Policy Soup stir the pot ALPHA

Don't forget: Republicans claim they didn’t gut Medicaid—just added “accountability,” and that’s a LIE. Their Big Ugly Bill slashes $1 trillion, imposes harsh red tape, and creates chaos that will push millions off their coverage. All to fund a billionaire tax break.

Electricity Prices Are Rising Thanks To Tariffs, Clean Energy Cuts, AI

Electric bills are up nearly 10% this year, and families could pay hundreds more each year by 2035. Repealing clean energy credits and adding tariffs means higher costs for working families. www.forbes.com/sites/maryro...

Electricity prices have jumped more than twice as fast as overall inflation in the last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

CDC director Susan Monarez is fired and other agency leaders resign

RFK is gutting the CDC. Firing experts and sidelining science won’t protect your kids from the next pandemic—it will put them at risk. apnews.com/article/cdc-...

The director of the nation’s top public health agency has been fired after less than one month in the job.

Tariffs are a hidden tax on working families. They drive up prices, squeeze small businesses, and put jobs at risk. We need real solutions to lower costs—not political stunts that punish Americans.

Reposted byMike Levin

VA staffing shortages mean delayed care and broken promises. Our veterans kept their word to us—we must keep ours by giving the VA the people and resources it needs.

VA staffing shortages mean delayed care and broken promises. Our veterans kept their word to us—we must keep ours by giving the VA the people and resources it needs.

California finally excluded $20k of military pensions from state income tax—but it’s still one of the most limited policies in the nation. I’m urging Gov. Newsom to go further and fully eliminate this tax. Our veterans have earned it.

FEMA employees put on leave after criticizing Trump administration in open letter

When FEMA experts speak up about risks to our safety, they should be heard — not punished. Silencing whistleblowers only makes America less prepared for the next disaster.

About 180 current and former FEMA staffers sent a letter on Monday to members of Congress and other officials protesting the agency’s leadership and direction.

Reposted byMike Levin

There can’t be common-sense reform in Washington if our lawmakers are in the back pockets of PACs and paid lobbyists. Progress means breaking the grip special interests have in our politics. That’s how we clean up Washington.

Veterans Are Sharing How They Feel About The Trump Administration — Here's What They Said

From Vietnam vets to recent combat tours, many veterans say Trump has disrespected service, politicized the military, and endangered democracy itself. Their message is clear: loyalty belongs to the Constitution, not to Trump.

"If Congress won't stop him, then the courts must. Otherwise, we must get ready for a potential civil war."

FEMA staffers accuse Trump of weakening disaster programs

Ignoring climate change and worsening natural disasters won’t help Americans—strengthening FEMA will. But Trump slashed staff, sidelined science and slowed vital contracts. The experts who know how to keep us safe are clear: this path puts every community at risk, and Congress must intervene.

The signatories said FEMA under President Donald Trump has strayed far from the disaster preparedness reforms designed to correct the agency's mistakes in responding to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

And the person Trump put in charge of FEMA? A weapons guy with zero emergency management experience who said he didn't even know what hurricane season was. Maybe he was joking, but American lives in the hands of incompetent leadership isn't funny.

Reforms designed to prevent another Katrina-level disaster are being dismantled by the Trump administration according to FEMA staff. Programs that prevent, predict and respond to emergencies are being paused or completely gutted.

181 current and former FEMA staffers just issued the warning: incompetent leadership and partisan politics are derailing disaster response. When disaster strikes, every American wants FEMA to have the resources needed to protect them. But Trump is compromising the agency. Here’s how 🧵👇:

Reposted byMike Levin

Mike Levin@mikelevin.orgAug 25(source)

A lot of people are saying maybe we’d like a president who respects the Constitution.

Aaron Rupar

@atrupar.com

Open post ↗

Trump: "A lot of people are saying maybe we'd like a dictator."

A whistleblower says Trump’s DOGE exposed Social Security’s master file on a vulnerable server. Seniors rely on Social Security for security and dignity—it must be safeguarded, not recklessly put at risk. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/u...