MUST READ! Thank you for your great coverage of these issues!
Recently, a TRUMP attorney could not tell a judge how many employees were fired. They fired NUCLEAR ARMS INSPECTORS in ignorance – apparently didn’t know what the employees did. Couldn’t hire them all back because they lacked contact information. They’re firing FAA employees – an agency that was understaffed. disbanded the AVIATION SAFETY COMMITTEE…notice all of the recent plane crashes.
… WaPo reported that Elon Musk called for Federal Aviation Administrator Mike Whitaker to resign right before Trump took office, which lead to his resignation on Trump’s first day. The FAA was about to fine Musk’s company SpaceX $630,000 for violations related to its launches, and Musk threatened to sue the FAA for “regulatory overreach.”
****THEY OPPOSED FUNDING THE FAA*****
180 Republicans Voted Against Funding the FAA, the Agency That Keeps Planes from Crashing
Trump selected eight of them to serve in his administration. Read this exclusive research and reporting on Meidas+.
MeidasTouch Network
Feb 1 They’re SLASHING FUNDING, firing employees & don’t even understand their jobs.
The MAGA GOP is proposing $4.7 TRILLION in TAX CUTS for the WEALTHY that will be funded by cuts to MEDICAID, MEDICARE & SOCIAL SECURITY.
BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP is addressed in the Constitution.
The JFK LIBRARY & MUSEUM abruptly closed.
FOOD PROGRAMS have lost funding.
GUANTANAMO, the NATIONAL DISGRACE, was opened without explanation, no costs provided.
From BERNIE SANDERS:
Today, 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, millions are earning starvation wages, 85 million are uninsured or under-insured , young people are unable to afford the cost of college, 25% of seniors live on $15,000 a year or less and we have the highest rate of childhood poverty of almost any major country on earth. Oh, and by the way, we’re losing the struggle against climate change – an existential threat to the future of the planet. And here’s the kicker. While Trump moves us away from democracy, while the middle-class continues to decline, the wealthiest people in the country have never ever had it so good. Today, the three major oligarchs, Musk, Bezos and Zuckerberg, are worth $905 billion — that is more wealth than the bottom half of American society — 170 million people. And, incredibly, since Trump’s election their wealth has grown by $217 billion.
Healthcare is a human right and must be available to all regardless of income.
Please stay informed & protest to protect one another!
— “IRS in turmoil over taxpayer information sharing, staff cuts,” by Sarah Betancourt, GBH News. PETE HEGSETH DIDN'T PAY HIS TAXES...BLAMES PRESIDENT BIDEN....EXCEPT IT'S NOT TRUE!
THE NOTICE THIS DEAD BEAT PUBLISHED APPEARS THAT HE WAS PREVIOUSLY NOTIFIED! PRESIDENT BIDEN INCREASED IRS STAFFING TO REDUCE THE BACKLOG, INCREASE RESPONSE RATES, AS WELL AS AUDIT WEALTHY TAX CHEATS - WHICH IT SUCCESSFULLY ACCOMPLISHED! WEALTHY CHEATING ON THEIR TAXES? DON'T THAT BEAT ALL! CHECK OUT RECENT DOGE PROPAGANDA COMING FROM TRUMP - NO ONE IS IN CHARGE! TYPICAL MUSKRAT MAKING FALSE, UNSUBSTATIATED ACCUSATIONS ABOUT FRAUD DUE TO HIS IGNORANCE! THERE IS NO INDICATION THAT BEFORE THESE CLOWNS FIRE PEOPLE, THEY FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY DO....LIKE THE BRAIN DEAD WHO FIRED THE NUCLEAR WEAPONS SPECIALISTS....NOW CAN'T HIRE THEM BACK BECAUSE THEY LACK CONTACT INFORMATION...IT'S CALLED INCOMPETENCE!
— “Amid confusing Trump executive orders, local state reps believe information is power,” by Abigail Pritchard, The New Bedford Light. South Coast residents are expressing concern and fear to their state representatives following more than 60 executive orders from President Donald Trump’s first weeks in office, many of which could impact Massachusetts. Early in his second term, Trump has tried to pause federal spending, threatened mass deportation and cracked down on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. It’s unclear how many of Trump’s executive orders are constitutional, prompting dozens of federal lawsuits — and a wave of confusion. Rep. Antonio F.D. Cabral, D-New Bedford, said that the current chaos comes from a lack of specifics in many of the executive orders. So the first step is figuring out what they might mean for the state, should they survive the lawsuits. In interviews with The Light, Democratic Reps. Cabral, Christopher Markey, Mark Sylvia and Christopher Hendricks said they want people to be aware of the risks. Should Massachusetts lose federal funding, important programs would come under threat. “We understand that we’re going to have, probably, an antagonistic relationship with the administration in the next few years,” New Bedford’s Hendricks said. “There is worry, but there is a sense of, we can handle this. … We’re just gonna stay the course and take issues as they come.” The state House and Senate need to pass the state’s fiscal year 2026 budget by July. Trump’s moves have put the budget proposal in an uncertain state, since federal funding typically makes up about a quarter of the Commonwealth’s budget, according to the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center. Massachusetts depends on the federal government for direct partnerships and state-administered programs, Fairhaven’s Sylvia said. Though a federal judge has temporarily blocked Trump’s funding freeze, state representatives said a loss of federal funding would damage the South Coast, particularly if it affected state programs. “We would see a greater impact as well, because cities like New Bedford and Fall River and others rely even more on state assistance,” Cabral said. For example, the majority of funding for public schools in the area comes from the state, not from local taxes. Hendricks said he thinks a lot of the chaotic reaction to the threat of a federal funding freeze has been “overblown,” because without congressional approval, the president has no authority over spending. But, he said, “I think there’s some legitimate concerns there, relative to how much Congress basically lets Trump do whatever he wants.” New Bedford’s representatives said MassHealth, the state’s health insurance program, is their most immediate concern. MassHealth combines two federal programs, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. In Congress, House Republicans sought significant cuts to Medicaid in a budget plan released Wednesday, which the House Budget Committee voted to advance. Last year, MassHealth took up almost a third of the state budget, with the federal government partially reimbursing the state. “There’s no way we could afford to do it the way we’re doing it, and it’s a real problem for us,” Markey said. “Down in southeastern Mass., we rely on one large hospital system that’s a nonprofit, that takes a disproportionate amount of people who are on public pay.” That hospital system is Southcoast Health, a not-for-profit, charitable, community-based health system that serves New Bedford and surrounding areas. Hendricks said the fear brought about by uncertainty is powerful. Already, he said, Trump’s plans to deport undocumented immigrants is affecting the immigrant community. “[It affects] the way people live their daily lives down in the lower North End area in my district,” Hendricks said. “People don’t go out. People are scared to go to the grocery store. They’re scared to go to pick up their kids from school.” Hendricks said he works closely with the growing Guatemalan community in his district, and is working with the Centro Comunitario de Trabajadores, an immigrant advocacy group, to make sure immigrants know their rights. Markey says he’s seen a slight increase in questions from residents because of Trump’s moves, mostly from elderly constituents concerned about benefits. He said he is visible in the community and answers questions. Sylvia and Hendricks said they want to be there to answer questions from worried constituents. Cabral said it’s important to communicate the risks of pending executive orders to minimize confusion. “I think it’s important that we are realistic and we try to get as much information and as much of the details as possible, and then share those once we understand what those could be,” Cabral said. “It’s important to have a public conversation.” Abigail Pritchard is a graduate student in journalism at Boston University, covering state government for The Light as part of the Boston University Statehouse Program.
As an independent, nonpartisan news outlet dedicated to diverse community voices, The New Bedford Light welcomes guest comments. Please be civil, courteous and respectful. All comments are reviewed before posting. RED STATES SIT ON THEIR HANDS FAILING TO PROTECT THEIR CONSTITUENTS BECAUSE THEY DON'T CARE!
— “As blue states battle Trump's NIH funding cuts, red states benefit too,” by Anna Rubenstein, WBUR: “Though the 22 attorneys general — all Democrats — sought relief for their own states, the restraining order was implemented across the country, protecting institutions even in states that didn’t sue. Speaking to reporters on Feb. 10, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell said Republican AGs have been notably missing from the court actions to stop President Trump’s executive orders.”
****FIRING IMMIGRATION JUDGES!****
— “‘It makes no logical sense’: A Mass. immigration judge is among more than 20 fired by Trump administration,” by Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio, The Boston Globe: “In December, the Biden administration appointed Kerry Doyle to serve as a judge on Massachusetts’ newest immigration court, which opened last year in Chelmsford to help ease the state’s growing backlog of cases. Doyle, who had spent decades working in immigration law as a lawyer and as the principal legal adviser for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, immersed herself in the grueling training and prepared for her swearing-in. On Feb. 14, however, she received a startling notice by email from Sirce Owen, the acting director, Executive Office for Immigration Review, the Department of Justice agency that administers federal immigration laws. Without warning or explanation, the Trump administration had fired her.”
****DENYING HUNGRY AMERICANS FOOD!**** — “‘This is the stuff that keeps me up at night’,” by Peter Currier, The Lowell Sun: “While the country waits for a final say on the validity of President Donald Trump’s attempted federal funding freeze, U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan held a roundtable discussion Tuesday with local and nonprofit leaders to discuss the impact of the potential freeze on local food assistance programs. Trahan was joined by officials from agencies like Community Teamwork and the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell, who all expressed concerns over what a loss in federal funding would do to their organizations and the food assistance they offer.”
PAY WALL! | 
