DAILY NEWS
Shame on Dan ● ‘Will work for pay’ ● Solidarity in Vancouver
Thursday, January 24, 2019
TRUMP’S SHUTDOWN
► In today’s Tri-City Herald — Newhouse blasts Pelosi over State of the Union showdown — U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-4th) is calling on fellow House members to override Pelosi’s decision that he says blocks Trump from performing his constitutional duty.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Dear Rep. Newhouse:
You and Rep. McMorris Rodgers are the only members of Washington state’s congressional delegation who have repeatedly voted AGAINST ending the shutdown. Your continuing support for Trump’s demand for $5.7 billion for a border wall demonstrates that you have chosen to put politics ahead of your constituents who are being forced to work for no pay, locked out of their jobs, or denied essential federal services.
But your press release expressing outrage over the State of the Union address doubles down on your political cynicism. Since you fired off that press release and your local newspaper dutifully reproduced it, Trump has decided on his own to postpone his address. Why? Because even he sees how bad the optics would be to deliver this address amid the shutdown debacle that he proudly takes credit for.
But not you, Rep. Newhouse. Your rote instinct for political subservience to your White House master, honed over the past two years, inspired you to run to Trump’s defense with a tone-deaf and pointless press release. Shame on you, Rep. Newhouse.
Sincerely, The Entire Staff of The Stand
► In today’s NY Times — Aviation professionals warn of dire risk amid shutdown — The unions that represent the nation’s air traffic controllers, pilots and flight attendants issued a dire warning on Wednesday on Day 33 of the shutdown, saying major airports were already seeing security checkpoints close, and more closings could follow; safety inspectors were not back on the job at pre-shutdown levels; and analysts’ ability to process safety reporting data and take critical corrective action had been weakened.
In today’s Washington Post — ‘Risk in the system’: Unpaid air traffic controllers driving Uber say second shift threatens air safety
► From Politico — ‘Extraordinarily angry and very upset taxpayers’: IRS faces chaotic tax season amid shutdown
► In today’s Washington Post — Federal workers affected by partial shutdown to be billed for dental, vision coverage — The 800,000 federal employees furloughed by the partial government shutdown and working without pay were warned Wednesday that they must pay their dental and vision premiums beginning this week or they could lose their coverage. The workers are not at risk of losing their regular health insurance benefits.
TODAY at The Stand — AFL-CIO launches #StopTheShutdown digital campaign
► In today’s Washington Post — Senators hope defeat of dueling plans produces a solution to shutdown — The Senate plans to hold dueling votes Thursday to end the longest government shutdown in history. Most think both proposals will fail. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) agreed to hold initial votes on two starkly contrasting ideas that some lawmakers hope will mark a small but important step toward a solution.
► In today’s NY Times — They design spacecraft and fight epidemics for America. The shutdown may scare them away. — The Civil Service relies to a large degree on good will. No matter how vital high-skilled federal workers are to the functioning of government, there are usually companies willing to offer them much higher salaries — double or even triple in some cases — on top of the free lunches and stock options. As student debt soars and private sector opportunities multiply, the sheer allure of public service — “the mission,” as NASA researchers often put it — is what keeps a lot of talent in the government. The longest shutdown in the country’s history is eroding that good will, already wearing thin after years of pay freezes, unpredictable budgets, and disdain from even the White House for government workers as swamp creatures or worse.
► From Business Insider — Why the U.S. Postal Service is never affected by government shutdowns — Self-sustaining programs, like the Postal Service or passport issuance, or permanently-funded programs, like Social Security, do not get caught up in the budget battle.
► From The Hill — (Billionaire Commerce Secretary) Ross: ‘I don’t quite understand’ why federal workers need food banks during shutdown
TODAY at The Stand — Help available for federal workers, their families
► In today’s Bellingham Herald — From selling their plasma to temp jobs, here’s how unpaid federal workers are getting by — As the partial government shutdown continues, unpaid federal workers in Whatcom County are seeking temporary work and considering offers to help them get by. Businesses are giving loans, discounts and more.
► In today’s News Tribune — Frustration is mounting outside the gates of Mount Rainier as Trump’s shutdown drags on (by Matt Driscoll)
► In today’s News Tribune — Uncertainties amid shutdown loom over area’s economic forecasts
► In today’s News Tribune — Sen. Patty Murray must step up, help end government shutdown (editorial)
► In today’s Yakima H-R — Yakima Valley food banks brace for a surge as shutdown disrupts SNAP benefits
LOCAL
► In today’s Columbian — Teachers vow to support Vancouver schools support staff — The pressure is on for Vancouver Public Schools and its support staff to reach a tentative contract agreement before union members strike on Friday, a move that could keep kids out of class for the second time this school year.
► In today’s Columbian — Clark College faculty union seeks pay hikes — The Clark College Association for Higher Education, which represents faculty members at the Vancouver community college, is currently in the midst of bargaining for pay raises. This is the first time the union has bargained for local dollars after the Legislature last year gave community and technical colleges the right to negotiate for local salary increases.
► In today’s Walla Walla U-B — College Place school workers call for higher pay — More than 50 people held signs in front of Davis Elementary School in the cold and rain of Tuesday night, chanting “Hey, hey, ho, ho. These wages now are way too low.” Most of the group were classified employees from College Place Public Schools. Others came from Walla Walla Public Schools and the community to support the cause.
THIS WASHINGTON
THAT WASHINGTON
► In today’s Washington Post — Michael Cohen says Trump and Giuliani threatened him. Does that amount to witness tampering? — Legal experts called the missives a newsworthy development that could amount to evidence of obstructing justice. Said Norman Eisen, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution: “It comes very close to the statutory definition of witness tampering. He may have crossed the legal line.”
► From HuffPost — ‘Roma’ actor fears he’ll miss The Oscars after being denied a U.S. visa
NATIONAL
► EXCLUSIVE from Bloomberg — Google urged the U.S. government to limit protection for activist workers — Google, whose employees have captured international attention in recent months through high-profile protests of workplace policies, has been quietly urging the U.S. government to narrow legal protection for workers organizing online.
► In the WSJ — Now flight attendants have to hustle for tips (subscription req’d) — A new policy at Frontier and credit-card peddling at other airlines raise questions about whether flight attendants should depend on passengers for income.
The Stand posts links to Washington state and national news of interest every weekday morning by 10 a.m.