Trump walks back firings | Rural healthcare | Seasame St. union

Wednesday, March 5, 2025

LOCAL

► From the Wenatchee World — Proposed Medicaid cuts threaten rural healthcare in Washington, experts warn — More than 800,000 adults in Washington are covered by Medicaid, according to the KFF, a non-profit research organization. According to a report by U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell’s office, in 2023, Washington state received $12.5 billion in federal Medicaid funding, accounting for 57% of all federal funding to the state. Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) in Washington’s rural areas rely on Medicaid funding. In Central Washington, Congressional District 4 has 10 FQHCs that serve more than 420,000 patients with Medicaid, making up 48% of their revenue.

► From the Seattle Times — What Trump tariffs mean for Amazon, Boeing and WA’s very global economy –China is Washington’s biggest export market, with $12 billion in exports in 2024, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Canada is the second largest, at $7.9 billion, and Mexico is No. 4, at $4.3 billion. Combined, those three nations accounted for 42% of Washington’s $58 billion export market for 2024. A 25% tariff on imported aluminum and steel will go into effect March 12 and other, as yet-unspecified tariffs on all agricultural imports and automobiles have been announced for April 2. Trump has also talked about tariffs on the European Union.

► From KOMO — USPS employee shot and killed at distribution center in Tukwila — Police are investigating what led to the deadly shooting of a postal worker at a USPS distribution center in Tukwila on Tuesday afternoon. The Tukwila Police Department said officers responded to a report of a shooting just before 4 p.m. in the 10700 block of 27th Avenue South at a United States Postal Service distribution center.

► From NW Public Broadcasting — New Walla Walla scholarship aimed at women studying the trades — “The workforce is changing,” Jensen said. “So this is a great opportunity for us to help women reach their educational goals.” Across its three categories — returning to work, STEM and the trades — the Walla Walla AAUW hopes to award 25 to 30 scholarships of $3,000 each. The total number will depend on the number and quality of the applications it receives.

ORGANIZING

► From More Perfect Union:

BREAKING: Workers at Sesame Workshop are unionizing.

More than 200 workers at the non-profit behind Sesame Street have declared the desire to form a union with @OPEIU.

This group includes childhood education experts, fundraisers, facilities staff, producers, and more.

— More Perfect Union (@MorePerfectUS) March 4, 2025

NATIONAL

► From the AP — Veterans are speaking out on the Trump administration’s plans to cut the VA’s budget –Gregg Bafundo served during the first Gulf War and has nerve damage to his feet from carrying loads of weight as a Marine mortarman. He says he may need to turn to the VA for care after being fired as a wilderness ranger and firefighter through the layoffs at the U.S. Forest Service. “They’re going to put guys like me and my fellow Marines that rely on the VA in the ground,” said Bafundo, 53, who lives in Tonasket, Washington.

► From the AP — Wall Street falls again as losses wipe out all post-election gains for the S&P 500 — “The markets are having a tough time even setting expectations for what this trade war could look like,” said Ross Mayfield, investment strategy analyst at Baird. “This is clearly a level step higher than anything we saw during (Trump’s) first term.”

POLITICS & POLICY

► From the Huffington Post — Trump Abruptly Walks Back His Directive To Fire Thousands Of Federal Employees — President Donald Trump on Tuesday abruptly walked back his directive to federal agencies to fire thousands of probationary employees, a change driven not by a desire to preserve people’s jobs but an attempt to comply with a judge’s ruling that the way in which he’s been carrying out mass firings is likely illegal.

► From Axios — Scoop: GOP Sen. Josh Hawley leads union-backed bipartisan labor bill — The Faster Labor Contracts Act aims to prevent employers from stalling union contract negotiations — requiring talks to begin within 10 days, rather than put off for years. The bill is being cosponsored by Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) as well as three Democrats — Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.)

► From Wired — Some DOGE Staffers Are Drawing Six-Figure Government Salaries — Some staffers at Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency are drawing robust taxpayer-funded salaries from the federal agencies they are slashing and burning…Nate Cavanaugh, a 28-year-old tech entrepreneur who has taken a visible internal role interviewing GSA employees as part of DOGE’s work at the agency, is listed as being paid just over $120,500 per year. According to DOGE’s official website, the average GSA employee makes $128,565 and has worked at the agency for 13 years.

► From the Guardian — US Department of Education workers decry ‘final mission’ email as power grab | Trump administration — “This is our opportunity to perform one final, unforgettable public service to future generations of students.” The message comes as Trump is reportedly finalizing plans to issue an executive order to eliminate the 45-year-old US Department of Education and eliminate or reorganize the department’s functions and programs. Workers at the Department of Education called the email a “power grab” focused on privatization at the expense of children with disabilities and from low-income families. “It’s heartbreaking to read such a disingenuous, manipulative letter from the head of the agency,” said one employee who requested to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation.

► From the AP — Speaker Johnson tells GOP lawmakers to skip town halls after an onslaught of protests –The speaker’s advice Tuesday comes as GOP lawmakers often find themselves at a loss to explain the cuts, led by billionaire Elon Musk’sDepartment of Government Efficiency, that are leaving federal workers suddenly out of jobs in communities from coast to coast…The Republicans are finding themselves in an unusual spot — defending the deep budget cuts they have campaigned on for years, but have rarely been able to accomplish because the reductions cut into federal programs and services Americans in their districts rely on.

► From Reuters — US CHIPS Act office lays off about a third of its staff, sources say — Reuters reported last month that the new Trump administration, which has embarked on a dramatic overhaul of the federal government, is reviewing the projects awarded un der the 2022 U.S. CHIPS Act. That law is meant to boost U.S. domestic semiconductor output with grants and loans to companies across the chip industry.

From the AP — Rep. Al Green shouts down Trump and may face censure by the House for the outburst — “It’s worth it to let people know that there are some of us who are going to stand up against this president.”

► From the Texas Democrats:

pic.twitter.com/W1GDonjjMT

— Texas Democrats (@texasdemocrats) March 5, 2025

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