President Trump's attempt to freeze funding for life-saving and essential science with a blatantly illegal and unconstitutional power grab should send chills down our spines. Research and grants abruptly halted. Medicine deliveries interrupted. Families and communities in shock. The Trump administration's Project 2025 plan has made clear that the President thinks it's his power and prerogative to unilaterally decide how taxpayer dollars are spent. That includes funds that Congress has already approved to go to local hospitals, universities, and research institutions for essential science, research, and programs that directly benefit our communities. The Trump administration has also made clear it will not stop trying to exercise this power wherever and however it can. Regardless of whether the administration has to walk back an executive order or is momentarily turned back by a court, they will keep at it until and unless Congress acts decisively and is clear that it will not stand for this illegal and harmful overreach. Urge Congress to oppose the Trump administration's illegal freeze of federal funds for programs, research, and science. The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) launched our Save Science, Save Lives campaign on Day 1 of the Trump administration to provide a bullhorn for UCS supporters to speak out with one voice. Right now, we need to band together to make sure our lawmakers to hear from us and are moved to stand up to the Trump administration and to protect science. Regardless of party, we expect our legislators to use every tool at their disposal to stop the illegal and unconstitutional attempt to withhold congressionally approved funds. Funds that our communities have been counting on for cancer and other life-saving research, critical disaster relief efforts, providing food to kids, and so much more. Take a moment to let your members of Congress know where you stand on Trump's illegal and unconstitutional power grab, and how you expect them to respond. 

The directive, issued by the White House Office of Management and Budget, impacts tens of billions of dollars in funding.  Children and families across the country could suffer from abrupt cuts to school breakfast programs, food benefits, child care block grants, and housing vouchers.  Not to mention how it could impact funding for public education, roads, and transportation. Health care programs and programs like Medicaid, cancer research, and suicide hotlines.  The people who provide these services and the people who rely on them are having their entire livelihoods thrown into limbo. Even temporary pauses to these critical programs could have long standing and lasting effects for everyday people.  Trump and his wealthy friends won’t be impacted by disruptions to federal aid. But the rest of us and our communities will.  These federal grants and assistance programs are meant to support us. They're the outcome of the tax dollars at work. Trump and Republicans shouldn't be able to make substantial cuts that would put our communities, jobs, and health at risk. Add your name to the petition to fight back. NO MORE CUTS FOR OUR COMMUNITIES!

House Joint Memorial 1 passed the House today. Next step: Senate. After that? It goes to the Supreme Court. The SCOTUS still gets to decide whether or not they'll even look at it; however, we know from past decisions that the justices are looking for any chance to look at Obergefell v. Hodges.  Gone are the days to just sit back and let these things play out. You also cannot tell me I'm overreacting or that this will never happen. Instead, please stand in support by flooding the senators with emails. I will put their info in the comments. You can write to them while also not being a resident of the state. Please just tell them to oppose this memorial.  Friends and family, this is very important to me and to people I care deeply about. Even if you don't support gay marriage, you should be angry that the House and Senate are wasting money ($70K per day per session) entertaining bills and memorials that do not serve Idahoans best interests.

Why Is It Important? It is crucial to address the injustices caused by CPS and DCFS social workers who lie in court, resulting in the unwarranted removal of children from innocent parents. These actions devastate families, leaving lasting emotional and psychological scars on both parents and children. A system designed to protect children should not be used to tear families apart without evidence or due process. Reform is needed to ensure transparency, accountability, and fairness in child welfare practices. Why Should Others Join the Campaign? This fight is not just for one family but for every family at risk of losing their children due to false claims and unchecked power. By standing together, we can demand a child welfare system that prioritizes truth, justice, and family preservation. I created the nonprofit Stolen Children by CPS to support innocent parents and expose these systemic failures. Your voice can help bring about the change needed to protect families and hold CPS accountable for its actions. Join the campaign to ensure no parent suffers this injustice again. https://www.stolenchildrenbycps.com

housing insecurity affects everyone, directly or indirectly. It impacts our schools, hospitals, businesses, and local economies. When families can’t afford housing, children’s education suffers, healthcare costs rise, and economic growth stalls. Affordable housing isn’t just about helping those in need—it’s about creating strong, thriving communities for all of us.

Providence, a $30 billion corporation, is Oregon’s largest healthcare provider. This strike is an opportunity for all of us to take a stand—because a broken system hurts every patient and every family. Sign the petition to demand that Providence negotiate fair contracts with the Oregon Nurses Association and the Pacific Northwest Hospital Medicine Association.

The Atlantic City Housing Authority Stanley Holmes Village is a humanitarian health and economic development crisis, because it endangers the health and wellness of several hundred children, seniors, and families during blistering cold weather. For example December 23, 2024, it was 12° degrees outside, and these America  families had no heat or hot water on the inside. 

As a student body, we demand immediate action to address these issues and improve mental health services at UW Madison. Specifically, we call on the administration to: 1. Hire more professional counselors: Increase the number of qualified therapists who specialize in addressing serious mental health concerns. 2. Provide face-to-face counseling: Virtual or phone-only sessions are not enough. Students need in-person services to build trust and meaningful connections. 3. Reduce wait times: Expand staffing and resources to ensure students can access help when they need it, without unnecessary delays. 4. Invest in mental health resources: Enhance outreach, workshops, and student support programs to proactively address mental health concerns. 5. We cannot allow these issues to persist. Delayed or inadequate care can lead to devastating consequences. As students, we are advocating for our right to access high-quality, accessible mental health care on campus. By signing this petition, you are joining the fight for a healthier, more supportive UW Madison. Let’s ensure that every student feels seen, valued, and supported. Together, we can build a campus culture that prioritizes mental health and well-being. Sign this petition to demand change now. Share your voice and make an impact. [Sign Here]

Hostile architecture harms everyone, not just the homeless. It leaves the elderly, pregnant women, and the disabled without a place to properly rest. These types of seating are incompatible with mobility aids and make life harder for an already marginalized group. Anti-homeless architecture in Lafayette should be replaced with proper seating for the benefit of all citizens. 

As of December 19th, my children will have spent six years in foster care, completely cut off from family connections, parental visits, and phone calls. This has resulted in a profound sense of abandonment and alienation, largely due to the actions of the department. The intention behind this approach seems to be to make them more adoptable, but it only reinforces the feeling that they are unloved and unwanted. This is why I believe Title IV-E federal funding should be repealed; it no longer fulfills its original purpose. Below are the negative failures of title 4E federal funding. I had a generated by AI... I didn't want people to second-guess me or think I didn't have my facts straight.  Title IV-E of the Social Security Act provides federal funding for foster care and adoption assistance programs. While the intent of this funding is to support children in the welfare system and promote family stability, there can be negative results and impacts on families. Here are some potential negative outcomes associated with Title IV-E funding: 1. **Incentivization of Foster Care Placement**: The funding structure may inadvertently incentivize the placement of children into foster care rather than supporting families to stay together. This can lead to unnecessary separations and trauma for children and parents. 2. **Limited Support for Preventive Services**: Title IV-E funding primarily focuses on foster care and adoption assistance, which may result in insufficient resources allocated for preventive services that could help families avoid entering the child welfare system in the first place. 3. **Overburdened Child Welfare System**: Increased funding for foster care can lead to an influx of cases, overwhelming the child welfare system. This can result in inadequate attention and resources for families in crisis, leading to poorer outcomes for children and families. 4. **Disparities in Access to Services**: Families from marginalized communities may face barriers in accessing the benefits of Title IV-E funding. This can exacerbate existing inequalities and lead to disproportionate rates of foster care placements among certain populations. 5. **Stigmatization of Families**: The involvement of child welfare services can carry a stigma, which may discourage families from seeking help. This stigma can lead to isolation and further challenges for families struggling with issues that could be addressed with appropriate support. 6. **Short-Term Focus**: The funding may prioritize immediate placements and financial assistance over long-term solutions that address the root causes of family instability, such as poverty, mental health issues, and substance abuse. 7. **Potential for Mismanagement**: With increased funding, there is a risk of mismanagement or misuse of resources, which can detract from the intended support for families and children. This can lead to a lack of accountability and transparency in how funds are utilized. 8. **Impact on Family Reunification**: The focus on foster care placements may delay or complicate the process of family reunification, as resources may be more readily available for foster care than for services that support reunification efforts. 9. **Emotional and Psychological Effects**: The trauma of entering the foster care system can have lasting emotional and psychological effects on children and their families, which may not be adequately addressed by the services funded under Title

Time and time again, the far-right majority of the Supreme Court has put special interests and politics ahead of people and above delivering justice under the law. But we cannot and will not be silent. Student debt fuels economic, gender, and racial inequality. Our persistent racial wealth gap means that students of color, especially those who are Black and brown, are more likely to have student debt, borrow in higher quantities, and face more struggles in repayment. A higher education should be the key to a better future, instead of a lifetime debt sentence that limits borrowers’ ability to buy homes, start small businesses, and save for retirement, cutting into opportunities for wealth-building over their lifetimes. This is why student loan cancellation is so important. Trump's agenda includes dismantling the Department of Education (DOE), which would have devastating impacts on our communities. The DOE oversees the Pell Grant and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) which gives aid to college students who need financial aid. The DOE also enforces the civil rights of students, and supports school programs that support students with disabilities. But Trump, Republicans, and Republican-appointed Supreme Court justices cannot have the last word. We won’t let them win. We have to push back and be in solidarity with each other. Together, we can keep getting loud to show the President Biden that he has the power to to give millions of Americans the student loan relief they need and deserve. President Biden must cancel student debt via executive order before Trump and Republicans gain control over all three branches of our federal government. Will you sign the petition?

Why the increased permitting fees are essential: • A properly funded Air Program could mean more effective health protections from dangerous air pollution. Without the increased permitting fees, the Air Program could be weakened, further harming Allegheny County residents who already suffer from asthma and other health problems.  • Increased permitting fees would be paid by plant operators and applicants – NOT taxpayers. • This is especially important as the County is facing a large budget deficit.  • The fee increases are monies that would supplement the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) Air Program budget at no cost to taxpayers. • Approving the fee increase shifts the burden of covering these costs to, in most cases, million - and billion dollar industries that can easily afford to pay it.  • The fee increase essentially makes these companies cover the costs of obeying the law. • An adequately funded ACHD is critical to protecting the health of Allegheny County residents. Currently, the staff working to protect our air quality is under-resourced and overworked. https://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2025/01/26/iulia-vann-allegheny-county-health-department/stories/202501190046 • The Clean Air Act requires ACHD to charge Title V facilities fees that are sufficient to cover the cost of administering the program.  • This critical fee upgrade is long overdue and is something the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) recommended in their 2018 audit of the ACHD Title V Air Program • The large companies that profit from polluting Allegheny County’s air increase the burden on ACHD and make ACHD’s work more vital. Increased fees would help ACHD hold them accountable. Who is against the fee increases? • U.S. Steel is lobbying hard against the increased fees, a company that can easily afford to pay these increased permit fees: • U.S. Steel disingenuously claims that the fee increases would have a detrimental impact.  • Under ACHD’s proposed fee increases, U.S. Steel’s annual total Title V fees for its Allegheny County facilities would be just 0.009% ($165,000) of U.S. Steel reported earnings of $2.14 billion in 2023.  • Compared to such monumental earnings, any claim that the significantly smaller Title V renewal permit fee, required only once every five years, would impact U.S. Steel’s coffers further strains credulity.  • The Clairton facility alone released 1.1 million pounds of toxic emissions into the air in 2021.  • Despite all evidence to the contrary, U.S. Steel also argues that its “steelmaking process is done in the safest and most environmentally responsible manner.” Yet in just the first quarter of 2023, ACHD found more than 1,500 instances of non-compliance at U.S. Steel's Clairton Plant alone.  • U.S. Steel’s egregious level of noncompliance required significant ACHD resources to identify and rein in, including for inspections and enforcement actions.  • Yet U.S. Steel's three Mon Valley facilities each currently pay an annual fee of $8,000 for the facility’s Title V permit - an inadequate amount. • This imbalance between ACHD’s time and effort necessary to ensure compliance and the current fee structure exemplifies that raising the fees is needed and warranted.  • Additionally, for smaller facilities that emit less than 50 tons per year, the current fee of $8,000 will increase to only $15,000.  • The fee schedule thereby ensures that the largest facilities that most burden the community and ACHD are the focal point of these fee increases.