.D. @sarapartridge.bsky.social · 1d
There are reports that the *entire* office of special education at the US Dept of Education has been cut. These hardworking folks ensure kids with disabilities get equal access to a quality education.

America’s children deserve better than this.
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Reposted by Maria Town
juliametraux.bsky.social
Julia Métraux @juliametraux.bsky.social · 5h
If you were just laid off by the Department of Education and your job was to help distribute IDEA funds, please be in touch for a @motherjones.com article. I can protect your identity in an article, though I'll have to confirm who you are. My signal is juliametraux.49. Reposts appreciated.
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Reposted by Maria Town
51st.news
The 51st @51st.news · 7d
Two opportunities to get involved in the city this week, from @colleengrablick.bsky.social's Civics Roundup:
• Tuesday, Oct. 7: @freedcproject.bsky.social's Ward 3 campaign orientation
• Wednesday, Oct. 8: "Angry" hour for pissed-off optimists benefiting @peacefordc.bsky.social
Your weekly roundup of ways to get involved in D.C.
Plus, plenty of chances to plug into Free DC this week.
51st.news
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Reposted by Maria Town
51st.news
The 51st @51st.news · 7d
ICYMI, the federal government is still shut down.

Here's what that means for the people of D.C.
The federal government has shut down. Here’s what it means for D.C.
You can’t legally get married, for one, and the city’s economy will take a hit.
51st.news
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Reposted by Maria Town
andydrc.bsky.social
Andy Imparato @andydrc.bsky.social · 9d
#FF @jasmineeharris.bsky.social @mariatown.bsky.social @crenny75.bsky.social @akwyz.com @neilmilliken.bsky.social @debraruh.bsky.social @judgewren.bsky.social @sabrinaep.bsky.social @xoulwing.bsky.social @icarszoey.bsky.social @yep4rights.bsky.social @disabilityrightsca.bsky.social @aapd.com
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Reposted by Maria Town
fatimagossgraves.bsky.social
Fatima Goss Graves @fatimagossgraves.bsky.social · 10d
And will be in excellent hands with the brilliant @ashleyallison.bsky.social 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/02/media/the-root-go-media-ashley-allison
The Root returns to Black ownership | CNN Business
Ashley Allison, a Democratic political strategist and CNN commentator, said Thursday that she is acquiring The Root from G/O Media.
edition.cnn.com
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Reposted by Maria Town
matthewborus.bsky.social
Bat 🦇 Borus @matthewborus.bsky.social · 11d
If you haven’t worked in the federal government during a past shutdown, it may be hard to know how drastically this breaks from past practice and the law.

I was furloughed from HHS in 2013, and our out-of-office messages were studiously neutral. To do otherwise would have violated the Hatch Act.
jamieson.bsky.social
Dave Jamieson @jamieson.bsky.social · 11d
Wild stuff. Furloughed employees within HHS got an email this morning telling them to set an out-of-office reply blaming Democrats for the shutdown.

"I take that email as coercing subordinates to engage in political activity," one worker told me.

www.huffpost.com/entry/out-of...
Trump Admin Tells Federal Employees To Set OOO Message Blaming Democrats For Shutdown
One health department employee said the directions seemed to be "coercing" subordinates into political activity.
www.huffpost.com
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Reposted by Maria Town
juliametraux.bsky.social
Julia Métraux @juliametraux.bsky.social · 10d
Ridiculously, Medicare Telehealth coverage keeps are getting tied to continuing resolutions. Bills could be passed separately. But political bureaucracy. This means Medicare Telehealth waivers are kaput as of today. My latest for @motherjones.com www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Another shutdown casualty: Medicare telehealth coverage
It's got bipartisan support—and millions of Americans need it. But Congress keeps failing to lock in funding for Medicare telehealth services.
www.motherjones.com
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Reposted by Maria Town
jacquelyngill.bsky.social
Jacquelyn Gill @jacquelyngill.bsky.social · 11d
This will be an essential resource, and my hope is that it makes it easier for academics who are called to public scholarship as a way to fight the encroaching darkness.
lollardfish.bsky.social
David M. Perry @lollardfish.bsky.social · 12d
COVER REVEAL AND PREORDER: The Public Scholar - A Practical Handbook.

"Perry focuses on the practical details of how to approach public scholarship. How do you pitch a piece to an editor? When should you follow or ignore the rules of the genre? And what happens once your piece is out in the world?"
The Public Scholar
A Practical Handbook
www.press.jhu.edu
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mariatown.bsky.social
Maria Town @mariatown.bsky.social · 11d
Our nation’s public servants & the folks who rely on government in any way (which is most of us) should not be collateral damage in a political fight within a dysfunctional Congress. It’s bad governance. It’s bad management. It’s bad leadership, & we should demand better from our elected officials.
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mariatown.bsky.social
Maria Town @mariatown.bsky.social · 11d
There are many, many reasons to be frustrated with government, and there are probably just as many opinions and arguments on how to make it run better.
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mariatown.bsky.social
Maria Town @mariatown.bsky.social · 11d
Shutdowns cost our economy. The last shutdown in 2019, which lasted for a continuous 35 days, cost the United States an estimated $3 billion in lost GDP.
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mariatown.bsky.social
Maria Town @mariatown.bsky.social · 11d
A 2019 Senate report found that the three government shutdowns in 2013, 2018, and 2019 wasted nearly $4 billion of taxpayer dollars. Imagine how much public good could be done with this money. www.hsgac.senate.gov/wp-content/u...
www.hsgac.senate.gov
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mariatown.bsky.social
Maria Town @mariatown.bsky.social · 11d
Shutdowns cost the government money, and they make our government run more inefficiently before they’ve even begun. When a shutdown looms, agencies have to take time away from the things they are actually supposed to be doing to create contingency plans. Employees have to spend time preparing.
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mariatown.bsky.social
Maria Town @mariatown.bsky.social · 11d
If people have an issue with their benefits, there isn’t anyone to help fix it. Air traffic controllers keep working, but without pay. The FDA has said that it won’t be able to ensure that meat & eggs are safe to eat. Some programs like SNAP could have benefits interrupted if the shutdown is long.
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mariatown.bsky.social
Maria Town @mariatown.bsky.social · 11d
If and when a shutdown happens, critical resources like social security benefits checks, Medicaid and Medicare payments, and student loan disbursements continue to go out. However, oversight of all of these programs stops. New enrollment for federal programs either slows significantly or stops.
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mariatown.bsky.social
Maria Town @mariatown.bsky.social · 11d
Sometimes, people do not have the luxury of being able to hold out to get retroactive pay.
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mariatown.bsky.social
Maria Town @mariatown.bsky.social · 11d
This has since changed, and legally federal workers are supposed to get retroactive pay after a shutdown ends and appropriations occur. While this change removes some of the fear I had over a decade ago, a disruption in your pay schedule can have extremely detrimental effects on your daily life.
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mariatown.bsky.social
Maria Town @mariatown.bsky.social · 11d
At the time, there was no guarantee that federal workers would receive back pay after the shutdown ended, and I remember asking my landlord for flexibility on rent payments because I wasn’t sure I’d have enough in my account to cover my bills.
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mariatown.bsky.social
Maria Town @mariatown.bsky.social · 11d
As we await news of a government shutdown, I’m thinking back to my time as a federal employee. In 2013, the government shutdown for a little more than two weeks. I was confused, frustrated, and scared.
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Reposted by Maria Town
sesmith.lol
s. eek smith 👻 @sesmith.lol · 15d
The work of disabled scholars counting on federal funding for their projects and access needs is evaporating in a haze of Trump, after we fought SO HARD for equitable access. Many of these scholars are in the ADA Generation!
Assault on Accessibility Initiatives Hits Early Career Scientists Hard
The Trump administration’s cuts to programs supporting people with disabilities are part of a broader assault on DEI.
capitalandmain.com
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Reposted by Maria Town
matthewborus.bsky.social
Bat 🦇 Borus @matthewborus.bsky.social · 17d
So, a project that I’m working on is getting some media attention, and that feels pretty cool.

I should note: this article lets at least one highly dubious claim from administration brass go unchallenged. So bad as this picture of Trump’s SSA looks, the reality’s probably worse.

Gift link below.
A Diminished Social Security Work Force, and Its Customers, Feel the Strain
www.nytimes.com
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Reposted by Maria Town
npr.org
NPR @npr.org · 18d
In making unsupported claims about autism, the Trump administration is "pointing the finger" at parents and making them feel guilty, says autism community advocate Colin Killick.
Trump admin 'seems to care very little about autistic people,' says advocate
In making unsupported claims about autism, the Trump administration is "pointing the finger" at parents and making them feel guilty, says autism community advocate Colin Killick.
n.pr
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Reposted by Maria Town
propublica.org
ProPublica @propublica.org · Sep 12
Citing concerns about DEI, the Department of Education has halted funding for programs that support students with combined hearing and vision loss in eight states.

“How low can you go?” one advocate asked. “How can you do this to children?”

By @jodiscohen.bsky.social @jsmithrichards.bsky.social
Programs for Students With Hearing and Vision Loss Harmed by Trump’s Anti-Diversity Push
Citing concerns about DEI, the U.S. Department of Education has halted funding for programs that support students with combined hearing and vision loss in eight states. “How low can you go?” one advoc...
www.propublica.org
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