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Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · May 17

For over half a century, the National Weather Service has operated 24/7. But after the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency pushed to shrink the federal workforce, that’s no longer possible in parts of the country.

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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · May 16

This would be an obvious act of ethnic cleansing under international law.

NBC News @nbcnews.com · May 16

BREAKING: The Trump administration is working on a plan to permanently relocate up to 1 million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Libya, five people with knowledge of the effort told NBC News.

Trump administration working on plan to move 1 million Palestinians to Libya

Details are murky and no final agreement has been reached, but the plan is under serious enough consideration that the administration has discussed it with Libyan leadership.

nbcnews.to

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Kathleen Romig @kathleenromig.bsky.social · May 16

There’s been lots of chatter about repealing taxation of Social Security benefits in the tax bill. Turns out Rs opted to increase the standard deduction for some seniors instead.

Will this increase help lower- and middle-income retirees?

Nope, and here’s why. 🧵

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Brendan Duke @brendanvduke.bsky.social · May 16

The good news: the deeply flawed House GOP budget bill containing the tradeoff below doesn’t have the votes.

The bad news: it doesn’t have the votes because the House Freedom Caucus is trying to make the yellow bar bigger and the SALT caucus is trying to make the red bar bigger.

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Chye-Ching Huang @dashching.bsky.social · May 12

As @taxlawcenter.org's Mike Kaercher notes in this piece, "The fact that there's even a question of whether the administration is violating these laws that prevent weaponization of the IRS is deeply troubling"

NPR @npr.org · May 12

President Trump is looking to use the IRS to achieve some of his political goals. Some experts see parallels with Nixon's efforts to interfere with the agency.

Trump is looking to use the IRS for his own political ends. Nixon tried it too

President Trump is looking to use the IRS to achieve some of his political goals. Some experts see parallels with Nixon's efforts to interfere with the agency.

www.npr.org

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Kim Kelly @kimkelly.bsky.social · May 13

NEWS: Thanks to courageous West Virginia coal miner Harry Wiley and his brilliant attorney, Sam Petsonk, over 100 NIOSH workers in Morgantown, WV just got their jobs back and the crucial Coal Workers Surveillance Program will be restored.

They took on RFK and the Trump admin—and won. Story soon.

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Nicole Chung @nicolechung.bsky.social · May 16

“Staffers at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts said Thursday that they plan to form a union in response to several waves of layoffs and what they describe as a lack of transparency from leaders at the arts institution, which President Donald Trump took over in February.”

Kennedy Center employees announce plans to unionize

Staffers asked the National Labor Relations Board to oversee a union vote. They criticized leaders at the arts center for layoffs and a lack of transparency under President Donald Trump.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Peggy Bailey @peggybaileydc.bsky.social · May 16

The #SNAP cuts in the House Ag bill would hurt millions of people. It could be particularly devastating for families, retailers and others in rural America.

Gbenga Ajilore @gbenga-ajilore.bsky.social · May 15

The House Ag Committee bill cutting #SNAP by about $300 billion will harm people living in rural America. Specifically, work requirements miss the lack of job opportunities within rural counties. Let’s start with 2 pieces of background info… (1/9) www.cbpp.org/research/foo...

Expanded Work Requirements in House Republican Bill Would Take Away Food Assistance From Millions: State and Congressional District Estimates | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

One of the harshest cuts in the House Agriculture Committee bill would take food assistance away from people — including, for the first time ever, parents with children over the age of 6 and adults ag...

www.cbpp.org

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Alondra Nelson @alondra.bsky.social · May 16

This is not a screenplay.

For some, these will be life or death situations. For many, these natural disasters will yield devastating loss.

We should have a FEMA ready, able and fully staffed to support the American public when it needs it most.

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · May 16

“I feel a little bit like Bubba from ‘Forrest Gump,’” Richardson said, according to the video. “We’ve got hurricanes, we’ve got fires, we’ve got mudslides, we’ve got flash floods, we’ve got tornadoes, we’ve got droughts, we’ve got heat waves ..”

@wsj.com
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

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Kim Kelly @kimkelly.bsky.social · May 15

When the Trump administration eviscerated the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health office in Morgantown, WV in April, they abruptly shut down life-or-death services for coal miners with black lung.

One of those miners decided to fight back—and won.
inthesetimes.com/article/west...

A West Virginia Coal Miner Just Saved NIOSH’s Black Lung Program

A federal judge ordered the restoration of jobs in the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety’s Respiratory Health Division after a veteran coal miner filed a class action lawsuit argui...

inthesetimes.com

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Kris Cox @krisycox.bsky.social · May 14

Great new blog out from my colleague @brendanvduke.bsky.social

Brendan Duke @brendanvduke.bsky.social · May 14

Blog post from me: The House GOP tax bill gives large tax cuts to millionaires and paltry tax cuts to the working-class-- tax cuts that will be wiped away by the cuts to health care and nutrition in the same freaking bill.

www.cbpp.org/blog/how-hou...

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Chye-Ching Huang @dashching.bsky.social · May 14

Ways & Means bill "would impose onerous burdens on taxpayers claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit for tens of millions of eligible children and, in doing so, discourage many of them from claiming credits for which they are eligible." New @taxlawcenter.org:

taxlawcenter.org/blog/ways-an...

Ways and Means Bill Would Cut Earned Income Tax Credit by Increasing Bureaucratic Burdens for Families

This post explains how the bill would impose onerous burdens on taxpayers claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for tens of millions of eligible children and, in doing so, discourage many of th...

taxlawcenter.org

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Center on Budget and Policy Priorities @centeronbudget.bsky.social · May 14

The House Ways & Means tax plan gives permanent tax breaks to the wealthy, with $105 billion going to households making over $1 million. Low-income families could face eventual tax hikes, alongside cuts to #Medicaid and #SNAP. @brendanvduke.bsky.social explains: www.cbpp.org/blog/how-hou...

How House Republican Agenda Boosts the Wealthy, Does Little (or Worse) for Low-Income Families | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

House Ways and Means Republicans have released their tax plan as part of the budget reconciliation process and as long expected, it provides enormous tax cuts for the wealthy while doing little for...

www.cbpp.org

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Brendan Duke @brendanvduke.bsky.social · May 14

These #s don’t consider the expiration of the enhanced PTCs, which made ACA coverage far more affordable & increased coverage.

Despite extending profligate tax cuts for the wealthy, this is the 1 tax cut the W&M cmte doesn’t extend. 4M ppl will lose coverage as a result per CBO

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Brendan Duke @brendanvduke.bsky.social · May 14

The bill is even more regressive when you look at 2029 when tax cuts for families expire & tax increases resulting from cuts to ACA premium tax credits grow larger.

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Brendan Duke @brendanvduke.bsky.social · May 14

The House GOP is taking a page from 2017 playbook & making the most regressive pieces permanent (i.e. estate tax/pass-thru deduction) while making new tax cuts for families temporary.

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Brendan Duke @brendanvduke.bsky.social · May 14

These new tax #s only provide a partial snapshot of the Trump/House R agenda. They do not include cuts to Medicaid, food & more, or tariffs.

We hope to have combined impacts soon–but even if you just add in the effects of the tariffs most families barely benefit if at all.

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Brendan Duke @brendanvduke.bsky.social · May 14

New @centeronbudget.bsky.social analysis of the draft GOP tax plan released yesterday:

Unsurprisingly, it provides enormous tax cuts for the wealthy—including an average annual $65k cut for the top 1%—while doing little for low- and moderate-income families in 2027 (and even less by 2029).

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Shelby Gonzales @shelbytgonzales.bsky.social · May 13

It’s deeply disappointing that House Republicans are planning to take food away from people who have fled their homes seeking safety in our nation and have completed rigorous processes to obtain refugee or asylum. Historically these humanitarian statuses have been supported by both parties.

Ty Jones Cox @tyjonescox.bsky.social · May 13

The bill would also deny food benefits to all non-citizens who are not lawful permanent residents (green card holders). This includes people who are refugees & asylees, who were exempted from restrictions enacted in 1996. In FY23, 434,000 refugees & asylees participated in SNAP.

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Leran @leran.bsky.social · May 13

My kid was home sick yesterday and I had to decide whether or not to send him to school today.

I'm lucky. That choice wouldn't cost my job or make me lose pay.

But if the GOP proposal passes low-income families would have to weigh all that and if staying home would jeopardize their ability to eat.

Danny Mintz @dannymintz.bsky.social · May 13

The new GOP proposal for SNAP cuts would take food off the table of 7 year olds if their parents can't report enough work hours. When my kids were 7, they were playing foursquare, learning math facts, and being silly.

Imagine getting LESS help to feed your kids if your boss cuts your hours.

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Danny Mintz @dannymintz.bsky.social · May 13

The new GOP proposal for SNAP cuts would take food off the table of 7 year olds if their parents can't report enough work hours. When my kids were 7, they were playing foursquare, learning math facts, and being silly.

Imagine getting LESS help to feed your kids if your boss cuts your hours.

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Gideon Lukens @gidlukens.bsky.social · May 13

The Ways and Means committee bill includes a slew of expansions of tax-advantaged health savings accounts – totaling more than $40 billion/10y – that mostly benefit high-income people and do nothing to address the problems people face affording care. www.cbpp.org/blog/five-re...

Five Reasons Lawmakers Should Reject Expansions of Health Savings Accounts | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

Expanding health savings accounts (HSAs) is a key element of Republicans’ health care policy agenda. Ostensibly, HSAs allow people enrolled in certain health insurance policies to set aside money...

www.cbpp.org

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Emily Gee @emily-gee.bsky.social · May 13

"This combination — top-heavy tax cuts financed by low-income benefit cuts — would add up to possibly the largest single transfer of wealth from poor to rich in U.S. history" says @bbkogan.bsky.social. Must-read this morning from @crampell.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Opinion | Now might be exactly the worst time to cut Medicaid and food stamps

Cutting the safety net could prolong an economic recession.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Bill Grueskin @bgrueskin.bsky.social · May 12

Excellent NYT graphic.

In the space of about 3 months, tariffs on China:
-- doubled;
-- went up ≈ 2.5X from there;
-- roughly doubled again;
-- went up ≈ 40% from there;
-- and now have dropped ≈ 80% from the peak -- but are still 3X what they were in February.

www.nytimes.com/article/trum...

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Alondra Nelson @alondra.bsky.social · May 13

“To watch these changes unfold without naming them for what they are is to participate in a collective amnesia about how knowledge infrastructures shape power relations."

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