Search Results
Please enter search terms in the box below.   This search is site wide including Retiree Advocate issues from January 2025 forward for pre 2025 issues of the Advocate please go to the Advocate Archives

Ann Widger, Director, AFSCME Retirees Letter to Retired Federal Employees I have been working to protect Social Security for almost 30 years and I’ve never seen so many attacks against the Social Security system and the people who depend on it. They’re hoping you’ll stay quiet while they trample over many seniors' only source of income after retirement. Do you still trust them to protect the benefits you earned? Tell us where you stand. Just look at what they’ve done to Social Security — and it’s only June. Project 2025 architect Russell Vought — who admitted he wants to slash Social Security — is now running the federal budget. DOGE, under Elon Musk, demanded access to private Social Security data — and forced the acting Commissioner to resign when she said no. The SSA announced office cuts that guarantee longer wait times, delayed benefits, and total chaos for retirees and disabled workers. Musk went on national TV, called Social Security a “Ponzi scheme”, and declared it “the big one to eliminate.” Social Security is YOUR money and you are entitled to it. When a federal judge blocked DOGE from accessing your personal data, Commissioner Leland Dudek threw a tantrum and threatened to shut the whole program down. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick publicly mocked seniors, saying his 94-year-old mother-in-law wouldn’t miss a Social Security check — and that only “fraudsters” complain. Reports surfaced that wait times for benefits are projected to skyrocket — from 236 days to 412. Deaths while waiting for disability could more than double, reaching 67,000 people a year. DOGE falsely declared living Americans dead or undocumented, cutting off their benefits without warning and putting their ability to pay their rent and buy groceries at risk. The Senate confirmed Frank Bisignano, a billionaire known for gutting jobs and services, to run the SSA. The White House announced plans to defund the Social Security Advisory Board — eliminating oversight just as the attacks ramp up. And that new commissioner? Bisignano admitted he had to Google the job. He didn’t even know what the SSA did — and now he controls benefits for 70 million Americans. And just last week, the Supreme Court ruled to give DOGE access to your personal Social Security information, even though many DOGE staffers are not properly training on accessing personal data and are not qualified to have access to such sensitive information. This isn’t politics. It’s sabotage. What This Means for You: Reports indicate a surge in early retirement claims, as individuals fear benefit reductions or disruptions to what is their main source of income. Social Security recipients have started noticing changes. Longer drives to reach the nearest office. Longer wait times on the phone. No response. One AFSCME Retiree — Louisa Pedraza — was told she would hear back soon about her Social Security. She heard nothing. The attacks not only strained the SSA's resources but the misinformation and lies spread by Elon Musk and his minions have also eroded trust in the system — paving the way for even more cuts. They said they wouldn’t touch Social Security. Instead, they infiltrated it, accessed private information, fired the staff, closed the offices, spread lies about fraud and threatened to shut the entire program down. Did they think you wouldn’t notice? Do you trust them with your Social Security? Tell us what you think here. In Solidarity, Ann Widger P.S. Social Security is more than just a program; it's a promise made to every American. It’s food on the table and a roof over the heads of millions of Americans. Let's ensure that promise is kept and that we’re not cheated out of everything we’ve worked for. Contributions or gifts to the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees PEOPLE (AFSCME PEOPLE) are not deductible for federal income tax purposes. All contributions to AFSCME PEOPLE are voluntary and will be used to support pro-worker candidates in federal, state and local elections. Contributions are not a condition of membership or employment and refusal to contribute is free of reprisal. Any contribution guideline is only a suggestion, and you may contribute more or less than that amount or nothing at all, and you will not be favored or disadvantaged because of your contribution amount or decision not to contribute. In accordance with federal law, AFSCME PEOPLE accepts contributions only from AFSCME members, executive and administrative personnel, and their families. Contributions from other persons will be returned. If you would prefer to donate to AFSCME PEOPLE offline, please click here . All content © 2025 AFSCME Retirees Privacy Policy

PSARA Talking Points (03/13/25 Update) Lobby Day Training Page Healthcare PSARA believes that comprehensive, affordable, accessible, and culturally appropriate health care is a fundamental human right. Highest Priority: SJM 8002 (Hasagawa), Urge Congress to Level the Playing Field between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage. Status: Passed Senate 30-19. Hearing House Healthcare and Wellness March 21, 8:00 a.m. Sponsors: Hasagawa, Chapman, Stanford, Trudeau, Valde Medicare is a core part of our health care system, especially for seniors, but is in danger. Investors and private insurance companies are taking advantage of lax rules in the Medicare Advantage part of the program to increase profits and drive up costs – too often by limiting or denying access to needed care. Improving benefits in Original Medicare, the public part of the program, and cracking down on fraud and abuse in private Medicare Advantage programs will save billions in taxpayer money and strengthen our whole healthcare system. 1.5 million Washington residents are Medicare beneficiaries. When first enrolling, people must choose between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage. Original Medicare has many advantages: beneficiaries can choose almost any doctor or hospital, and rarely experience delays or denials due to prior authorization requirements. However, Original Medicare has a 20% co-pay with no cap, so many purchase supplemental insurance which averages over $200 per month. · Medicare Advantage (MA) is private, usually for-profit insurance that has significantly lower monthly premiums than Original Medicare plus supplemental insurance, making it seem more attractive. But its plans have limited provider networks, often require prior authorization, and can end up being very costly for people needing extensive care. · Many seniors opt for MA plans, especially those with limited incomes, disproportionately people of color. However, when they face a complex problem like cancer or a stroke, many discover the doctor or hospital they want is out of network, and insu rance gatekeepers frequently delay or deny prescribed care, potentially causing serious harm. · Medicare Advantage insurers take significantly more money per beneficiary from the Medicare Trust Fund than Original Medicare, because they do their own risk assessment on each beneficiary and bill the Medicare Trust Fund upfront. Government and academic studies estimate that overpayments through upcoding, fraud and other abuses cost Medicare between $85 billion to $140 billion annually. SB 5291 (Conway): Strengthening WA Cares Act, by implementing the recommendations of the Long-term Services and Supports Trust Commission. Status: Passed Senate 38-31. Sponsors: Senators Conway, Saldaña, Cleveland, Frame, Nobles, Stanford, Valdez, C. Wilson; Reps.(HB 1415) Macri, Tharinger, Reed, Fey, Ormsby, Hill Washington took the lead in creating the first public long term care program in the country to address the growing crisis in elder care. As with any major program, continuing improvements are required. The substitute bill strengthens the program by adjusting provisions for workers who move out of state, providing automatic exemptions for military, and launching a pilot for supplemental insurance. The vast majority of people do not purchase private long term care insurance because it is expensive and too often cannot be relied on at the point when someone needs care. WA voters showed their support of WA Care by voting down the 2024 initiative to undermine the program (I-2124). S JM 8004 (Hasagawa): Requests that the federal government create a universal health care program or allow Washington State to implement one. Status: Passed Senate 30-19. Hearing House Healthcare and Wellness March 21, 8:00 a.m. Sponsors: Senators Hasegawa, Bateman, Lovelett, Nobles, Stanford, Trudeau, Valdez and Wellman. Despite gains in coverage, too many Washingtonians are struggling to both access and afford health care as premiums rise in the commercial health insurance market. Inadequate coverage and medical costs are the largest contributors to bankruptcies. Universal health care coverage will improve the health of our whole community. We must bring everybody in and leave nobody out of this basic right to health care. Workoers Rights PSARA supports legislation that promotes healthy families and workplaces. HB 1213 (Berry): Provides job protection for all workers using Paid Family & Medical Leave benefits. Status: Passed House 55-41. Sponsors: HB 1213 - Representatives Berry, Fosse, Reed, Obras, Fitzgibbon, Alvarado, Mena, Macri, Ryu, Farivar, Doglio, Simmons, Peterson, Street, Wylie, Pollet, Ormsby, Lekanoff, Salahuddin and Hill. SB 5539 - Senators Alvarado, Stanford, Frame, Nobles, Riccelli, Slatter, Trudeau, Valdez and C. Wilson. Washington had the best PFML program in the country when first passed. Since benefits began in 2020, hundreds of thousands of Washington workers and families have benefitted from parental leave, time to heal from surgeries or recover from cancer, and time to be with loved ones during health crises. But only about half of workers are guaranteed their jobs will be protected and health insurance will continue during their leaves. Low wage workers and workers of color are most at risk of being forced back to work too early in order to keep their jobs. Now job protection only covers those in companies with 50+ workers who have been in their jobs at least a year and worked at least 1250 hours in the previous year. This bill changes that to all workers who have been with their employer at least 90 days. Nine of the 13 other states with programs include job protections for most workers. The bill expands the small business grant program to cover health insurance premiums for employees out on PFML in companies with fewer than 50 employees. The bill also reduces the minimum claim from 8 to 4 consecutive hours and incorporates additional employer protections concerning coordination with FMLA requested by the business community. A broad coalition of labor, senior, health, and community groups support the bill. The Association of Washington Business (AWB) and other major business groups are neutral on the substitute bill, although a few business groups oppose. SB 5041 (Riccelli) Extends unemployment benefits to striking workers. Status: Passed Senate 28-21. Hearing House Labor and Workplace Standards 3-18 10:30 a.m. Sponsors: Senators Riccelli, Conway, Hasegawa, Saldaña, Salomon, Stanford, Dhingra, Nobles, Trudeau, Valdez, Bateman, Lovelett, Cleveland, Frame, Orwall, Pedersen, Slatter, Wellman and C. Wilson This bill would allow striking and locked out workers to collected unemployment insurance after 2 weeks out of work. UI provides a vital safety net for working families and their communities, allowing them to cover basic necessities. This bill will help level the balance of power between workers negotiating in good faith for fair working conditions and their better resourced employers, especially for lower wage workers. Most strikes are resolved quickly, within 2 weeks. Only 7 strikes in the past decade would have qualified, so the bill will have minimal impact on the UI trust fund. HB 1214 (Thai)/SB 5768 (Saldana): Expands eligibility for the Working Families' Tax Credit to include people 18 years of age or older. Status: SB 5768 Dead. HB 1214 Sponsors: Representatives Thai, Reed, Shavers, Farivar, Simmons, Pollet, Lekanoff and Scott. SB 5768 Sponsors: Senators Saldaña, Cleveland, Cortes, Dhingra, Frame, Krishnadasan, Nobles, Riccelli, Slatter, Stanford, Trudeau, Valdez and Wilson, C. Background: In 2021, the Legislature established the Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC) Program, based in part on the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Program. It provides a refundable credit for retail sales or use tax paid by low-to-moderate income Washington residents who meet certain eligibility requirements. Under current law, to be eligible one must be over 24 years old, but under 65 years of age, or have a qualifying child. How does eligibility change under the proposed legislation? Expands eligibility for the Working Families' Tax Credit to include people 18 years of age or older without regard to filing with a qualifying child. For seniors still working, this is a critically significant benefit. Housing and Homelessness PSARA supports keeping people housed, building more low-income housing, and preventing homelessness in the firs place. HB 1217 (Macri)/ SB 5222 (Trudeau): provides renters and manufactured homeowners with predictability over their housing costs by limiting annual rent increases to no more than 7% a year. Status: HB 1217 Passed House 53-42 Senate Hearing Housing 3-19 1:30 p.m. HB 1217 (Macri) Sponsors: Representatives Macri, Ramel, Peterson, Berry, Mena, Thai, Reed, Obras, Farivar, Parshley, Ortiz-Self, Cortes, Duerr, Street, Berg, Taylor, Fitzgibbon, Doglio, Timmons, Tharinger, Fosse, Gregerson, Simmons, Wylie, Pollet, Kloba, Nance, Davis, Ormsby, Lekanoff, Berquist, Scott, Stonier, Hill SB 5222 (Trudeau) Sponsors: Senators Trudeau, Chapman, Bateman, Conway, Frame, Hasegawa, Lovelett, Nobles, Orwell, Pedersen, Riccelli, Robinson, Saldana, Slatter, Stanford, Valdez, Wilson, C. Why is rent stabilization needed? Washington is already one of the most expensive rental markets in the country, and many tenants receive excessive rent increases even while landlords are not performing basic repairs. Black, Indigenous, and other people of color households in Washington are disproportionately renters. In addition, data from the Census Bureau Pulse Survey in 2024 showed that Black renters in Washington receive higher rent increases than other demographic groups. Advancing tenant protections like rent stabilization is critical to address the housing needs of BIPOC households. Evictions continue to rise on a year-over-year basis, with several parts of our state seeing higher eviction rates than before the pandemic. Rent increases are a key driver of evictions and homelessness. HB 1491 (Reed) promotes transit-oriented housing development. Status: Passed House 58-39. Senate Hearing Housing 3-14 1:30 p.m. Sponsors: Representatives Reed, Richards, Berry, Duerr, Cortes, Doglio, Ryu, Fitzgibbon, Alvarado, Davis, Ramel, Parshley, Mena, Peterson, Nance, Macri, Fosse, Kloba, Ormsby, Scott. HB 1491 Requires cities planning under the Growth Management Act to allow new residential and mixed-use development within a station area at certain transit-oriented development densities. Establishes affordability requirements and authorizes a 20-year property tax exemption for residential and mixed-use buildings constructed within a station area. Why is HB 1491 needed? This bill addresses the urgent need for housing by making it possible to build new and denser housing around the most used transit assets. Transit oriented development will help the state add significantly more homes while reducing sprawl, cutting pollution, and making communities more affordable to a range of incomes. Climate and Environmental Justice PSARA supports the right of all people to live and work in a clean and healthy environment. HB 1150 (Berry) /SB 5284 (Lovelett) improves Washington’s solid waste management program. Status: SB 5284 Passed Senate 27-22. House Hearing Energy 3-17 1:30 p.m. HB 1150 Sponsors: Representatives Berry, Donaghy, Ryu, Ramel, Farivar, Mena, Alvarado, Duerr, Reed, Fitzgibbon, Callan, Macri, Doglio, Fosse, Simmons, Street, Pollet, Kloba, Nance, Davis, Ormsby, Salahuddin and Hill. SB 5284 Sponsors: Senators Lovelett, Shewmake, Nobles, Bateman, Salomon, Saldaña, Stanford, Wilson, C., Frame, Pedersen, Hasegawa, Liias, Orwall, Slatter and Valdez. Background: In 2021, the Legislature established minimum recycled content requirements applicable to three categories of plastic products or products in plastic containers: trash bags, household and personal care product containers, and plastic beverage containers. Producers subject to minimum postconsumer recycling content (PCRC) requirements were required to register with Ecology and pay fees to cover Ecology's administrative costs related to minimum recycled content standards beginning in 2022. What improvements do the bills make? Establishes an extended producer responsibility program for covered packaging and paper products. Requires producers of covered packaging and paper products to join a producer responsibility organization. Specifies requirements related to planning, funding, enforcement, and outcomes for the program. Budget and Fiscal Reform PSARA supports a state budget that is transparent, pays a living wage to state workers, and provides services that help our people, economy, and environment thrive. New progressive sources of revenue are essential to prevent devastating cuts to programs that keep people across Washington housed, fed, and healthy. Please don’t pass a budget that further harms the very people already struggling and undermines our children’s future. We can make our tax system and state stronger now and in the long run by finally asking the very wealthy to pay their fair share of taxes. The legislature must pass a new 2-year for the biennium that starts July 1, 2025, but the state faces a multi-billion dollar shortfall due to inflation, increased caseloads, and slower tax revenue growth. Possible cuts include sharp reductions in health care affordability and access, fewer kids in childcare and preschool, furloughs for state employees, less support for foodbanks and housing, and cuts to almost all state programs, including senior services. The all-cuts budget of 2009 harmed the health and well-being of Washingtonians for years, and made our families and communities less prepared and resilient for the devastation of the COVID pandemic. The influx of federal funds and the strong, forward-looking budgets passed by our legislature during the early stages of the pandemic helped get our people and state through that crisis. Washington’s tax system is highly regressive, with low- and moderate- income Washingtonians paying at far higher rates than the wealthy. Small businesses also pay higher rates than large profitable corporations. Continued growth in economic inequality helps feed the state budget crisis. Possible new revenue sources include: HB 1319 Wealth Tax (Street) Creates a 1% tax on financial assets (stocks and bonds) over $100 million. Sponsors: Reps. Street, Macri, Ormsby (Office of Fiscal Management request legislation, requested by Gov. Inslee) Wealth inequality is skyrocketing, while our state struggles to fund educational opportunity, health care, and basic services. Middle class Washingtonians pay annual property taxes on their most significant asset – their home – while the main financial assets of billionaires and mega-millionaires go untaxed. A modest 1% tax on financial assets such as stocks and bonds would allow for ample funding of public education, childcare and early learning, higher education, and provide the services that will allow all our people to thrive. In previous sessions, the Dept. of Revenue estimated that a similar wealth tax proposed by Sen. Frame and Rep. Thai would raise up to $4.5 billion annually. This new tax would make Washington’s highly regressive tax system more fair. HB 1839 (Reed) Creating equity in high tech tax by removing the cap. Sponsors: Reps Reed, Pollet, Berg, Parshley, Scott, Ormsby and Hill. This bill will help stave off devastating cuts to education and vital public services, and make Washington’s tax system less regressive by asking our biggest and most wealthy corporations to pay a little more. The bill eliminates an arbitrary cap of $9 million for high tech companies with worldwide gross revenues over $25 billion in the advanced computing surcharge. The Dept. of Revenue estimates the bill will add $231 million in the 2025-27 biennium, and $404 million in 2027-29. Revenue from the advanced computing surcharge is dedicated to the Workforce Education Investment Account.

In the Advocate May 2025: Lisa Dekker North Olympic Peninsula 2025: Rural Resistance! Lisa Dekker Like the rest of Washington State, Clallam County and the Peninsula are reeling from the harms happening now – and those yet to come – from this corrupt regime and their flagrant refusal to follow the law. But we are not taking this lying down. Our residents and our leaders are determined to resist. Olympic National Park, just outside Port Angeles, gets thousands of visitors each year and is an economic engine for the region. It was already unable to meet basic maintenance needs, and reduced staffing will make it worse. In addition, although $80 million was al- ready allocated by Congress to replace the Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge that burned down in 2023, delivery of those dollars is now uncertain. For many years Port Angeles has been a gateway for Canadian visitors via the Coho/BlackBall Ferry that connects us to Victoria, B.C., just 12 miles away. But now, the absurd tariffs and territorial threats coming from #47 have resulted in an understandable backlash of Canadians deciding not to spend their tourist dollars here. This will have grave economic consequences for our restaurants, hotels, and small businesses this summer unless the tariffs are undone. Likely the most unconscionable harms to individuals here would be the drastic cuts to Medicaid in the current Republican budget. With 20 percent of our adults and more than 37 percent of our children dependent on Medicaid in Clallam County alone, the devastation would be felt by thousands here on the Peninsula. So how are we fighting back? There have been sizeable rallies in Port Ange- les, Sequim, and Port Townsend (Jefferson County) that have many new faces and an enthusiastic response from the community. Indivisible Sequim, first begun in 2016, has had a surge of new members and has backed several rallies. One of the largest gatherings in Port Angeles, and the one with the most young people, was a raucous and upbeat march supporting the Olympic National Park and Park staffers who had been abruptly laid off. Clallam Democrats have become re-energized. With the leadership of their Chair, PSARA member Ellen Menshew, they have hosted timely forums and promoted many rallies. With a new online newsletter, Clallam Democrats Rising, plus a blog, a presence on Substack and Blue Sky, and an events calendar, the Dems are keeping members informed and involved. Our three County Commissioners even did their bit with a letter to Senators Murray and Cantwell and Congresswoman Emily Randall, reminding them of the impacts being felt here and asking that they “do all that they can to support our community.” We don’t know what’s next, but here in the northwest corner, we saw that despair became righteous anger, then hope, and now resistance. We are determined to fight back. Lisa Dekker is PSARA's Co-VP for Outreach and a leader of PSARA's Clallam County organizing committee. BACK TO THE ADVOCATE

In the Advocate May 2025: Steve Kofahl Social Security Attacks Continue Steve Kofahl It seems that nearly every day we learn about a disturbing new aspect of the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on Social Security, the Social Security Administration (SSA), and SSA employees. I write this on May 12, with a Washington Post piece (“The hidden ways Trump and DOGE are shutting down parts of the government”) in today’s Seattle Times. The article reveals that some SSA employees are running out of pens, paper, and printer toner because the US DOGE Service, on February 26, placed a $1 spending limit on each government-issue credit card that managers use to make purchases and pay for services. They cannot pay their phone bills, or for translation services, for example. Less than a dozen people at SSA, an agency with 1,300 work locations, are now authorized to make decisions on any purchase requests, causing lengthy backlogs and delays. How’s that for making government more efficient? Less than a week ago, Wall Street billionaire Frank Bisignano was confirmed 53-47 by the Senate to serve until January 2031 as SSA Commissioner. A self- described “DOGE person,” he was called out by the usually mild-mannered Oregon Senator Ron Wyden for lying to the Senate Finance Committee, when he denied having worked with DOGE and Trump’s Acting SSA Commissioner, Leland Dudek, for months before his confirmation. It was during this time that the SSA website crashed 3 times in 10 days, in March. Bisignano, who comes with a reputation for slashing jobs and treating workers disrespect- fully, has said that he intends to replace SSA 800-number agents with Artificial Intelligence (AI). Speaking of AI, SSA has already been utilizing it to some extent in the disability determination process. The National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI) has formed a task force that issued a report last month citing a number of concerns. One is the presence of bias in medical care and in medical record-keeping. How do we identify and mitigate it? NASI believes it imperative that hu- mans make the adjudicative decisions, including whether to obtain additional existing medical evidence or request a consultative exam paid for by SSA. SSA had more than 84,000 employ- ees in 1980, compared to about 50,000 today, with half as many Americans receiving benefits compared with today. Each of 1,200+ field offices had at least one SSA field representative to reach those who lived far from an office and needed a home visit, or to be served at one of the Agency’s hundreds of con- tact stations (sites like courthouses and social service agencies, most at no cost to SSA). They also made presentations to educate people about SSA programs. There are no more contact stations, and no more field representatives. With SSA having largely withdrawn from communities across our nation, it shouldn’t surprise us that lies about Social Security are believed by too many Americans. Why else would anyone agree with Elon Musk that Social Security is a 90-year Ponzi scheme, that benefits are being paid on the records of 150-year-olds, or that undocumented workers are receiving payments (they’re not!)? Incorrect payments, which include underpayments as well as overpayments, are about 1 percent of total benefits paid. Incorrect payments (which could be greatly reduced by restoring staff) and fraudulent payments are not the same thing, and there is, in fact, very little fraud. Reports of changes that affect eligibility or payment amount are received by SSA, but often go unworked for many months due to job cuts. Implementation of the Social Security Fairness Act, which restored benefits for public retirees who had been subject to Government Pension Offset or the Windfall Elimination Provision, is also being slowed by staffing losses. Nearly three mil- lion records require adjustment, but some won’t be processed for a year. Of 182,000 new applications filed by those who hadn’t applied previously because no payments were due before the law was changed, 15 percent have not been processed. The Trump administration intends to strip all civil service and union rights from about 20 percent of the SSA workforce, including the Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) who conduct dis- ability hearings and render decisions. That would make it easy to intimidate or remove ALJs who allegedly approve too many cases. Thankfully, we have been getting some help from the courts and others. In April, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction to block DOGE from accessing the sensitive personal information in SSA records. On May 7, 15 House Republicans (none from Washington) wrote to Bisignano to express concerns about staff cuts and office closures. Two days later, another judge issued a two-week temporary restraining order blocking implementation of a February 11 executive order directing major “reorganizations” at SSA and 19 other agencies. The Administration appealed to the 9th Circuit within hours. H.R. 2550, the Protecting Ameri- ca’s Workforce Act, which would restore federal employee rights that have been stripped away, already has 220 House co-sponsors. We have a long and difficult fight on our hands, but we can and must win it. We have to pull back the curtain and reveal what’s really going on in the other Washington, reach out wherever possible to tell the story to others, and take action by attending rallies and/or calling members of Congress from both parties. Steve Kofahl is a former President of AFGE 3937, representing Social Security workers, a member of PSARA's Executive Board, and Co-Chair of PSARA's Social Security Task Force. BACK TO THE ADVOCATE

How To Make America Sick The Trump administration’s plan to “Make America Healthy Again” will make Americans’ health worse. Donald M. Berwick In the Advocate August 2025: Donald M. Berwick, MD. How To Make America Sick The Trump administration’s plan to “Make America Healthy Again” will make Americans’ health worse. Donald M. Berwick, MD. Reprinted from the Center for American Progress website. It might seem obvious that the United States, the wealthiest country on earth, would have the best health and health care. But we do not. Not even close. So when President Donald Trump, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and their allies in Congress propose to “Make America Healthy Again,” it’s easy to get on board. The trouble is that their plan won’t work. In fact, it will make Americans’ health worse. They are currently proposing to cut Medicaid and Medicare, decimate public health structures, withdraw support for food security and other basic needs, and harm the environment all of which is dead wrong from a scientific viewpoint. There is no disputing that America’s health care system needs a dramatic overhaul. U.S. life expectancy ranks 49th globally at more than four years lower than that of the world’s healthiest countries. Our children’s health ranks 36th among the 38 richest nations. Not a single U.S. state has an average life expectancy longer than that of comparably wealthy nations. If the goal is to make America as healthy as other wealthy nations, it would be hard to do worse than we are doing right now. And for that terrible performance, the United States spends twice as much per capita on health care as the average wealthy country—with more than 110 million Americans struggling with medical debt. So, yes, by all means, let’s “make America healthy.” However, unlike how the Trump administration and RFK Jr. are going about it, doing so requires following the science. In 2015, the revered British epidemiologist Michael Marmot wrote “The Health Gap,” arguably the best playbook for making any country healthier. The book summarizes decades of research on why health varies enormously among places with ostensibly similar conditions. The gap in health outcomes can be between nations, between sub- groups within nations, and even across the tracks in a single city. For example, Black Americans had a lifespan six years shorter than that of white Americans in 2021; residents of west Chicago live 14 years less than residents of the Chicago Loop; and across the city of Boston, lifespan varies by more than two decades. Marmot sorts known causes of health gaps into buckets including early childhood experiences, education, workplace conditions, supports to the elderly, and community “resilience”; he also looks at the impact of attributes such as food security, housing security, transportation systems, clean air, compassionate criminal justice systems, and recreational opportunities. Through that lens, a scientifically guided plan for “making America healthy” is simple to devise: Invest in what drives health. This is why what RFK Jr. and the Trump administration are doing makes no sense. Watch the administration, and it would be hard to find a better way to “make America sick.” It’s like “opposite day”: Every single component of the Marmot playbook is being not only neglected but controverted through the administration’s actions. Let’s run the list. Kids Healthy societies tend to place their bets on safe perinatal care, strong supports for the early years—say, from birth to age 3—and school readiness, which means not only helping children but also their parents. Contrast that with the House-passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act that instead cuts food stamps by nearly $300 billion and enacts a historic $793 billion cut to Medic- aid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which cover 50 percent of the children in America. Education People in countries and regions with strong educational systems, especially those that include girls and women, tend to live longer. Overall, the U.S. education system ranks 31st in the world, and it varies widely, with many schools performing poorly and many students underachieving. This is neither the teachers’ fault nor the students’. It boils down to ensuring that all children and youth, regardless of where they live or how wealthy their families are, have access to the highest quality education. The proper response would be to pour resources into delivering on that promise. On the contrary, the Trump administration’s plan calls for slashing funding for the Department of Education, cutting support to K-12 programs, and eliminating federal subsidies for student loans. Workers Job security is also foundational to national health. Unionization, which has been backwatered in the United States, is one straight shot to improving worker power. So is raising the federal minimum wage far above its embarrassingly low level of $7.25 per hour, instituting stronger legal protections for workers’ rights, and establishing more equity in tax and compensation policies. The Trump administration, meanwhile, seeks to abolish the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, hamstring the Department of Labor, reduce bargaining rights for federal workers, weaken worker protections, and cut the essential food assistance and health care programs that the working class relies on, all to give massive tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans. Seniors How a nation supports its aging and elderly population affects not only how long and well its older citizens live, but also the health and well-being of a country’s entire population. The Trump administration claims to want to protect Medicare—a mainstay of security for those age 65 and older in the country—but study the details of what the president and his congressional allies are doing so far, and you will find steadily weakening protections for coverage, reduced access to care, and thousands of dollars more in out-of-pocket costs. For example, Medicaid, which has been torpedoed by the Trump-signed reconciliation bill, is the primary payer for 63 percent of people in nursing homes. Where are the elderly Americans who rely on that care supposed to go? Communities Healthy communities help ensure access to nutrition, housing, safety, mobility, and opportunity for everyone. The Trump administration is already weakening every one of those things and is poised to damage them further. The administration is hurting public transportation systems and rolling back environmental controls for particulate air pollution. It is also publicly in favor of coal and against wind power, against public housing expansion, against mental health supports to help reduce violence, and has backpedaled on criminal justice reform. Conclusion President Trump and Secretary Kennedy can preach all they want about making us healthy again, but their rhetoric is no substitute for facts. The right way to “Make America Healthy Again” is to invest in the infrastructure, programs, and priorities that we know, based on scientific evidence, will actually improve health—the very same ones that the Trump administration seems intent on destroying. Donald M. Berwick, MD, is President Emeritus and Senior Fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, and a former Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). BACK TO THE ADVOCATE

PSARA Oral Histories Project: Lou Truskoff Return to Oral Histories Main Page Lou Truskoff Interview PSARA Advocate Archives April 2022 Page 3 Interview With Lou Truskoff By Angie Bartels Lou Truskoff cannot remember a time in his life when he wasn’t singing. Some people believe that babies in their mothers’ wombs can hear their mothers singing, and thus the learning and love of music begins from the very start of life. Lou’s mother loved the popular music of the 40’s and sang throughout theday while she was pregnant. And music is most definitely in Lou’s blood. When he was a toddler, his mother played the radio constantly and Lou continued to absorb popular music. One of his earliest songs was I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire, by the Ink Spots, as his mother related to him in later years. “I couldn’t remember myself singing it, but the fact that I was singing it gives some indication that it was cool, at least to me.” Lou was born and raised in Clifton, New Jersey, only 15 miles away from New York City. His family lived in an apartment just a few blocks from his grandfather’s tailor shop. Everyone in the extended family was leftist. That’s in his blood too. When Lou’s mother, Anne, was 12 years old, she joined the Young Communist League with her best friend Ruth. Anne told Ruth that someday she would marry Ruth’s brother, Lou, and indeed she did. As Lou the second grew into a teenager and young adult, Aunt Ruth loved to spend time with him. .During visits to their home, she would discuss politics and made sure that “I knew this or I knew that, and so forth.” His Uncle Bill, from the time of early teenage years, would pull Lou aside and say, “This is a really good book," or “Here’s a really good magazine.” “Uncle Bill was a little different because he followed a different line of the various strains of the leftist parties. He believed that China had the real solution, and the rest of my family believed it was the Soviet Union.” Lou’s grandfather, the tailor, loved to fish, although “he didn’t catch many.” He would go out on the lake by himself while the rest of the family picnicked in a nearby state park. He would return to the family sunburnt and happy. “On the way home, grandfather would start up a song (they were from Czechoslovakia, it was in Czech). My mother knew it because she grew up speaking Czech, and my grandmother knew it, and pretty soon we were all singing songs that my parents knew from their Paul Robeson records. I would join in where I could. I always enjoyed that family camaraderie around singing.” Lou attended public schools within walking distance of the apartment. He fondly remembers those years even though “from 4th grade on, geography and things they taught us turned out to be so wrong.” But he did enjoy the exposure to a world that he had not been aware of. “I was reserved and shy and not willing to speak out with classmates or other kids in the neighborhood. I just didn’t think they would understand my family’s politics or might think that I was not patriotic.” Although it was public school, “Every morning we had the reading of a psalm, then bowed our heads and recited the Lord’s Prayer, which I finally learned. (At first I would mumble because I didn’t want the other kids to know that I didn’t know it!) And then we would stand up, face the flag, and recite the pledge of allegiance. Then we would sing, My Country ‘tis of Thee. When we got to the singing part, that was all fine, because I was willing to sing just about anything, even then.” Lou particularly loved the weekly school assemblies where teachers played the piano and led the singing. He said it didn’t matter what they were singing, whether hymns, patriotic songs, or pop and folk tunes. He loved it all. In his school, “The eighth graders got the privilege of strolling through the halls as a group and singing Christmas carols. "From an early grade, I looked forward to the day when I could be in that eighth grade group singing through the halls. And guess what? The teacher didn’t choose me. She was the best teacher I had, grades K-8, but for some reason, she didn’t choose me. I felt so bad. But I had this good friend, Bernie, who was Jewish. He sang Christmas carols too, and he was chosen to sing. He knew how badly I felt. So, he went to the teacher and said ‘Louis feels really bad about not being chosen to sing with us.’ And the teacher didn’t miss a beat. She immediately said, of course Louis can sing with us. So due to my friend’s good deed, I got to sing in the halls.” Lou studied piano for only 2 1/2 years, and that was the extent of his formal music training. He taught himself to play guitar in his last year of college at Antioch n Yellow Springs, Ohio. (He also met his wife Joan there). “My parents knew that I liked to sing folk music, so they got me a very nice nylon string guitar.” By then, at college, Lou was associating with people who “really knew their stuff,” one of whom played banjo and guitar very well. They formed a trio and performed at a couple of campus gigs. “We even made tape recordings of ourselves because we thought we were so great.” Lou would watch guitar players and learn new techniques by observation. “I have a very good ear. That helps a lot. I would listen to recordings and gradually I got pretty good at accompanying myself. I started singing harmonies, and now I can sing harmony to just about any song.” In the late 1970’s in Seattle, Lou thought that there should be music and singing on the United Farm Worker (UFW) picket lines and demonstrations that he and Joan participated in. He started playing and singing songs that were relevant to why people were standing outside of grocery stores handing out leaflets for the boycotts. He soon met Peter Costantini and Mark Aalfs, who also became involved with the UFW’s activities. It was natural for the three of them to play and sing for a cause they deeply believed in. They were soon joined by Mara, a blind woman who busked on the Ave. She became interested in the UFW, so she started learning all of the farmworker songs. “Sometimes we would make up lyrics on the spot: Sunsweet Raisins, Sunsweet Raisins, Sunsweet prunes, Sunsweet prunes, Boycott Sunsweet Raisins, Boycott Sunsweet Raisins, Elections soon, elections soon.” In the late 1990’s, Lou was one of the founding members of the Seattle Labor Chorus. But that is a whole other story for the telling. Although Lou loves the song I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire, the fact is, he has done just that. With his music and song, Lou has helped to keep the flame of hope alive as we continue in our fight for peace and justice. It’s a mighty long road, but a good song lightens the burden and brightens the day. I cannot imagine a life and a movement without the likes of Lou Truskoff. Luckily, we don’t have to. Angie Bartels is PSARA's Membership VP. This interview is part of a continuing oral history project.

2025 PSARA WA State Legislative Agenda Activity Report (week of April 20 , 2025 ) Listed below are the Bills that PSARA is following that will have hearings in the coming week. In Washington State you do not need to attend the hearing to express your support for a specific bill, you can sign in to the Legislative Committee page and express your support or opposition. Legislators have repeatedly told us that signing in and indicating your support or opposition to a bill is very important for a bill ’ s success. Che ck out TVW.org to watc h both live and archived hearings. I highly recommend the legislative review that you can watch daily for highlights from hearings and floor action (if the links are not working please paste into your browser: https://tvw.org/shows/legislative-review/ ) Please see below for PSARA’s Weekly Legislative Report: PSARA Weekly WA Legislative Update April 20, 2025 Pam Crone, Chair Government Relations Committee Dear PSARA Executive Board and Activists, Below is a description of the new revenue package the House and Senate drafted after Governor Ferguson stated he would not support the wealth tax. The compilation was created by a former lobbying colleague Majken Ryherd I have also included the Governor’s statement characterizing the package as “unsustainable" and “too risky.” The regular session ends April 27. If no agreement is reached by then, further action will have to occur in a special session. This will be my last weekend update. Thank you for reading it each week, signing in on PSARA priorities at committee hearings, and contacting your legislators. Please see the May Retiree Advocate for an almost final legislative wrap-up. Do note that session will not have ended when the Advocate went to press. Thank you all. Best, Pam New Revenue Package Capital Gains and Estate Taxes - SB 5813 (Wilson, D-30) / HB 2082 (Street, D-37) Adds a 2.9% excise tax on capital gains over $1 million, on top of the current 7% tax applied to gains over $270,000 (adjusted annually for inflation). Increases estate tax rates for individuals who pass away after January 1, 2025. Raises the estate tax exclusion from $2.1 million to $3 million. Revenue from this bill would go to the Education Legacy Trust Account. Passed Senate Ways & Means on 4/18. Business and Occupation (B&O) Tax Surcharges - SB 5815 (Saldaña, D-37) / HB 2081 (Fitzgibbon, D-34) Increases B&O tax rates on sectors such as manufacturing, retail, child care, and gambling. Imposes a 0.5% surcharge on businesses with state income over $250 million. Raises rates on existing B&O surcharges. Funds would support public schools, higher education, healthcare, and social services. Was not considered in Senate Ways & Means on 4/18. Scheduled for executive session in House Finance on 4/19. Property Tax Cap Adjustment - SB 5812 (Wellman, D-41) / HB 2049 (Bergquist, D-11) Adjusts the annual 1% cap on property tax increases to allow for growth tied to inflation and population, capped at 3%. Revenue would support K–12 education, including special education. Was not considered in Senate Ways & Means on 4/18. Scheduled for executive session in House Finance on 4/19. Sales Tax on Services and Nicotine Products - SB 5814 (Frame, D-36) / HB 2083 (Stonier, D-49) Expands the state’s sales and use tax to cover services like IT consulting and advertising. Includes all nicotine products, whether synthetic or tobacco-derived, under the tobacco products tax. Requires a one-time prepayment of state sales tax from businesses with $3 million+ in taxable retail sales in 2026. The revenue would support education, healthcare, social services, and other programs. Passed Senate Ways & Means on 4/18. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Brionna Aho, Governor's Communications Director, Brionna.aho@gov.wa.gov, 360-628-3843 Governor Bob Ferguson comment on proposed $12B in taxes Trump Administration cuts and chaos continue to cast shadow over state budget OLYMPIA — Governor Bob Ferguson offered the following statement on the Legislature’s proposal for $12 billion in taxes: “I thank legislators for their hard work as we balance a budget with a $16 billion shortfall. While our budget situation is currently challenging, it may soon become dire with additional cuts and chaos from the Trump Administration. We must defend Washington in the face of that. “Federal funds make up 28 percent of our state budget. That includes billions of dollars for Medicaid, K-12 education, child welfare and early learning, disaster recovery and response, unemployment insurance and more. Every day, funding is canceled, frozen or denied by the Trump Administration and Elon Musk. Last week, FEMA denied our request for emergency relief funds for November’s bomb cyclone. We don’t know exactly why — they did not offer a reason — but we know we met the criteria set out for this funding. The administration is attempting to cut $160 million in public health funding . “Significant federal cuts loom for Medicaid, early learning , K-12 education , scientific research , health care and emergency response . “Families are also bearing the burden of the Trump Administration’s tariffs, making everything from groceries to car repairs more expensive. Tariffs will hit Washington — one of the most trade dependent states in the nation — especially hard. Nearly $120 billion in exports and imports flowed through Washington state ports last year. Approximately 40 percent of our jobs are tied to trade. Tariffs on our biggest trading partners will be damaging to our economy, and particularly hurt our farmers. “We must ensure Washington is in the best possible financial position to weather more cuts and damaging economic policies from a Trump Administration that weaponizes funding to punish those it disagrees with and forces them into compromising their values. “We need a balanced approach, using a reasonable amount of progressive revenue and adopting solutions to reduce our spending. “At a time of great economic uncertainty and assaults by the Trump Administration on core state services for working families, raising $12 billion in taxes is unsustainable, too risky and fails to adequately prepare Washington state for the crisis that looms ahead. “That said, the Legislature has made progress on key issues in its updated revenue proposals. Legislators are working hard and putting in long hours. They have moved away from their reliance on an untested wealth tax and made progress on addressing our regressive tax system. “We will continue to work together to produce a budget that supports a strong economy, and the people of Washington.” ###

PSARA monthly newsletter, The Advocate.(PSARA): A monthly publication on current issues in the areas of Social and Economic Equity, Environment, Labor Justice. The Retiree ADVOCATE Our Retire Advocate newsletters are sent to our current members but we also provide the current print edition below. Click here to read the Advocate Online Please consider joining PSARA or donating to support our work. Looking for past newsletters? Click here for the Advocate Archives.

Medicare Advantage is proving to be a bad investment for many health insurance companies and private equity.

In the Advocate May 2025: PSARA Position Paper on Immigration The US has failed to articulate a coherent and just immigration policy. Now, under the current administration, even the meager protections we have for those who come from outside US boundaries are being stripped away. The Trump administration has engaged in new levels of cruelty against immigrants – terrorizing people, shackling them in chains, deporting them to countries other than their own, and undertaking these acts regard- less of the person’s citizenship or paperwork status. The administration is threatening sanctuary cities and states with funding cuts, mobilizing the military and national guard to engage in the apprehension of migrants, and seeking millions more in funding for this war on immigrants. They have allies in our state among many county sheriffs who are flouting our “Keep Washington Working” law and using their local law enforcement officers to assist ICE. Everything else being equal, people don’t choose to migrate. Most of us prefer to remain with our families, on the land in which we’ve been raised, and in the culture with which we’re familiar. Yet, huge numbers are migrating for a number of reasons. They are forced to migrate because of brutal conflicts, rampant lawlessness and criminal violence in their home countries, a lack of safe, well-paying jobs, crop failures and food scarcity, and increasingly severe climate disasters. In our country we now have more than 200 jails and prisons for immigrants. Approximately 90% of detained immigrants are held in private detention centers. The current Trump regime has announced plans to build many more. PSARA, takes the following position on the attack on immigrants: We will follow the lead of immigrant rights groups locally, working to support their efforts toward defending and strengthening rights, protecting those being targeted, and securing sanctuary. We welcome all migrants and fight alongside them for housing, healthcare, living wage jobs, and public education, among other things. We emphatically oppose repression, detention, deportation, and the racist attacks to which migrants are being subjected. We act from a commitment to joining hands in respect and solidarity to build a new – and more just – Beloved Community. BACK TO THE ADVOCATE

Democracy Depends on Truth and Facts As a potential harbinger to the future in our country, Cindy Domingo reports on the challenges to democracy in the Philippines. Read