I have been on a trip so I am catching up with the episodes I missed. I think the economy will start to feel a slowdown with these firings. My husband is a federal employee and while he hasn’t been fired (yet!) we both feel now like he could come home tomorrow without a job and we have completely shut down spending on anything other than essentials. And we are not what you would call frugal usually 😂🤦🏼♀️ most other people we know in similar situations have done the same. When you have no idea if you’re going to keep having a job it makes spending money feel awful and that is going to have ripple effects.
Watched SNL 50- I think maybe you missed the point. I also wonder if you recall that SNL had a pretty precipitous decline during the early 1990s. Those of us who are Gen X recall the early days, the rough years and the rise again. The humor isn’t meant for a current teen. It’s meant for those in their 20s +.
I also watched the musical review special. Guys…they had Nirvana and Adele on before they were who they are. They had PRINCE before he was well known.
I don’t understand the critique. I’ve not always been a fan of every skit but that’s kind of the point.
I so appreciate your take on politics and your extensive knowledge of the law. I also think you guys might be a little isolated from culture in Kentucky (I say this with love as I grew up in Edgewood and spent holidays in Murray).
Here's my worry when I try to think at the 50,000 foot level about the federal firings: we're losing the messaging war. This is the time to set Trump up to take the heat and instead everyone is only talking about Elon and DOGE. These are the *Trump* layoffs, the *Trump* slashes to the federal government. The *Trump* FAA firings. The *Trump* hollowing out of infectious disease tracking.
Instead, I worry that we are focusing on Elon which only sets us up for *Elon* to take the blame for anything that goes wrong - and it will - as a result of the absolutely catastrophic, haphazard, cruel approach he's taking to the federal workforce. At that point, all Trump has to do is part ways with Elon and say he never trusted him in the first place. WE NEED TO SET UP TRUMP by pinning him with the "successes" and "responsiveness" of DOGE so it's clear to the people what happens when it all goes to shit.
The only way to beat a narcissist is to (metaphorically) beat them over the head with reality until their lies have no more power over you. It doesn't matter that he isn't paying attention to any of this - everything that happens is his responsibility *because he is the president* and he is letting this happen.
AND WHAT THE HELL ARE THE DEMOCRATS DOING? If the only thing they did was elevate the voices of affected constituents and refer to every single impact as *Trump's* then we'd have something to work with! The silence is a void that they will always fill. Argh!
You know what else is turning 50 this year? The National Conference of State Legislatures! Serving our democracy and providing nonpartisan and bipartisan support to state legislators and staff for 50 years! Come join us in Boston in August at out annual NCSL Summit to celebrate where democracy is really happening: the states. 😉
-signed, your friendly neighborhood state legislatures zealot.
SMART goals are super dumb. I remember when a workplace was explaining these types of goals to me and I just said "smart, like writing goals you know you can achieve,". Hahaha no. But really yes.
SNL: as Lindsey said above I was also pretty defensive about the takes on the SNL Sunday show. I really enjoyed it and felt like it was a nod to the old and new. It isn’t really for the newer viewers. As I have thought about it more I think it was really mostly for some boomers and Gen X, with a little millennial sprinkled in. Not everything needs super analysis, and I think that is a trap society has gotten ourselves into with social media and we sometimes forget how to enjoy something for what it is-entertainment. It was fun to see all the celebrities from different generations. I also think that so much of this can be enjoyed in small takes through streaming it doesn’t matter how long it is. I thought the anxiety short was genius and so well done. Where I truly respectfully disagree is about weekend update. I love Colin Jost and Michael Che-they crack me up. 😊. But damn if Adam Sandler didn’t make me cry at the end of his song with Chris Farley and Norm Macdonald. ❤️
This discussion inspired me (as your thoughtful commentary always does) to write a piece about the warning signs that precede gun violence and our collective civic duty to say something. Thank you Sarah & Beth for being an inspiration to us all!
I'm not 100% sure this is correct. I think in the traditional sense, yes, that's right, but hear me out. What if the vision is "well the government just shouldn't"? Beth mentioned how they are firing judges when we have a backlog of asylum cases needing addressed. Well, what if the government shouldn't address the asylum seekers? The US is pulling out of USAid support. Well, what if the government shouldn't have this at all anyways? The US has supported it's allies since WW2. Well, what if the government shouldn't do it?
I was talking to my brother, who I think its safe to say they have drank from the MAGA/DOGE koolaid. He LOVES what is happening in the government, and I wouldn't say he likes Trump, but he hates the fact that the government does not help him directly. I brought up how I don't like how they are treating the federal workers like numbers instead of people, and his response was "I don't mind it. That happens to normal people everyday. We could all get fired tomorrow for no reason. About time they felt that." I brought up how the Dept. of Education (which is the careers I chose and I have been directly impacted by) really helps align and support education nationwide. His answer "well it'll just go back to the states, and the federal government just shouldn't be involved anyways. get the states competing against each other again." I brought up the good work that USAid was done for the world via our government. His answer "well why can't they do that for us here in the states? we need support first. where's our aid? Biden promised your student loan relief and couldn't do anything. Trump has been there for 30 days and look at all he's done. you're picking the wrong team."
And you know what, I'm not in a position or willingness to debate him. That's not where I want my energy to be. But he makes some pretty compelling points. He even said "what if all the federal workers get fired from the feds and go find a job in their state government or local government instead? Then the states get better people who have the experience. that's not bad is it?" Just some of my thoughts from this week.
I work with state legislatures and I have also thought that some of this workforce may transition to the states. People forget that we have entire parts of government at the state and local levels. And they have flaws - they are filled with humans after all - but they are more functional than whatever the hell is going on in DC these days. Open invitation to all federal workers to check out your state and local executive, judicial, and legislative branches! The water is (mostly) warm!
Alex, thank you for this - I think it's important to hear from people like your brother who basically approve of what's going on. (It tracks with some of what I'm hearing.)
I'm also trying to gather information and understand, rather than argue. I was really struck by the comment about how regular people can get fired for no reason, so he didn't really mind if government workers had to experience that too (almost a "time to experience the real world" type of perspective.)
(Don't get me wrong - I believe that people who choose government jobs are often making principled choices - they believe in the work, want to contribute to making life better for people, they're not pursuing money as their highest priority. This is worthy of honor.
One of my touchpoints for the past several years with my own brother has been to just notice and compliment civil servants whenever they show up in our daily lives - I literally took opportunities to say "thank you for your service ". One example: he loves the National Parks, so I leaned on that for example of government benefiting all of us people. A greater good worthy of our taxes. Not necessarily either of our top priorities, but one we could agree on.)
Anyway, your brother's comment about government employees and "regular workers" resonates. I'm reading his comment this way: He's not seeing a better possibility for all workers - the principle of not being fired abruptly and arbitrarily. Instead, he's saying "well, we all get treated this way - what makes you think you're special?"
It reminds me of the "right to work" laws in several states from a few decades ago. These laws eroded collective bargaining and other workers-focused efforts. When the law in a neighboring state first passed I knew working people who correctly identified that it was actually about the "right to be fired", and "if you don't like this job, we can easily find someone else who doesn't yammer about safety or whatever."
But that was awhile ago. Now we working people just think this is how businesses work. Somehow we've absorbed the idea that workers are just "costs" to be "managed" by "good businessmen".
Anyway, this is getting awfully long. I just deleted about three more paragraphs 😬.
I think somewhere in this discussion your brother is dropping some breadcrumbs that could help lead us all into a better future.
Ooof, the phrase "workers are costs to be managed" hits hard. I worked in the service industry for years and it really messes with your psyche. I get where your brother is coming from.
It also reminds me of how much competition we've lost due to consolidation and the absolutely insane M&A market. Private equity is gobbling up everything they can buy - including nursing facilities and primary care practices - to turn a 5-7 year profit by "managing" costs by shrinking workforce and reducing quality.
Yes! Re the spreading of private equity, mergers and acquisitions ... applying short term profit goals as the highest importance.
So, are we all cool with drawing off (big) profit from the systems we use to care for us in our times of illness/injury/birth/death? (RN here. I have thoughts.)
Thank you for such a thoughtful reply! I know my brother doesn't mean anything bad from his comments, it's just his reality he's sitting in right now. I love your national parks example! I think it would be good for us to find good those collective meaningful places where government does provide us spaces. We live in a "work at will" or "right to work" state, and it's been clear for both of us that we can be let go at any time. I work in public education, and our contracts are continually one-year contracts. We have to continually renew for the next year. My brother is in a similar position, so as two state employees, he kinda sees it as "fair". Thank you again for your response!
As always so many thoughts and I appreciate the discussion about the federal firings. I will say that I have a friend who works in intelligence, like I don’t really know what he works on, and he’s (very sadly) confident that something bad is going to happen as a result of all the chaotic firings and resignations and he’s praying it’s not catastrophic. Something will be missed. And who is going to want to come on as new hires now? In any agency for that matter.
Re/ SNL: Who is any anniversary party or birthday parties for? I don’t think it was for everyone. It was for the people who’ve been a part of it, for the crew, who they highlighted a lot, for the cast, past and present, and others associated with it. I’m an SNL fan, I don’t know if I’d say superfan, but I love it and we never miss an episode. I haven’t watched all of the content yet, but I thought most of what I have seen was of it was really well done. And the Sunday night anniversary special, like a regular episode of SNL, some of it landed, and some of it didn’t. 🤷♀️ I will say the Domingo sketch my kids payed more attention, that one has been viewed ALOT, and really hits with a younger generation, so I imagine that’s why that one was in.
I’m just currently spiraling about how the current turmoil in the federal workforce will affect my husband’s Social Security Disability application. He has multiple chronic illnesses and is unable to work, and we have a young child. It had already taken more than a year to process and was denied in November requesting additional documentation. Additional testing and documentation was supplied and his lawyer thought he had a very strong case and now, who knows??? Will they just deny all new applications for disability? Because the richest man in the history of the entire world says we don’t need this? Or will he qualify but then one day one of Elon’s minions presses a button and the payments stop? We are luckier than most, are fortunate to have some cushion from my husband’s previous employment but he won’t be able to return to full time work for the foreseeable future. Please keep us in your thoughts. Stress!
Beth touched on something I’ve been thinking about for at least a week now - secession isn’t really a viable solution or serious discussion, but at what point do states say “well, if the federal government is going to self-destruct, we’ll just do it on our own”?
What if, instead of 50 states, we had maybe a dozen or so sovereign nations in an EU-like agreement? A “federal government” whose main purpose is to provide a military/defense but not much else? I don’t think we’re at the point where a dissolution and reforming is realistic, and I would never pretend we could get there easily, but also nothing seems to be off the table.
I work with state legislatures so I'm less quick to jump to the conclusion that this is inherently a bad idea. And if you look, states have increasingly filling the power vacuum for a while now.
But I also work in state health policy - specifically Medicaid - and the House is currently considering taking a hatchet to federal funding for the program. It highlights that the main power of the federal givernment is the power to tax and spend. Combined federal and state dollars make up 30% of state budgets, followed by K-12 education. And Medicaid alone accounts for 56% of the total federal funding received by states. We don't really know the downstream impacts of some of the proposed Medicaid changes in Congress (or if the House and Senate will get together) but common sense tells me that states will not be able to absorb those costs. If that happens, states will have to cut state spending, raise taxes, or both.
What's frustrating to me is that we have to have a discussion about the sustainability and quality of the Medicaid program. It's a tangled web of path dependence from its original mandate and leftovers from 1965. Coverage and eligibility for people with disabilities and older adults is truly a byzantine nightmare. It is simultaneously a true experiment in federalism and representative of states as laboratories of democracy... and completely dysfunctional and bloated and messy... and a critical safety net for so many people and providers... and not the best at serving the people it is designed to serve.
For info on estimated cost shifts to the states from just *one of the proposed changes to Medicaid financing, see the Appendix to this brief - it lists the dollars the feds could save that would shift to states and models out savings to states if they cut coverage. It's brutal.
I seem to remember something about the Articles of Confederation being a very weak source of federal power and that’s why it failed. A great deal of it was about the states fighting taxation, which you can’t have a robust defense without. I seem to remember that the reason soldiers were starving and freezing with no shoes in Valley Forge was not due to the hardships of war or something the British did - it was totally avoidable had the states been willing to fund the army sufficiently. Wasn’t Hamilton always writing letters from Washington to the Continental Congress begging for more money, and then they would agree to less than he needed, and states would pay up less than that? I don’t really trust us to have learned from history..
Oh I vividly remember an exercise from my 8th grade history class that demonstrated how weak and ineffective the Articles of Confederation were! I should be clear I’m not advocating for this (although as a Californian it’s a little easier for me to say eff it, let’s just secede and go our own way), more wondering at what point could it become more than just a thought experiment.
Oh is it grief you are feeling Sarah? Like the grief you said was inappropriate after the election because "it's just politics"? Just playing with you. We were all a mess after the election but I really did feel justified when you named that grief in this episode. :P
One thing we have to consider with DODGE, besides the giant disaster and human cost of mass arbitrary firings, is the stopping of flow of funding that generates lay offs down river. Many non profits are having to lay off staff, some have to close completely, because the contracts they have with the Feds are not being honored by the government and the funds are not there. So people is laid off, the clients lose benefits and services, and now the staff might be in need of those benefits and services themselves. This will pretty quick hit the communities in all kinds of ways.
I have been on a trip so I am catching up with the episodes I missed. I think the economy will start to feel a slowdown with these firings. My husband is a federal employee and while he hasn’t been fired (yet!) we both feel now like he could come home tomorrow without a job and we have completely shut down spending on anything other than essentials. And we are not what you would call frugal usually 😂🤦🏼♀️ most other people we know in similar situations have done the same. When you have no idea if you’re going to keep having a job it makes spending money feel awful and that is going to have ripple effects.
Watched SNL 50- I think maybe you missed the point. I also wonder if you recall that SNL had a pretty precipitous decline during the early 1990s. Those of us who are Gen X recall the early days, the rough years and the rise again. The humor isn’t meant for a current teen. It’s meant for those in their 20s +.
I also watched the musical review special. Guys…they had Nirvana and Adele on before they were who they are. They had PRINCE before he was well known.
I don’t understand the critique. I’ve not always been a fan of every skit but that’s kind of the point.
I so appreciate your take on politics and your extensive knowledge of the law. I also think you guys might be a little isolated from culture in Kentucky (I say this with love as I grew up in Edgewood and spent holidays in Murray).
Beth, thank you for the recommendation for The Pitt! It’s so good!
Here's my worry when I try to think at the 50,000 foot level about the federal firings: we're losing the messaging war. This is the time to set Trump up to take the heat and instead everyone is only talking about Elon and DOGE. These are the *Trump* layoffs, the *Trump* slashes to the federal government. The *Trump* FAA firings. The *Trump* hollowing out of infectious disease tracking.
Instead, I worry that we are focusing on Elon which only sets us up for *Elon* to take the blame for anything that goes wrong - and it will - as a result of the absolutely catastrophic, haphazard, cruel approach he's taking to the federal workforce. At that point, all Trump has to do is part ways with Elon and say he never trusted him in the first place. WE NEED TO SET UP TRUMP by pinning him with the "successes" and "responsiveness" of DOGE so it's clear to the people what happens when it all goes to shit.
The only way to beat a narcissist is to (metaphorically) beat them over the head with reality until their lies have no more power over you. It doesn't matter that he isn't paying attention to any of this - everything that happens is his responsibility *because he is the president* and he is letting this happen.
AND WHAT THE HELL ARE THE DEMOCRATS DOING? If the only thing they did was elevate the voices of affected constituents and refer to every single impact as *Trump's* then we'd have something to work with! The silence is a void that they will always fill. Argh!
You know what else is turning 50 this year? The National Conference of State Legislatures! Serving our democracy and providing nonpartisan and bipartisan support to state legislators and staff for 50 years! Come join us in Boston in August at out annual NCSL Summit to celebrate where democracy is really happening: the states. 😉
-signed, your friendly neighborhood state legislatures zealot.
https://www.ncsl.org/about-us/50
SMART goals are super dumb. I remember when a workplace was explaining these types of goals to me and I just said "smart, like writing goals you know you can achieve,". Hahaha no. But really yes.
SNL: as Lindsey said above I was also pretty defensive about the takes on the SNL Sunday show. I really enjoyed it and felt like it was a nod to the old and new. It isn’t really for the newer viewers. As I have thought about it more I think it was really mostly for some boomers and Gen X, with a little millennial sprinkled in. Not everything needs super analysis, and I think that is a trap society has gotten ourselves into with social media and we sometimes forget how to enjoy something for what it is-entertainment. It was fun to see all the celebrities from different generations. I also think that so much of this can be enjoyed in small takes through streaming it doesn’t matter how long it is. I thought the anxiety short was genius and so well done. Where I truly respectfully disagree is about weekend update. I love Colin Jost and Michael Che-they crack me up. 😊. But damn if Adam Sandler didn’t make me cry at the end of his song with Chris Farley and Norm Macdonald. ❤️
This discussion inspired me (as your thoughtful commentary always does) to write a piece about the warning signs that precede gun violence and our collective civic duty to say something. Thank you Sarah & Beth for being an inspiration to us all!
https://open.substack.com/pub/jonathanvega/p/a-ray-of-hope?r=1t9897&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
LOVE THIS! Thank you!
Topic: "They Don't Have A Vision"
I'm not 100% sure this is correct. I think in the traditional sense, yes, that's right, but hear me out. What if the vision is "well the government just shouldn't"? Beth mentioned how they are firing judges when we have a backlog of asylum cases needing addressed. Well, what if the government shouldn't address the asylum seekers? The US is pulling out of USAid support. Well, what if the government shouldn't have this at all anyways? The US has supported it's allies since WW2. Well, what if the government shouldn't do it?
I was talking to my brother, who I think its safe to say they have drank from the MAGA/DOGE koolaid. He LOVES what is happening in the government, and I wouldn't say he likes Trump, but he hates the fact that the government does not help him directly. I brought up how I don't like how they are treating the federal workers like numbers instead of people, and his response was "I don't mind it. That happens to normal people everyday. We could all get fired tomorrow for no reason. About time they felt that." I brought up how the Dept. of Education (which is the careers I chose and I have been directly impacted by) really helps align and support education nationwide. His answer "well it'll just go back to the states, and the federal government just shouldn't be involved anyways. get the states competing against each other again." I brought up the good work that USAid was done for the world via our government. His answer "well why can't they do that for us here in the states? we need support first. where's our aid? Biden promised your student loan relief and couldn't do anything. Trump has been there for 30 days and look at all he's done. you're picking the wrong team."
And you know what, I'm not in a position or willingness to debate him. That's not where I want my energy to be. But he makes some pretty compelling points. He even said "what if all the federal workers get fired from the feds and go find a job in their state government or local government instead? Then the states get better people who have the experience. that's not bad is it?" Just some of my thoughts from this week.
I work with state legislatures and I have also thought that some of this workforce may transition to the states. People forget that we have entire parts of government at the state and local levels. And they have flaws - they are filled with humans after all - but they are more functional than whatever the hell is going on in DC these days. Open invitation to all federal workers to check out your state and local executive, judicial, and legislative branches! The water is (mostly) warm!
Alex, thank you for this - I think it's important to hear from people like your brother who basically approve of what's going on. (It tracks with some of what I'm hearing.)
I'm also trying to gather information and understand, rather than argue. I was really struck by the comment about how regular people can get fired for no reason, so he didn't really mind if government workers had to experience that too (almost a "time to experience the real world" type of perspective.)
(Don't get me wrong - I believe that people who choose government jobs are often making principled choices - they believe in the work, want to contribute to making life better for people, they're not pursuing money as their highest priority. This is worthy of honor.
One of my touchpoints for the past several years with my own brother has been to just notice and compliment civil servants whenever they show up in our daily lives - I literally took opportunities to say "thank you for your service ". One example: he loves the National Parks, so I leaned on that for example of government benefiting all of us people. A greater good worthy of our taxes. Not necessarily either of our top priorities, but one we could agree on.)
Anyway, your brother's comment about government employees and "regular workers" resonates. I'm reading his comment this way: He's not seeing a better possibility for all workers - the principle of not being fired abruptly and arbitrarily. Instead, he's saying "well, we all get treated this way - what makes you think you're special?"
It reminds me of the "right to work" laws in several states from a few decades ago. These laws eroded collective bargaining and other workers-focused efforts. When the law in a neighboring state first passed I knew working people who correctly identified that it was actually about the "right to be fired", and "if you don't like this job, we can easily find someone else who doesn't yammer about safety or whatever."
But that was awhile ago. Now we working people just think this is how businesses work. Somehow we've absorbed the idea that workers are just "costs" to be "managed" by "good businessmen".
Anyway, this is getting awfully long. I just deleted about three more paragraphs 😬.
I think somewhere in this discussion your brother is dropping some breadcrumbs that could help lead us all into a better future.
Maybe.
Thank you for sharing his perspective.
Ooof, the phrase "workers are costs to be managed" hits hard. I worked in the service industry for years and it really messes with your psyche. I get where your brother is coming from.
It also reminds me of how much competition we've lost due to consolidation and the absolutely insane M&A market. Private equity is gobbling up everything they can buy - including nursing facilities and primary care practices - to turn a 5-7 year profit by "managing" costs by shrinking workforce and reducing quality.
Yes! Re the spreading of private equity, mergers and acquisitions ... applying short term profit goals as the highest importance.
So, are we all cool with drawing off (big) profit from the systems we use to care for us in our times of illness/injury/birth/death? (RN here. I have thoughts.)
Thank you for such a thoughtful reply! I know my brother doesn't mean anything bad from his comments, it's just his reality he's sitting in right now. I love your national parks example! I think it would be good for us to find good those collective meaningful places where government does provide us spaces. We live in a "work at will" or "right to work" state, and it's been clear for both of us that we can be let go at any time. I work in public education, and our contracts are continually one-year contracts. We have to continually renew for the next year. My brother is in a similar position, so as two state employees, he kinda sees it as "fair". Thank you again for your response!
“Face things that disrupt my narrative”
I am so grateful for your thoughtful research, analysis and discussion. Thank you Pantsuit Politics.
As always so many thoughts and I appreciate the discussion about the federal firings. I will say that I have a friend who works in intelligence, like I don’t really know what he works on, and he’s (very sadly) confident that something bad is going to happen as a result of all the chaotic firings and resignations and he’s praying it’s not catastrophic. Something will be missed. And who is going to want to come on as new hires now? In any agency for that matter.
Re/ SNL: Who is any anniversary party or birthday parties for? I don’t think it was for everyone. It was for the people who’ve been a part of it, for the crew, who they highlighted a lot, for the cast, past and present, and others associated with it. I’m an SNL fan, I don’t know if I’d say superfan, but I love it and we never miss an episode. I haven’t watched all of the content yet, but I thought most of what I have seen was of it was really well done. And the Sunday night anniversary special, like a regular episode of SNL, some of it landed, and some of it didn’t. 🤷♀️ I will say the Domingo sketch my kids payed more attention, that one has been viewed ALOT, and really hits with a younger generation, so I imagine that’s why that one was in.
PS Co-sign my love for The Pitt!
I would very much like a mini Ted Talk about why SMART goals are dumb please!
I’m just currently spiraling about how the current turmoil in the federal workforce will affect my husband’s Social Security Disability application. He has multiple chronic illnesses and is unable to work, and we have a young child. It had already taken more than a year to process and was denied in November requesting additional documentation. Additional testing and documentation was supplied and his lawyer thought he had a very strong case and now, who knows??? Will they just deny all new applications for disability? Because the richest man in the history of the entire world says we don’t need this? Or will he qualify but then one day one of Elon’s minions presses a button and the payments stop? We are luckier than most, are fortunate to have some cushion from my husband’s previous employment but he won’t be able to return to full time work for the foreseeable future. Please keep us in your thoughts. Stress!
I am so sorry to hear about this. The uncertainty must be very scary.
Beth touched on something I’ve been thinking about for at least a week now - secession isn’t really a viable solution or serious discussion, but at what point do states say “well, if the federal government is going to self-destruct, we’ll just do it on our own”?
What if, instead of 50 states, we had maybe a dozen or so sovereign nations in an EU-like agreement? A “federal government” whose main purpose is to provide a military/defense but not much else? I don’t think we’re at the point where a dissolution and reforming is realistic, and I would never pretend we could get there easily, but also nothing seems to be off the table.
I work with state legislatures so I'm less quick to jump to the conclusion that this is inherently a bad idea. And if you look, states have increasingly filling the power vacuum for a while now.
But I also work in state health policy - specifically Medicaid - and the House is currently considering taking a hatchet to federal funding for the program. It highlights that the main power of the federal givernment is the power to tax and spend. Combined federal and state dollars make up 30% of state budgets, followed by K-12 education. And Medicaid alone accounts for 56% of the total federal funding received by states. We don't really know the downstream impacts of some of the proposed Medicaid changes in Congress (or if the House and Senate will get together) but common sense tells me that states will not be able to absorb those costs. If that happens, states will have to cut state spending, raise taxes, or both.
What's frustrating to me is that we have to have a discussion about the sustainability and quality of the Medicaid program. It's a tangled web of path dependence from its original mandate and leftovers from 1965. Coverage and eligibility for people with disabilities and older adults is truly a byzantine nightmare. It is simultaneously a true experiment in federalism and representative of states as laboratories of democracy... and completely dysfunctional and bloated and messy... and a critical safety net for so many people and providers... and not the best at serving the people it is designed to serve.
For info on estimated cost shifts to the states from just *one of the proposed changes to Medicaid financing, see the Appendix to this brief - it lists the dollars the feds could save that would shift to states and models out savings to states if they cut coverage. It's brutal.
https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/eliminating-the-medicaid-expansion-federal-match-rate-state-by-state-estimates/#:~:text=States%20that%20have%20implemented%20the,the%20costs%20for%20expansion%20enrollees.
I seem to remember something about the Articles of Confederation being a very weak source of federal power and that’s why it failed. A great deal of it was about the states fighting taxation, which you can’t have a robust defense without. I seem to remember that the reason soldiers were starving and freezing with no shoes in Valley Forge was not due to the hardships of war or something the British did - it was totally avoidable had the states been willing to fund the army sufficiently. Wasn’t Hamilton always writing letters from Washington to the Continental Congress begging for more money, and then they would agree to less than he needed, and states would pay up less than that? I don’t really trust us to have learned from history..
Oh I vividly remember an exercise from my 8th grade history class that demonstrated how weak and ineffective the Articles of Confederation were! I should be clear I’m not advocating for this (although as a Californian it’s a little easier for me to say eff it, let’s just secede and go our own way), more wondering at what point could it become more than just a thought experiment.
Oh is it grief you are feeling Sarah? Like the grief you said was inappropriate after the election because "it's just politics"? Just playing with you. We were all a mess after the election but I really did feel justified when you named that grief in this episode. :P
One thing we have to consider with DODGE, besides the giant disaster and human cost of mass arbitrary firings, is the stopping of flow of funding that generates lay offs down river. Many non profits are having to lay off staff, some have to close completely, because the contracts they have with the Feds are not being honored by the government and the funds are not there. So people is laid off, the clients lose benefits and services, and now the staff might be in need of those benefits and services themselves. This will pretty quick hit the communities in all kinds of ways.
I can attest that it’s not just non-profits.
Yes. This exactly. I am holding my breath about this in my community. -Maggie