Public Employees | May 2025

Cutting Medicaid and SNAP to help billionaires?

Remember when President Donald Trump promised we would see a big, beautiful bill of all the things he wants Congress to do? Well, Republicans have revealed it—and it’s truly ugly. Among other things, their tax bill would make deep cuts to Medicaid, stripping health coverage from at least 8.6 million Americans. These are not faceless individuals but people with disabilities, retirees, 40 percent of new babies, nearly 1.6 million veterans, more than 2 million military-attached children and millions of people on Medicare who get supplemental Medicaid. The bill also cuts the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, pushing the cost of SNAP to the states. This legislation is a gift to the wealthiest Americans at the expense of everyone else. Find out how we can protect Medicaid and SNAP, and then tell Congress: NO CUTS.

How to fight authoritarianism and build citizen engagement

Confidence in America’s democracy is falling. Concerns are growing about authoritarianism replacing our democracy. How do we come back from a place of rejecting plurality, suppressing dissent and threatening judges, and instead embrace caring for community, expanded opportunities and a strengthened democracy? First, read this AFT member’s primer on exchanging ideas with elected officials over coffee. Then join Harvard professor Erica Chenoweth; Ivan Marovic, executive director of the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict; and AFT President Randi Weingarten for an important discussion on Tuesday, May 20, at 8 p.m. EDT. Be sure to invite your colleagues.

Tell Congress: Honor our tribal treaties

The United States has more than 400 signed treaties with Native American sovereign nations, promising services in exchange for Indigenous land. The Trump administration’s plan to gut the federal government and give tax cuts to billionaires threatens to violate our sacred obligation to Native American people. These actions will harm our AFT siblings in the Federation of Indian Service Employees, as well as all the people they serve. Support the work of FISE by sending letters to Congress telling lawmakers to honor our tribal treaties.

Infrastructure Week: Now it’s up to the states

This is Infrastructure Week, which focuses on improving the nation’s transportation systems, boosting connectivity and preparing for natural disasters. New research from the Pew Charitable Trusts shows that over the past five years, the damage caused by disasters has cost a combined $746.7 billion. That’s more than double the price tag for the entire 1990s, adjusted for inflation. These rising costs are exposing long-time weaknesses in how states have budgeted for natural disasters. One way states can act: Invest in mitigation, such as elevating homes and strengthening infrastructure, as well as buying and removing flood-prone properties. For more solutions, see Pew’s research.

Watch our town hall on mental health

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Challenges to mental health—from attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder to rising rates of anxiety and depression—are affecting workplaces and communities nationwide. Watch as AFT President Randi Weingarten and Dr. Vin Gupta join former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams in a timely conversation on how we can respond to this crisis. The on-demand town hall delivers science-backed insights and practical guidance.

Advocates oppose nominee to head Social Security

Lawmakers, union leaders and activists gathered outside the U.S. Capitol earlier this month to oppose President Donald Trump’s controversial nominee, billionaire Frank Bisignano, for commissioner of the Social Security Administration. The protest came ahead of a Senate vote on the nomination, which critics say could pose a serious threat to the future of Social Security.