After a Week of Chaos, We Must Stay Focused and Ready for the Fight Ahead

Earlier this week, the Trump Administration froze trillions of dollars of federal funding for health care, children’s education, and other vital programs. While an avalanche of public pressure and lawsuits forced the administration to reverse course, we must remain vigilant. The decision by the Trump Administration to jeopardize these services has already caused widespread confusion and fear. Combined with a global aid freeze, these directives are hitting historically marginalized communities the hardest, both at home and abroad. 

Over the last several days we’ve already seen destabilizing and negative effects in our communities. Public health agencies and community-based organizations, already chronically understaffed and underfunded, now face even greater uncertainty about their ability to continue to deliver essential services. Across the country, organizations led by and serving people of color and historically marginalized communities, are being hit the hardest. The combined impact of funding freezes, immigration crackdowns, and attacks on DEI is disrupting essential services and instilling fear that prevents already vulnerable populations from accessing critical programs and support. 

The services and agencies threatened by this federal funding freeze aren’t just numbers on a budget sheet; they ensure critical support for families, children, and seniors, especially in low-income and rural areas. The directive, made by memo rather than through legislative process, sets a dangerous precedent— one that bypasses the democratic principles and checks and balances, designed to ensure government accountability to the people. We are grateful to all of the advocates and organizers who mounted pressure through collective action to quickly roll back this initial attempt at cutting off federal funds to safety-net clinics, food banks, and public health departments, among others. 

Broad cuts, targeted efforts to roll back services to the most vulnerable, and generalized chaos in our federal policy and systems, are a threat to the health and wellbeing of everyone in the United States––and around the world. We stand ready to fight alongside our partners in the days and weeks ahead, and to continue to offer an alternative affirmative vision for our country, in which everyone can exercise their right to health.