As DOGE takes a hatchet to the federal workforce, it is hard to ascertain what departments will remain when the dust settles. News outlets are already documenting deaths from the dismantling of USAID, a national shame brought about by greedy, short-sighted "leadership." As DEI programs of every type are targeted, school children will not just lose out from the full force of teacher training and grants provided by a robust Department of Education, but they will lose out specifically because they are not white or because they may be differently abled. How tragic that inclusivity in education has given way to such callous disregard for nurturing and inspiring today's schoolchildren who will become tomorrow's leaders, in ways large and small.
Drastically reducing funding and expertise at NIH could set back research for cutting-edge cures for diseases like Alzheimer's by decades. Even funds for NOAA have been slashed, leaving citizens in certain parts of the country without critical weather and storm updates that could save lives, storms that have become more prevalent and more destructive precisely due to global warming that many Republicans deny even exists. At least Trump did an illegal commercial for electric cars in the driveway of the White House, but that was for a single brand run by Elon Musk, not an acknowledgment that our dependence on fossil fuels is catastrophic for our fragile, polluted environment.
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In short, resistance to such ill-advised funding cuts needs to be persistent and strong. Highlighting the illegal nature of many of these cuts is also crucial in the fight for the very spirit and soul of our nation.
Jenny Kuderer, Goodview
The Trust Project
