As the shutdown continues (thanks to the House GOP vacation, jamming the Senate), states suffer more losses, expecially for low-income residents. The "Healthcare Heist," as PA's Megan E ttags it below, is the most long-term cost to everyone who has Affordable Care Act coverage. More immediately, SNAP benefits (food stamps) are due to run out for millions in our region alone when the month ends. And, of course, the DMV is especially burdened by the large numbers of federal workers who just missed a paycheck.Republicans fashioned a skimpy and self-interested bill to pay SOME GOP-favored federal employees, but Dems were incensed about its one-sidedness and wouldn't provide the necessary votes to pass it.
And Maryland lost a last-ditch appeal to get FEMA help for Western Maryland families swamped by the floods of late spring.
Nevertheless, as also noted below by Megan, polls show that the coming health care catastrophe was the right fight to pick in Congress. She suggests numerous tools for fighting back -- at its best, in groups -- on the skyrocketing premiums.
HERE IN MARYLAND
Western Md’s Final Appeal For FEMA Help Denied: The Trump administration rejected the state’s final appeal for federal disaster relief for Western Maryland communities that are still recovering from May’s historic flash floods. The Baltimore Banner. >>The Trump administration on Thursday denied an appeal for federal disaster aid to Western Maryland for the May floods in Allegany and Garrett Counties. Capital News Service/Maryland Reporter >> Trump administration has denied Maryland’s appeal for federal disaster aid for at least $33.7 million in flood damage caused by heavy rains in the western part of state in the spring. WaPo
Van Hollen, Alsobrooks, Oppose Bill To Limit Back Pay For Federal Workers: Maryland’s Democratic senators voted Thursday against a Republican proposal that would provide back pay only to certain essential federal workers during the shutdown. Mary Burke and Xavier Board, Capital News Service >> The Senate on Thursday failed to advance legislation from Sen. Ron Johnson that would have provided pay to certain federal employees during the ongoing government shutdown, as Democrats pushed for broader measures to pay all workers and reopen the government. WBAL News Radio. >>Most federal employees will miss their first full paycheck on Friday or early next week. More than 42 million Americans, some 40% under the age of 17, are also at risk of delayed food assistance if Congress doesn’t address a funding shortfall expected by Nov. 1 in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Maryland Matters.
Sticker Shock: Obamacare Premiums Jump As Congress Deadlocks: GOP officials argue the current level of subsidies enacted during the Biden administration were always intended as temporary, and are costly. The Congressional Budget Office estimates they would add $355 billion to the deficit over the next decade. Baltimore Banner.
‘The Pain Is Real’: Moore Contrasts Private Sector Job Growth With Federal Job Cuts: Gov. Wes Moore (D) touted job growth under his administration while acknowledging the impact recent federal actions have had on Maryland’s employment picture during a visit Thursday to a recently opened job center in Montgomery County. Bethesda Today.
Raskin Calls For Md To Fight Back Against Gop Redistricting: U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland called on his state to fight back against GOP-led redistricting efforts across the country in a social media post Wednesday, blasting Republicans and President Donald Trump for a mid-decade redistricting effort that he said threatens democracy. Baltimore Banner.
Heat-Related Deaths In Maryland reached highest number in over a decade this summer | Maryland Matters
SNAP Running Dry: As SNAP Benefits Stop, State Won't Dig Into Its Coffers Without Federal IOU: The U.S. Department of Agriculture has posted a notice on its website saying federal food aid will not go out Nov. 1, raising the stakes for families nationwide as the government shutdown drags on. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as SNAP, helps about 1 in 8 Americans buy groceries. Gov. Wes Moore said Friday that, without an assurance that the federal government will pay the state back after the shutdown ends, he won’t tap state money to fund SNAP. More than 680,000 Marylanders — 1 in 9 state residents — rely on SNAP to help keep food on the table. Their average benefit is $180 per month. Baltimore Banner.
Food Education Program For Low Income Families Defunded: As of Oct. 1, Maryland’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education, or SNAP-Ed, has been defunded following President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill”. Capital News Service/Maryland Reporter
Review Sought After MD high school A.I. System Mistook Bag Of Chips For Weapon: Baltimore County leaders are now calling for a review of A.I.-powered gun detection system that mistook a bag of chips for a weapon at Kenwood High School in Baltimore County last Monday. Police body camera footage shows law enforcement officers confronting the group of students. WJZ-TV News.
THE REGION AND THE OTHER 49
Summaries from Pluribus and Stateline Daily or otherwise noted
Entire Region Braces for SNAP Suspension: How the D.C. region is prepared – or not – o lose Food Stamps for over 1.6 million people across D.C., Maryland and Virginia, as officials diverge in their responses. As the federal shutdown drags on, officials in the D.C. region are preparing for food stamp payments to stop by Nov. 1, potentially leaving residents who depend on the benefits struggling to afford food. More than 1.6 million people across D.C., Maryland and Virginia receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, and an increasing number of residents have also been experiencing food insecurity as federal layoffs have strained thousands of families’ budgets. WaPo
ELECTION MONITORS: The Trump administration’s Department of Justice will deploy election monitors to five California counties, in what department officials describe as an effort to ensure transparency and compliance with federal law, CalMatters reports. The news comes as voters are already casting ballots on Proposition 50, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to redraw the state’s congressional districts to favor Democrats. Stateline Daily [A similar redistricting effort in Texas, aiming for new Republican districts, is drawing no federal scrutiny.]
TECH and ENVIRONMENT: The Pennsylvania House Energy Committee is hearing testimony on a bill to authorize the Public Utility Commission to develop regulations to protect ratepayers from energy costs tied to data centers. The bill would require security deposits from data center operators and require them to curtail use during emergencies. (State Affairs)
REDISTRICTING: The Virginia House speaker called lawmakers back to Richmond for a special session, setting off speculation that Democrats are preparing to act on redistricting plans just days before voters elect a new governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and all 100 members of the House of Delegates, according to the Virginia Mercury.
TEN COMMANDMENTS: A federal judge ordered Ten Commandments posters be removed from an Arkansas school district, two days after he permitted another district to be added to a lawsuit challenging the state law requiring the displays, the Arkansas Advocate reports. Seven Arkansas families filed a lawsuit in June challenging the constitutionality of a new state law requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms and libraries.
NATIONAL GUARD: Lawyers for the state of Oregon allege federal attorneys severely mischaracterized the number of federal police officers sent at any given time to Portland over the summer, and that the error undercuts the federal government’s argument for deploying National Guard troops to the city, the Oregon Capital Chronicle reports.
TECHNOLOGY: Protecting Kids: Tech regulation is coming to the campaign trail. New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill (D) is running on an “online safety agenda,” calling for new protections for children and teenagers and policies to combat online extremism. Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones (D) has endorsed social media warning labels and Age-Appropriate Design Code laws. Republican candidates in Wisconsin and Minnesota are also promoting online safety measures on the campaign trail
The flip side: Tech companies have been spending big lobbying dollars for two decades. AI companies and the crypto industry are getting involved too, pressuring states to leave them to their own devices. Big Tech is the new Big Oil. . (Pluribus News) (paywalled)
Nebraska’s ‘Cornhusker Clink’ for migrant detainees upends rural community: Residents and former inmates are frustrated by plans to turn a Work Ethic Camp, where inmates had been a labor source for local agencies and nonprofits, into an immigrant detention center. WaPo
GLOBAL, NATIONAL AND THE FEDS
The costs of Terrifying: Americans are expected to spend a record $13.1 billion on Halloween this year, according to the National Retail Federation. That tops the previous record of $12.2 billion set in 2023. Costume prices have risen 20% to 25% because of tariffs, the group said. (Colorado Public Radio) Candies made of chocolate account for 44% of Halloween candy sold in the U.S. this year, down from 52% last year. Poor harvests in West Africa have caused chocolate prices to more than quadruple between 2023 and 2025. (Associated Press) via Pluribus
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Here is the weekly dispatch from Progressive Maryland’s national affiliate, People’s Action, compiled by PA’s federal affairs director, Megan E:
Hi People’s Action!
This week is the Healthcare Heist Week of Action! See the take action section below for resources!
I sent an update with resources re SNAP funding last Wednesday and included it below my signature. Remember that Trump can and should fund SNAP! He’s using hungry families as leverage in the shutdown. There was a lot of local media coverage on SNAP over the weekend.
From Groundwork Collaborative: “The Groundwork/Data for Progress tracking poll (October 22-23), shows that 66% of voters have now heard a lot or some about rising health insurance premiums – up 7 points from just a week ago. Three-quarters of voters are already concerned about health insurance premiums rising this year, and 56% of voters (including two-thirds of Independents) believe Trump and Republicans in Congress are not focused on lowering health care costs.”
Jenn Coffey, a leader with RAD NH and leader in our Care Over Cost campaign was on the John Oliver last segment last night on Medicare privatization! (Adult language!)
There’s also so much going on with Trump’s fascist administration, it’s hard to keep up. Apparently, a few Republican Senators have a line - though they won’t admit to it publicly. They have refused to confirm Paul Ingrassia, Trump’s appointee to lead the office of Special Counsel, which investigates retaliation against federal government whistleblowers and alleged violations of the Hatch Act (that civil servants aren’t supposed to do political work). They have decided that Ingrassia -- who texted that he has a nazi streak and other racist text messages -- is not the best watchdog to protect federal employees from being forced to do illegal things. Trump continues to murder people on boats who are allegedly from Venezuela where we may be headed to war and regime change.
Here's what's in this email today....
ACTIONS TO TAKE: ASKS: What You Can Do This Week
I made a SAVE SNAP toolkit - feedback is welcome. A little bird told me this may be a real email of a senior Trump admin official in charge of SNAP. [email protected] in case you want to fill it with messages on SNAP.
- A list of events already organized and volunteer-led are here in case you want to join any in your area.
- This Protect Our Care toolkit has some state specific data, graphics and social media posts you can boost.
WHAT'S HAPPENING: NEW RESOURCES
ITEP guide to state & Local Taxes
From Groundwork Collaborative: Groundwork’s latest one-pager shows Health Insurance Premiums Are Already Rising for Americans in the states where window-shopping has already begun. As the ongoing shutdown fight has focused national attention on health care costs, the Groundwork/Data for Progress tracking poll (October 22-23), shows that 66% of voters have now heard a lot or some about rising health insurance premiums – up 7 points from just a week ago. Three-quarters of voters are already concerned about health insurance premiums rising this year, and 56% of voters (including two-thirds of Independents) believe Trump and Republicans in Congress are not focused on lowering health care costs.
Additionally, While the blame numbers have looked consistent since the start of the shutdown, an important shift is happening beneath the surface. Democrats in Congress are getting credit with voters because health care has proven to be the right issue to fight on. Voters support Democrats’ fight to reverse Republican health care cuts by a 14-point margin.
Immigration - CTAN is excited to share a new resource for and love letter to immigrant families, “A Love Letter and Support Guide for Families Navigating Harmful Immigration Raids and Policies,” created in partnership with the National Parents Union, Little Justice Leaders, and fiercely passionate advocates.
Best, Megan