skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, May 7, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Divided Supreme Court allows Trump administration to begin enforcing ban on transgender service members; AZ hospitals could be required to ask patients about legal status; Taxing the wealthy to pay for Trump priorities wouldn't slow economic growth; and overdraft fees are here to stay, costing Texans thousands of dollars a year.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Taxing millionaires could fund safety net programs, climate rollbacks raise national security concerns, India makes cross-border strikes in Kashmir, the Supreme Court backs transgender military ban, and government actions conflict with Indigenous land protections.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rural students who face hurdles going to college are getting noticed, Native Alaskans may want to live off the land but obstacles like climate change loom large, and the Cherokee language is being preserved by kids in North Carolina.

Iowa rights activists plan to fight social service cuts

play audio
Play

Monday, April 21, 2025   

Groups working for human rights causes in Iowa warn proposed cuts being debated in Congress would trickle down to the people least able to sustain them.

The Trump administration has proposed $880 billion in cuts over the next decade to Medicaid and other services, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Progress Iowa Executive Director Mazie Stilwell said those cuts would fall most squarely on average Iowans, many of them kids, who don't have a voice in the process.

"There is so much fear right now, and it's fear from everyday working Iowans who know there's no one fighting for them," said Stilwell. "It's the Iowans who know that when push comes to shove, and when programs are put on the chopping block, they're the ones who are going to suffer."

The Trump administration has said it is working to downsize the federal government and cut expenses.

About 270,000 Iowans receive SNAP or federal food assistance, and more than 700,000 get their health coverage from Medicaid.

Stilwell contended that Iowans aren't the only ones afraid of potential social service cuts, but politicians are too.

She said she suspects that's one reason they aren't showing up at town hall meetings, that have long been the hallmark of grassroots democracy in the state.

"What we've seen is these members of Congress running away from their constituents," said Stilwell. "They are refusing to answer their questions. They are trying to make a mockery of their constituents and their efforts."

Stilwell said in light of the just-passed income tax filing deadline, Iowans want to know their money is being used to represent their interests - and not to fund tax cuts or corporate interests.

Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Zach Nunn, both Republicans, voted in favor of the measure that would social service programs.



Disclosure: Progress Iowa contributes to our fund for reporting on Budget Policy & Priorities, Environment, Health Issues, Social Justice. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
As of 2023, half of likely undocumented immigrant adults and one in five lawfully present immigrant adults reported being uninsured, compared with less than one in 10 naturalized citizens and U.S.-born citizen adults, according to KFF. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

State lawmakers in Arizona are considering legislation to mandate hospitals to ask patients whether they are in the country legally. Rep. John …


Social Issues

play sound

As the national debate intensifies over cuts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance benefits and school meal funding, Missouri food system leaders are …

Social Issues

play sound

For now, Minnesota officials say panic has eased over federal funding for a program helping low-income households with their energy bills but there …


Illinois residents pay the second-highest gasoline taxes in the country, according to WalletHub. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

High taxes and a weak economy are the top concerns of Illinois residents according to a new poll, with nearly half of those surveyed saying they …

play sound

Air pollution in Washington is getting worse, according to a new report citing transportation emissions as the primary culprit. Eight of the 12 …

Overdraft fees originated during a time when consumers wrote and cashed checks more frequently so the checks would clear instead of bouncing. The amount of the fees has increased over time. (JJ Gouin/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Congress has overturned legislation which would have limited bank overdraft fees before the measure could go into effect. The Consumer Financial …

Social Issues

play sound

Reports of the Trump administration considering taxing wealthy Americans to pay for mass deportations and other priorities come on the heels of a new …

Social Issues

play sound

Protections for Indigenous rock art in Wyoming are in limbo after state lawmakers and the Trump administration took potentially conflicting actions re…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021