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The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents July 2025 Tim Wheeler Reads From His Latest Book No Power Greater: The Life & Times of George A. Meyers Saturday, July 26, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. WSLC Offices, 321 16th Avenue S, Seattle Please join PSARA and our own Tim Wheeler for the Washington state debut of Tim’s latest book, No Power Greater: The Life &Times of George A. Meyers. Tim will read from the book, take questions and comments, and also lead us in song with his trusty autoharp. Copies of No Power Greater will be available for purchase. Tim has generously offered to donate all proceeds from book sales at this event to PSARA. The Retiree Advocate published a review of the book in our May issue. To read the review, go to PSARA.org, click “Newsletter,” then “Advocate Archives,” and search for “202505 May Advocate.” The remainder of this article is an excerpt from this fascinating book: A couple of days before Christmas, 1941, the Maryland Council of the CIO met at a convention in Baltimore. The nation was reeling from the December 7 sneak attack on Pearl Harbor two weeks earlier by Imperial Japan; the US was suddenly plunged into war. Yet even so, sharp partisan politics intruded when the industrial union leaders met in Baltimore. John T. Jones, a leader of the United Mine Workers, had quit as President of the Maryland- DC branch of the CIO. He was following the lead of UMW President, John L. Lewis… John L. Lewis was furious at FDR for rejecting his appeal that he supports the steelworkers in the 1937 “Little Steel” strike marked by the infamous massacre by Chicago police of steel union strikers. Lewis was so angry at FDR that one week before the November 1940 presidential election, Lewis urged union workers to vote for Republican Wendell Wilkie. Lewis vowed that he would resign as CIO President if Roosevelt was reelected. The overwhelming majority of union workers rejected Lewis’ appeal and Roosevelt won in a landslide. Lewis followed through, announcing his resignation as President of the CIO, pulling the UMW out of the CIO. All UMW leaders who held leadership posts in the CIO, including Jones, also resigned. George was chosen unanimously to replace Jones. George Meyers said of his election to lead the Maryland-DC CIO: To my great surprise, at the Council convention…I was unanimously proposed to succeed him. Need- less to say, I was both surprised and honored but only agreed to run if the convention elected an African American as one of our vice presidents. It did, and Joe Neal, a leader of the Steel Local at Sparrows Point near Baltimore, became the first black officer of the Maryland-DC Council. George A. Meyers gave unstinting leadership to the Maryland-DC CIO during his two-year tenure as President. His highest priority was to build labor support for the war effort. For him defeating fascism and organizing unorganized workers were two sides of the same coin... Equally high on the CIO agenda was fighting Jim Crow exclusion of African American workers at plants like Glen L. Martin, Fairchild Aircraft, Beth Steel, the shipyards, and all other jobs in Maryland. Along with fighting racist hiring practices, the CIO demanded equal hiring and equal pay for women workers < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents April 2025 PSARA to Olympia Lawmakers: “No Cutbacks! Tax the Rich!" Tim Wheeler Beaming with delight, GRC Committee Chair Pam Crone greeted a crowd of grassroots lobbyists gathered in a conference roomof the Washing- ton State Labor Council in Olympia, on Mar. 18. The African American, Asian American, Latino, and white activists were reporting back on their meetings with Washington State legislators to press their demands for increased funding for healthcare, public schools, rent stabilization for people who live in manufactured homes, and a wealth tax. They were all participants in PSARA Lobby Day, including activists from Seattle, Tacoma, Gig Harbor, and other cities andtowns. A delegation of five PSARA members drove down from Port Angeles, Sequim, and Port Townsend. “We had meetings with38 legislators and their staff,” Crone exclaimed. “One staffer told me, ‘You guys are everywhere!’” Crone, PSARA’s former lobbyist, urged the crowd to keep the pressure on. She warned against Republican schemes to bury legislation with crippling amendments proposed to stall passage until the 90-day legislative session ends. She hailed Senateapproval by a landslide vote of 30 to 19 Senate Joint Measure 8002. SJM 8002, now pending in the House, urges the WashingtonCongressional delegation, President Trump, the House, and the Senate, calling on them and CMS to halt privatization ofMedicare, and to enact measures to “level the playing field” between so-called Medicare Advantage (MA) and traditional Medicare. The measure urges Congress to cap out- of-pocket costs. It would eliminate the need for supplemental insurance that traditionalMedicare recipients must purchase. SJM 8002 also calls for adding to traditional Medicare dental, vision, and hearing benefitsoffered by MA. David Loud, a member of the PSARA Board and a leader of Health Care Is a Human Right, said SJM 8004, which urges theCongress to sup- port universal health care, was approved by the State Senate, 30 to19. Advocates of Medicare for All will rally on the steps of the Capitol in Olympia on April 2 to urge approval of universal health care in Washington State, Loud said. Rep.Pra- mila Jayapal, Democrat from Washington’s 7th Congressional District, is the author of Expanded and Improved Medicarefor All, which will be introduced in the US Congress. Bobby Righi of Seattle, Co-Chair of PSARA’s Climate & Environmental Justice Committee, told the debriefing that lawmakers in her legislative district support PSARA’s legislative agenda. And one legislator was clearly distressed about Gov. Bob Ferguson’sstate budget with $4 billion in cuts. Coupled with the enormous cuts to health, education, and welfare programs inflicted by theTrump-Musk Administration, it adds up to disaster for the poor, the sick, children, and the elderly. “ It is going to take hard work to come up with a budget compromise,” she said. “We have to put pressure on Ferguson.” Michael Righi warned that an atmosphere of doom is hanging over the legislature. He pointed out that there is no economicrecession, no lack of wealth that could be taxed to pay for these life and death programs. “We should have the position: NO CUTS!” he said. The crowd erupted in applause. These warnings were on display in earlier sessions. A lawmaker from LD 24 told the delegation from the Olympic Peninsula that “Ferguson is strangely silent on the (Wealth) Tax bill,” which the LD-24 legislator promised to support. He spoke atlength about the worsening budget crisis with cutbacks in vital programs that serve children, the elderly, and the poor, and the Ferguson conundrum: He ran as a progressive yet now governs as a “fiscal conservative,” proposing budget cutbacks cheered by the MAGA Republicans. Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer, a former legislator, told the PSARA delegation, “Our health care system is morally bankrupt.” She spoke of her being born prematurely with many life-threatening problems. She became “a proponent of universal health care where everyone has access.” Health care, sheadded, should not be a field for “making profits…This should be a country that cares about people.” When she was a legislator, she told her constituents, “Out of 400,000 people I represent, only 400 were impacted by thecapital gains tax...I want taxes to go to health care, education.” It will mean, she added, “A robust economy, poverty plummeting, crime in decline.” Her aide, Bryon Welch, said a delegation from the Insurance Commission is headed to the nation’s capital to meet with theWashington State congressional delegation to urge them to take action against the “relentless, misleading ads for MedicareAdvantage. We are going to Washington D.C. to make sure that Medicare is not completely privatized.” Robby Stern, President of the PSARA Education Fund, presented him with Give Us a Real Choice, a 63-page PSARA primer onthe urgent need to “level the playing field” between traditional Medicare and MA. Stern said the book “lays out very clearly ourmembers who have had problems with Medicare Advantage. We’re not saying eliminate Medicare Advantage, but what we are saying is that senior citizens should have a real choice.” Later, the delegation gathered in the Capitol building to hear House Speaker Laurie Jinkins. “We prefer progressive taxes ratherthan budget cuts,” she said. “Start building on the taxes we already have, the Capital Gains Tax.” The crowd erupted in applause.“When you build support for programs that people want, they are willing to pay taxes to pay for them.” PSARA Co-President Karen Richter urged Jinkins to push SJM 8002. It is necessary, Richter said. “We really need the backing ofthe State Legislature to exert pressure on Washington D.C. to take action to level the playing field.” Tim Wheeler is a veteran activist and journalist, a member of PSARA's Executive Board, and a leader of PSARA organizing in Clallam County. < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents April 2026 The Barbed Wire Barbara Flye < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents October 2025 A Fake Drug War Against Venezuela Cindy Domingo In less than a month, three boats off the coast of Venezuela have purportedly been bombed by US naval forces now stationed off the coast of Venezuela. The first boat sank on September 2, allegedly carried eleven people, and it was unclear whether any survived. Reports in the media suggested that the bombing may have been an artificial intelligence film as well as questions whether the boat may not have been a drug smuggling operation since high speed drug boats carry few passengers in order to carry more drugs. The story quickly left the media pages until the latest boat sinkings in mid-September. These boat bombings have followed a heightened build-up towards war against Venezuela since August of this year. On August 7, the bounty for the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro increased from $25 million to $50 million, with US Attorney General Pam Bondi accusing Maduro of collaborating with foreign terrorist organizations to smuggle drugs into the US. It was during the first Trump administration in 2020 that a bounty was placed on Maduro for $15 million and then in January 2025 it was raised to $25 million. On August 8, the US military deployed eight warships, 1,200 missiles, 10 F-35 fighter jets, a nuclear submarine off the coast of Venezuela and some 4,500 military personnel including 2,200 Marines and amphibious assault crews. These moves were followed by the bombings of the small boats. In addition to Maduro’s bounty, increased financial sanctions, lesser bounty rewards and travel visa restrictions have been levied against others in Maduro’s administration and Venezuelan state oil and transportation officials. These provocations under the guise of a drug war come even as there is little evidence that Venezuela and President Nicolas Maduro are involved in any drug smuggling. Juan Gonzalez, former senior director for the Western Hemisphere at the US National Security Council, has stated clearly that there is no credible evidence that Maduro directs any narco-gangs. Furthermore, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime 2025 report notes that only 5% of drugs going to the US pass through Venezuela; that in fact the country has consolidated its status as a territory free from coca leaf cultivation or drug production, as well as free from international criminal cartels. Yet Trump continues to push the narrative that Maduro is the head of a cartel called “Cartel of the Suns” and the attack on Venezuela is part of his War on Drugs. Trump’s real purpose is “regime change” in Venezuela, a strategy that was implemented in 2019 when Trump and other countries proclaimed Juan Guido as President of Venezuela even though not one person in Venezuela voted him into office and Maduro had won in the national presidential elections. And the real reason for regime change is the US wants control of Venezuela’s oil resources, the largest deposit of oil in one country in the world. Venezuela’s oil resources have been a lifeline to Cuba and lays the basis for important trade with China and Russia. The US war against Venezuela has been met with resistance in and outside Venezuela. In response to the warships, Maduro mobilized Venezuela’s popular militia that reportedly counts for 4.5 million members with its purpose to defend the country’s sovereignty. On September 1, Maduro was quoted by Al Jazeera that the US is “seeking a regime change through military threat…Venezuela is confronting the biggest threat that has been seen on our continent in the last 100 years…If Venezuela is attacked, we would immediately move to armed struggle in defense of our territory.” Maduro continued to state that he would declare Venezuela “a Republic in arms.” The September 1 issue of Venezuelan newspaper Ultimas Noticias reports that governments of 80 nations have repudiated the presence of US warships in the Caribbean and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), an alliance of 33 countries, convened an emergency session to address the crisis. The 10 countries of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our Americas (ALBA-TCP) have unanimously condemned the US deployments. The Presidents of Mexico, Columbia and Brazil have been outspoken about the US military aggression as well as they know they are also targets of Trump’s manufactured War on Drugs and plans for regime change. Cindy Domingo is PSARA's Co-VP of Outreach and a veteran activist with LELO (Legacy of Equality, Leadreship, organizing), APALA (Asian Pacific Ameri- can Labor Alliance), and Standing for Democracy. < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents January 2026 Report from PSARA’s Second Annual Public Discussion in Tacoma Dan Grey Threats to Traditional Medicare - The WISeR Project. Threats to Social Security The Tacoma Chapter of PSARA hosted its second annual public discussion, entitled “Social Safety Net Under Attack: Fighting to Save and Improve Medicaid, Social Security, and Medicare.” The well-attended event was held on Saturday, December 6 at the beautiful campus of Evergreen State College in Tacoma. Barb Church shared a moving land acknowledgment on behalf of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians. Lynne Dodson spoke about the proud history of this college in Tacoma, thanks to its first president, the late Maxine Mimms. Lynne also spoke about the mission of PSARA and recognized the co-sponsors for the event, including Pierce County Labor Council, University Place Indivisible, Indivisible Tacoma, and Indivisible Gig Harbor, as well as newly elected Tacoma City Councilwoman Latasha Palmer. The three featured panelists from the PSARA Board were Pam Crone, Anne Watanabe, and Robby Stern. Pam started by speaking about the dangers to Original Medicare beneficiaries due to the WISeR project. Washington is one of 6 states in the WISeR ((Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction Model) program. The pilot program expands prior authorization in original Medicare and reimburses artificial intelligence (AI) contractors based on how much money they save the Medicare Trust Fund, i.e. by denials of care. WA Representative Suzan DelBene has introduced HR 5940 to stop WISeR. Her bill is called “Seniors Deserve Smarter Care Act.” Pam reported that WA Senator Patty Murray will also be introducing a Senate bill to stop WISeR. We were all encouraged to ask Senator Maria Cantwell to support efforts to halt WISeR even before it begins in January 2026. Anne then spoke about the well documented, devastating cuts that Trump "Big Beautiful Bill" has for Medicaid in our state. Anne added to the discussion of WISeR and compared it to a home invasion robbery where the effects are dire and immediate. The longer-term goal of privatization of Medicare is comparable to “termites who work 24/7, and you know what they’ve done when the house collapses.” All spoke to the need to “level the playing field”, by making coverage in Original Medicare on par with Medicare Advantage plans including, dental, vision, hearing, pharmacy, and by ending copays, and the need for Medigap supplemental policies. Robby rounded off the discussion, speaking about the threats to Social Security. Closing of Social Security regional offices has left field offices without guidance and much needed support. Recent policy is to shift in-person support to phone support with agonizingly long wait times. Robby spoke about the long-desired effort to “Scrap the Cap” so that wealthy employees, who make more than the current wage cap of $176,100, would continue to pay the same tax rate on their multimillion dollar incomes as those of us with much less income. Robby reminded us that, last year, PSARA helped move Washington State Senate Joint Memorial 8002 (in support of Original Medicare), sponsored by Sen. Hasegawa, to the State House, where it died in the House Rules Committee. Given that there is no fiscal note or cost to this measure, we were encouraged to let House Speaker Jinkins know we want the measure approved by the House and sent to the US Congress as the will of the people of our state. Robby credited Connecticut Representative John Larson with introducing the “Social Security 2100 Act” in Congress. While no action will occur before the new Congress is sworn in in January, 2027, we can let our Washington Congress members know of our support to strengthen and preserve Social Security. Following questions and answers, Dan Grey, a PSARA Tacoma chapter member and volunteer for Radio Tacoma, interviewed Anne and Robby. Their 28-minute interview can be heard on the radiotacoma.org website click here for the direct link to the broadcast. Dan Grey is a member of PSARA in Pierce County. < Back to Table of Contents

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

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents April 2026 Honoring Jesse Jackson Cindy Domingo Today, as we face a crisis in our democracy of monumental proportions, the passing of Jesse Jackson forces our nation to remember the type of movement that must be built to regain political power for working people in this country. Coming to power in the 1980’s, Jackson brought us to the realization that the progressive movements must vie for power in the electoral arena. Jackson built an inside/outside structure in relationship to the Democratic Party, which had a long-term impact for the participation of people of color and working people. Jackson’s vision was first reflected in his 1984 Presidential election campaign. He then went on to become a major player and candidate in the 1988 Presidential election. He used his powerful oratory and organizing skills to build an organization that reflected one of his most important campaign themes, multiracial unity. In Nikhil Pal Singh’s book, Climbin' Jacob’s Ladder: The Black Freedom Movement Writings of Jack O’Dell , O’Dell, one of the key visionaries of the National Rainbow Coalition, stated that, “The Rainbow Coalition is a mass political movement, which should seek to provide a center of social authority, political judgment, and activist training as an alternative to the organs of mainstream governance and the two-party system.” O’Dell emphasized the necessity of building and maintaining an independent organization, “capable of effecting a basic realignment in US politics, in favor of Peace, Justice and Progress.” Because of Jackson’s and the Rainbow Coalition’s power base, Jackson was able to negotiate the rules within the Democratic Party and at the national convention. These changes altered the race and class representation and participation at national and local levels, elections of state delegates to state party conventions and the National Democratic conventions, and the construction of party platforms at all levels that represented a peace and justice peoples’ agenda. For many of us who participated in the Washington State Rainbow Coalition (WSRC) in the 1980s, it was our first foray into the electoral arena besides registering and casting our votes. Many in the WSRC joined the Democratic Party through participation in their legislative district party structure. By 1988, the WSRC had 1,000 members, strategically positioned in seven of the eight Washington State Congressional districts. At that time, Washington had a caucus system, through which people met by precinct to debate issues and positions, and elected people to vie for delegate positions for the national Democratic Convention, supporting a presidential candidate. At the caucus level, resolutions, positions on issues, and platforms were also discussed and voted on. For the WSRC, this was where our independent progressive movement impacted the process; our positions on major issues facing the US working class were debated, voted on, and passed onto the next level. At the Washington State Democratic Party Convention in 1988, the WSRC passed a resolution calling for a two-state solution to the Palestine/Israel conflict. The issues taken up by the WSRC are reflected in the founding convention of the WSRC in 1989. These included platform priorities on Washington State budget and taxation, Rainbow Coalition positions on foreign policy, the politics of AIDS, and many other issues that remain relevant today. Many WSRC members became delegates to the 1988 National Democratic Party Convention, where Jesse Jackson gave his famous speech about how his grandmother made a quilt from scraps of clothes to form a beautiful quilt. Jackson likened that quilt to the multi-racial, multi-class movement that was needed to win the 1988 election and political power for working people. I have such great memories of seeing my sister-in-law and other WSRC members on national television in the front rows as Jesse Jackson gave that speech. At Jesse Jackson’s funeral, former President Barack Obama gave credit to Jackson for his historic 2008 presidential victory. Kamala Harris also stated that she would not have been elected as vice president without the work that Jackson had done decades before. In Washington State, Seattle’s first Black mayor, Norm Rice, served two full terms from 1990-1997, acknowledging that his victory was due to the influence of Jackson and the WSRC. Rice hired a number of WSRC leaders, including Charles Rolland, who later became the first African American to become Chair of the State Democratic Party. Other WSRC members went on to run for political office with a progressive platform, even after the WSRC disbanded. The 1988 Jackson presidential campaign and the Rainbow Coalition opened the door for working class people to run for office, a door that can never be closed again. Today, as we see the Trump administration move to cancel or steal the 2026 midterm elections, we must remember the power unleashed by Jackson and the Rainbow Coalition. Free elections are a central component of our democracy and we must stand up and protect our right to vote! We hope you will attend Standing for Democracy’s and Free Washington Project’s April 8 webinar at 5:30 pm on protecting the 2026 midterm elections. Go to www.freewaproject.org for details and to register. Cindy Domingo is a veteran activist with LELO (Legacy of Equality, Leader-ship & Organizing) and APALA (Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance). She is PSARA's Co-VP for Outreach. < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents August 2025 PSARA Letter to the Washington State Congressional Delegation PSARA Board July 12, 2025 TO: Washington US Representatives and Washington Senators in the US Congress RE: The US National Climate Assessment Report The National Climate Assessment (NCA) is the US government’s preeminent report on climate change in the United States. It was set into law by the US Congress in 1990 and there have been five reports since then, released every four years. Although the National Climate Assessment is required by Congress, in April, the Trump administration announced it was canceling funding for the US Global Change Research Program, which coordinates the report. All the authors working on the upcoming Sixth National Climate Assessment, set for release in 2028, were also dismissed. The US Global Change Research Program's website was taken offline, along with all five editions of the National Climate Assessment and a wide range of information detailing how human- amplified climate change is impacting the United States. The most recent assessment, NCA5, was released in 2023. The report lays out the basic science of climate change, examines how climate change will affect 17 national-level topics, and includes 10 regional chapters covering the entire United States. The national reports are not only peer reviewed by other scientists, but examined for accuracy by the National Academy of Sciences, federal agencies, the staff and the public. The NCA gives close attention to current and future risks, how those risks can be reduced, and implications for society under different future scenarios. The most recent report, issued in 2023, included an interactive atlas that zoomed down to the county level. This lets Americans explore the impacts of climate change in their own back yards. Counties, cities, and states find it useful in planning future needs and in devel- oping budgets. Local officials say the report has helped them decide about upcoming needs - whether to raise roads, build seawalls and even move hospital generators from basements to roofs. Climate change is affecting people’s security, health and livelihoods in every corner of the country in different ways, with minority and Native American communities often disproportionately at risk. All of these reports have been taken offline by the Trump administration as of July 1. This is part of the cutback and cancellation of any work on climate change. The effect of this foolish ac- tion was brutally clear when over 100 people were swept away in the flash flood on Guadalupe River in Central Texas on July 4. Climate change will continue to make storms stronger and fires larger and faster moving. Thousands more will die from these catastrophic events. We need more resources focused on prevention and mitigation and we need them now! What specific actions are you taking to protect people and infra- structure from extreme weather events caused by climate change? We want to see public meetings and congressional hearings on this subject. It impacts the entire country. The hearings should include scientists and experts who provided the analysis for past NCA reports and those who used this critical data for planning and public health and safety at the state level. We are calling on you, our Washington State Representatives and Senators to the US Congress, to restore the National Climate Assessment as directed by congress in 1990. < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents December 2025 ICE Considers Raiding the Local Sandwich Shop The Barbed Wire < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents June 2025 Final Legislative Budget Overview Pam Crone The 2025 Washington legislative session ended on April 27. The information below reflects the final legislative budget. The Governor has until May 20 to sign the budget and exercise his veto authority. The budget does not be- come final until he acts. This overview was prepared before the Governor has taken action. As a reminder, the Governor has line-item veto power, meaning he can eliminate funding but cannot add new spending or shift dollars around. Over the final weeks of the session, the Legislature returned to the drawing board multiple times to draft a budget that included new revenue to navigate a $16 billion deficit projected over the next four years. Why did the Legislature have to return multiple times to the drawing board? The Governor repeatedly and consistently expressed opposition to a wealth tax, as well as concerns about relying too heavily on new revenue to balance the budget. As a result, the final budget includes more, and deeper, cuts. Another major concern is the potential impact of looming federal Medicaid reductions. Although these cuts are largely unpopular – effectively reducing healthcare access for many Americans while further lining the pockets of the wealthy – the Repub- lican-controlled House continues to move closer to a budget proposal that includes them. If these cuts are en- acted, the Governor is expected to call a special legislative session to address the resulting healthcare crisis. Current Budget Snapshot: Final operating budget: $77.8 billion Four-year outlook: $7 billion in total reductions New revenue (2025–2027): $4.3 billion New revenue (2027–2029): $4.4 billion Rainy Day Fund: $2 billion remaining Cash reserves: $225 million Investments in K–12 Education: $750 million for special education services $213 million for materials, supplies, and operating costs $200 million in local effort assistance for low-income school districts Investments in State Workers: Approximately $1 billion to fund and approve collective bargaining agreements for state employees Housing Investments: $605 million to the Housing Trust Fund $117 million in grants to local governments to offset lost document recording fee revenues Maintaining Core Services: $93 million for emergency food assistance organizations $27.9 million for senior nutrition programs $20 million to expand resources for crime victims Pam Crone is a retired lobbyist and Chair of PSARA's Government Relations Committee (GRC). < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents March 2026 Federal Government Walks Back Home Care Nursing Hours Carla McLean Older people and their families need to pay attention to recent changes in staffing in nursing homes. Decades of work on this issue resulted in the Biden administration mandating 3.5 hours of care per resident per day and an RN on site at all times. Although the number was lower than supporters wanted, at least it was a win. Because of lawsuits on the part of corporations, the guidelines were never implemented. In July, as part of Trump’s budget bill, Medicare was prohibited from implementing the new staff standards before 2034, and then the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services repealed the standards completely. It is estimated that these regulations could have saved 13,000 lives a year, according to an analysis by University of Pennsylvania researchers. Nursing homes have usually had a hard time filling vacancies for staff due to low pay and poor working conditions. According to Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s website, “the average nursing home loses more than half of its nursing staff within a year due to poor pay, lack of benefits, high workloads, inadequate training, poor management and lack of career advancement.” It is clear that these changes could be due in large part to donations by 40 nursing home entities of $250,000 each to Trump’s campaign, with some like Ensign Group donating $750,000, and NHS Management giving $600,000 ( NYT , 1/28/26). All of these would eventually total nearly 4.8 million for MAGA Inc, the super PAC. According to Sen. Warren's website, CEOs for three of the largest publicly-traded nursing homes were paid nearly $70 million in 2023, on top of $650 million in dividends and compensation for shareholders and executives between 2018 and 2022. The White House made final the repeal of the minimum staffing regulations by putting the old rules back in place. An RN is required to be on site only eight hours a day, and staffing levels have no minimum numbers in the nation’s 15,000 nursing homes; instead, they say they must be “sufficient to meet patients’ needs,” which certainly is too vague to help patients much. As reported by the New York Times (Jan. 17, 2026), Sam Brooks, director for the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care, said, “It’s clear CMS has no interest in ensuring adequate staffing.” Senators Warren, Sanders, Blumenthal, and Schakowsky wrote, “It is insulting that the for-profit nursing home industry, which receives billions of taxpayer dollars annually to run its operations, appears to prefer lining the pockets of its executives and shareholders rather than creating sustainable conditions for nurses and staff. The basis of your opposition to minimum staffing standards appears to be quite simple: greed.” Since most people want to “age in place," a major concern is the cost and availability of home care help. On this front, there was another rescinded regulation, even more unexpected than the nursing homes staffing rules. In July, the Department of Labor re-turned to a policy of excluding home care workers from the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). That act mandated that workers receive the federal minimum wage (which is currently only $7.25 an hour) and get overtime pay. This seemed to treat home care workers as teenage babysitters with no particular skills. After 40 years of lobbying, the Labor Department included home care workers under the labor act in 2013. However, there were many complaints of non-compliance and home care agencies have had to pay about $158 million in back wages. But in July that department said it would return to 1975 regulations, saying it “hindered consumer access to care.” With the anticipated $914 billion cut to Medicaid in the next decade, it is clear that the United States has never committed to funding long-term care of seniors. Although Harris and Trump tied at 49% among voters 65 and older in the 2025 election ( AARP.org ), those Americans who helped return Trump to the White House may die from a lack of care, not only in nursing homes but also at home. < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents May 2025 Somtimes it's Not Sweet in Life, but Other Times There's Good News Dina Burstein Many of you have read in this newsletter about my beloved friend Mohamed, who is incarcerated at Walla Walla State Penitentiary. Now I have amazing news to share with you about Mohamed’s legal case. Background: Mohamed is an immigrant from Somalia, now 38 years old. He was convicted in 2014 of charges related to an altercation on the street in which one personsustained minor injuries to his hand. For this, Mohamed was sentenced to 40 years in prison. He has been in prison at Walla Walla since 2015. To get a sense of what Mohamed is like, and what his life is like, you can read the columns Mohamed and I wrote for the Retiree Advocate here: www.psara.org/newsletter-archive News since our last column: Mohamed completed his AA degree! His college teacher asked permission for Mohamed to become a TA in his classes, but the prison did not allow He has fasted and prayed his way through another Ramadan in prison. And best news of all: The Seattle Clemency Project spent months investigating Mohamed’s case and has agreed to help represent him in a clemency case. Three attorneys at a Seattle private law firm, in cooperation with the Seattle Clemency Project, are now putting together a clemency case to submit to Governor Ferguson. There are other legal hurdles ahead for Mohamed, but this is a great start. Mohamed’s legal team has asked for letters of support from people in the community who know Mohamed or who have come to know him from his writings. If you have been moved by reading Mohamed’s columns, and might be interested in writing a letter of support for Mohamed, please email me at dinaburstein@gmail.com This is how Mohamed explained his perspective on living a 40-year sentence in prison: Sometimes it's not sweet in life. This is one of those things. The way I was going, drinking, life on the street, I was heading to get killed. Thank God I got a chance to re-live my life in prison. The ones still out there can’t. They’re stuck. As soon as I was in jail, I started praying again. I needed that break (the arrest) to get my life back. I was able to get my life back! Opened my eyes. Once I was pulled out of life on the street, I knew what I needed to do to live the life I wanted to live. Dina Burstein is a member of PSARA and an activist with the Jewish Coalition < Back to Table of Contents