What’s Happening:

• On March 3, 2025, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a framework for its budget reconciliation. The framework calls for up to $230 billion in cuts to SNAP, $880 billion from Medicaid, and $330 billion from federal student aid over the next ten years. The House and Senate must now create a single shared resolution prior to individual committees writing their section of the bill.
• There are two weeks left before the March 14 deadline for finalizing the FY2025 budget. Republican negotiators are opposing Democratic demands for assurances that White House will not unilaterally cut Congressionally agreed-upon-appropriated funds. If there are no limits set, Congress will essentially be surrendering its role to the White House.
• The “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) continues to decimate vital government programs through mass firings, administrative leaves, and contract cancellations. Roughly 20% of the staff at both the Office of Head Start and Office of Child Care have been fired, and it is reported that 50% of staff at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) may be fired.
• An executive order is expected soon to require the U.S. Department of Education to dismantle itself through agency action and legislative recommendations for Congress.

Any one of these items would be cause for great concern. Together, they are cause for great alarm.