INDIANAPOLIS – A coalition representing 25 different groups in Indiana is speaking out against a congressional tax plan that could be approved this week.

The Indiana Coalition for Human Services says the plan being considered by the U.S. Senate would likely force deep cuts to programs that expand economic opportunity and provide no benefit to most low-income Hoosiers.

Andrew Bradley, A senior policy analyst with Indiana Institute for Working Families, says the plan is being sold as tax relief for Indiana's middle class and working families, but it will actually result in an increase for a majority of Hoosiers while giving breaks to out of state millionaires, corporations and foreign investors.

"The wealthiest 1 percent in Indiana get about $5,000 in cuts while the bottom 60 percent see somewhere around a $140 tax hike,” he points out. “And part of that calculation is that this plan would take away health coverage for nearly a quarter million Hoosiers."

Bradley says the combined tax and budget plan has some immediate relief but, long term, it will be really devastating to Hoosiers.

He says Medicaid would be chopped nearly in half – by 47 percent. Job training programs would be reduced by a third, 80,000 fewer children would receive child care assistance and there would be a $140 billion cut to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by 2027.

Senate Republicans have added a provision that would take health coverage from 13 million people, including 245,000 Hoosiers to pay for permanent corporate tax cuts.

Bradley says the economic recovery in Indiana has been very uneven, and lawmakers should be held accountable.

He urges Hoosiers to tell lawmakers not to approve a tax plan that hurts working families.

"By voting for this plan, Indiana senators would be voting to give $16.6 million to other millionaires, and corporations and wealthy foreign investors,” he stresses.

The Trump and congressional budget plans would cut Pell Grants and student loans, and would deny the Child Tax Credit to a million children in immigrant families.





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A new tool aims to equip Oregonians with the knowledge they need to take control of their personal data and protect their privacy online.

Oregon Consumer Justice created the guide after the Oregon Consumer Privacy Act took effect last summer, empowering residents to control how businesses collect and use their personal data. The guide explained how to request records of collected and sold personal information.

Malena Lechon-Galdos, program coordinator for the Portland-based nonprofit suma, which helped work on the guide, said most people do not understand how much of their data, from internet search histories to social security numbers, is being collected, bought and sold.

"The internet is a tool that everyone at this point needs to utilize, even if it's getting basic resources," Lechon-Galdos pointed out. "How can we do it in a way that is safe?"

The guide includes step-by-step instructions on how to opt out of targeted advertising and stop the sale of personal data.

Cookies, explained Lechon-Galdos, help websites track the personal information people enter, as well as users' locations. All the information is bought and sold by data brokers to create personalized advertisements. Information can also be purchased by federal agencies and used in investigations, Lechon-Galdos added, which has raised concerns about warrantless surveillance.

"What we want the community to know is there are risks here," Lechon-Galdos stressed. "Here is how to mitigate some of these risks so you can feel more knowledgeable, more in control."

The new tool addresses barriers to digital rights awareness, Lechon-Galdos noted, including complex jargon and limited tech access. Oregon Consumer Justice said it hopes the information will help build a network of informed data privacy advocates.


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West Virginia coal miners filed a lawsuit asking a federal judge to temporarily halt the Trump administration's layoffs impacting the Coal Workers Health Surveillance Program.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health houses the program, which offers the screenings free of charge.

Travis Parsons, director of occupational safety and health for the Laborers' Health and Safety Fund of North America and a native West Virginian, said a majority, some 80% to 90% of workers at the program, have now lost their jobs.

"We always lean on NIOSH for research," Parsons noted. "Any time we had a new OSHA rule, we leaned on them for their expertise and to create a safer workplace."

The class action lawsuit against the federal government was filed on behalf of miners by Appalachian Mountain Advocates, Mountain State Justice and Petsonk Labor and Employment Law. Modern changes in mining technology have allowed miners to dig deeper into rock, increasing their exposure to silica dust, which has driven up rates of black lung disease, according to the American Journal of Managed Care.

Parsons added the program NIOSH has unique tasks and expertise which cannot be easily transferred to other agencies.

"They're the only agency in the country that certified respirators and tested respirators," Parsons pointed out.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates around 20% of coal miners in Central Appalachia have been diagnosed with black lung disease.


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Fear, shame, and helplessness are feelings Minnesota fraud victims describe after losing their life savings to a scam.

They're hopeful about a path to financial recovery as state lawmakers finalize a new tool to lean on.

Under a bill poised for final passage, Minnesota would join a handful of other states in creating a Consumer Fraud Restitution Fund.

A percentage of money collected from civil penalties leveled against suspected fraudsters would be diverted into a state-managed account.

That money would be divvied up among people who've had trouble recovering money in their cases.

Dennis Anderson of Maplewood told lawmakers that was the situation for him.

"It can happen to anyone," said Anderson. "Scammers exploit emotions and fears, robbing us from our financial security."

Anderson lost $20,000 after getting a frantic call from someone posing as his grandson about a legal matter.

The legislation is now part of a large omnibus bill as lawmakers near the end of session.

The measure has bipartisan support, although some Republicans want more transparency in how the money is handled. Sponsors say the plan has enough guardrails.

State Senator Ann Rest, DFL-New Hope, is the bill's main sponsor.

She said those guardrails include caps on how much money can go into the restitution fund, before the rest is moved into the general fund.

She noted that they also added language that a victim who receives restitution won't have to list it on their tax return. Rest said it's one way to make them feel better moving on from what happened.

"People lose their dignity over it," said Rest. "Sometimes they have risked a lot of their retirement income. They feel embarrassed, and by having a restitution account, it allows some restoration of that dignity."

AARP Minnesota worked closely with lawmakers on this plan.

It highlights data from the first three quarters of 2024, when the Federal Trade Commission received more than 22,000 fraud reports from Minnesotans, with losses totaling nearly $103 million.