December, 18 2008, 10:44am EDT
Bush Further Taints Legacy by Attacking Birth Control
NARAL Pro-Choice America vows to keep fighting dangerous Bush regulation that could undermine reproductive-health services
WASHINGTON
Today, Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, expressed extreme disappointment over the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) issue of the final Bush administration rule that could undermine women's access to essential health-care services, including birth control.
"President Bush's campaign promise was to unite Americans and he certainly did, as Americans are united in their opposition to this dangerous last-minute rule," Keenan said. "This last-ditch effort to undermine women's health and privacy is a transparent payoff to the right-wing pressure groups. In the 2008 election, voters clearly rejected the use of government authority to advance divisive policies. We look forward to working with the incoming Obama administration to reverse this divisive rule and change the tone of the debate over reproductive rights by protecting women's access to contraception, which actually helps prevent unintended pregnancies."
NARAL Pro-Choice America, which was cited in the original July 15 article in The New York Times about the proposed regulation, sent 2,500 birth-control packs to the HHS to represent the thousands of activists who signed a petition to protest the Bush administration's proposal. The organization also channeled 25,558 comments to a section of the HHS website that asked for public reaction to this proposal. Leading members of the U.S. Senate and House from both sides of the debate over reproductive rights sent letters calling on Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt to abandon the regulation and Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Patty Murray met with Secretary Leavitt to raise concerns about the proposal. In addition, medical organizations, faith-based groups, governors, state attorneys general, state legislators, and even members of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission all have publicly called for the Bush administration to abandon the proposed regulation.
For over 50 years, Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America) has fought to protect and advance reproductive freedom at the federal and state levels—including access to abortion care, birth control, pregnancy and post-partum care, and paid family leave—for everybody. Reproductive Freedom for All is powered by its more than 4 million members from every state and congressional district in the country, representing the 8 in 10 Americans who support legal abortion.
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Trump: 'Never Say Never' to Canada Becoming 51st State. Canadian PM: 'Never. Never. Never.'
"Canada is not for sale and is never going to be for sale," said Prime Minister Mark Carney.
May 06, 2025
In an Oval Office meeting on Tuesday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was diplomatic toward U.S. President Donald Trump, who has threatened to take over the United States' northern neighbor and whom Carney excoriated in his victory speech after being elected in March.
But at one point, Carney resorted to speaking to the cameras in the room to push back against the president's repeated claim that Canada could become "the 51st state."
After Carney reiterated that Canada "is not for sale," Trump told the press assembled in the room, "Never say never."
Carney responded by saying under his breath, "Never. Never. Never," to several of the reporters.
Carney later told reporters at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C. that he views Trump's persistent talk about taking control of one of the United States' top allies and trade partners as "a wish," and said he has "been careful always to distinguish between wish and reality."
"We're very clear, I've been very clear publicly consistently," said Carney. "I've been clear in private. I was very clear again in the Oval Office, have been clear throughout."
"Canada is not for sale and is never going to be for sale," he added.
In his remarks in the Oval Office, the Canadian prime minister, who represents the center-left Labour Party, seemed to appeal to Trump's self-image as a successful businessman at one point, reminding him that "as you know, from real estate, there are some places that are never for sale."
He also complimented Trump, saying he has "revitalized" international security.
But in his remarks after the meeting, Carney said he had pushed Trump to stop referring to Canada as the "51st state," and regarding a trade deal, he said the president "understands that we're having a negotiation between sovereign nations and that we will only pursue and accept a deal that is in the best interest of Canada."
The Trump administration has imposed 25% tariffs on goods from Canada, with some imports exempt under a trade deal signed in 2020.
Carney reported that Trump was willing to discuss lowering the tariffs and said he planned to have further discussions with the president "in the coming weeks" about a new trade agreement.
Trump appeared to soften his stance on eliminating the border between the U.S. and Canada and taking over the country in the meeting, allowing that "it takes two to tango."
Trump spoke about what he believes would be "a massive tax cut for the Canadian citizens" as well as healthcare benefits, but suggested he won't continue pushing Canada to make a deal.
"We're not going to be discussing that unless somebody wants to discuss it," he said.
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By Confirming Bisignano, Senate GOP Greenlights 'DOGE Destruction of Social Security'
"Their playbook is clearly to break Social Security so they can justify further cuts and privatization," one labor leader warned.
May 06, 2025
Defenders of the Social Security Administration sounded the alarm on Tuesday after U.S. Senate Republicans banded together to confirm President Donald Trump's pick to lead the federal agency, former financial services executive Frank Bisignano.
The new SSA commissioner—confirmed with a 53-47 vote along party lines—has described himself as a "DOGE person," referring to Trump's Department of Government Efficiency, which is led by billionaire Elon Musk.
"Elon Musk and Donald Trump, with the quiet help of Frank Bisignano, have spent the last few months taking a chainsaw to Social Security," said Nancy Altman, president of the advocacy group Social Security Works. "This vote was an opportunity for the Senate to reject the decimation of Social Security, and demand that Trump nominate a commissioner who will stop the bleeding. Instead, every Senate Republican just signed off on the DOGE destruction of Social Security."
Bisignano "is a Wall Street CEO with a long history of slashing the companies he runs to the bone, including massive layoffs," she noted. "He is also a liar. He claims he was not involved in all the chaotic and destructive changes at the Social Security Administration: the hollowing out of the agency, the stealing of our most sensitive data, the harmful and poorly rolled out policy changes, their sudden reversals, and more. However, there are well over a dozen long-serving civil servants, identified by a brave whistleblower, who can validate that he is lying."
Altman warned that "with Bisignano's increased power as a confirmed commissioner, he will accelerate the destruction of our Social Security system. One ray of hope is that the DOGE henchmen running Social Security have reversed course on some of the biggest cuts in the face of massive public outrage. They know how popular Social Security is with voters of all parties."
"Together, we can save Social Security from Trump, Musk, and Bisignano," she added. "It's going to take millions of people in the street raising our voices together, saying hands off our Social Security."
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) president Lee Saunders similarly said that "the Senate just escalated threats to Social Security" by confirming a billionaire CEO who "has spent his career catering to Wall Street elites."
"Bisignano could have stood up for working families and retirees by opposing efforts to roll back Social Security services, shut down offices, and lay off thousands of workers. Instead, he promises to provide more of the same failed, destructive leadership we have seen so far at Social Security," Saunders pointed out, also flagging his "DOGE person" remarks.
"Their playbook is clearly to break Social Security so they can justify further cuts and privatization," the labor leader stressed, vowing that AFSCME members "are keeping up the fight to protect our freedom to retire with dignity."
Richard Fiesta, executive director of the Alliance for Retired Americans, called the confirmation vote "deeply troubling to millions of current and future retirees who rely on the guaranteed benefits they paid for and earned through a lifetime of work."
"Mr. Bisignano's testimony before the Senate, along with his long career in the finance and tech sectors, provides no reassurance that he understands—let alone prioritizes—the needs of older and disabled Americans," said Fiesta. "We remain alarmed by the risk that he will support privatization schemes or replace essential SSA workers with AI systems, which could undermine the quality and accessibility of services."
Newly elected Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin also blasted the Senate GOP for confirming "a Wall Street stooge and self-proclaimed 'DOGE person' who wants to help Donald Trump and his shadow president Elon Musk gut the program."
"Just like Trump and Musk, Bisignano will gladly put Social Security on the chopping block to line the pockets of billionaires and special interests," Martin added, arguing that the men put the benefits of 73 million people at risk.
Members of the Senate Democratic Caucus, including Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), also warned of the danger posed by the new commissioner. In Schumer's words, "The nomination of Mr. Slash-and-Burn Bisignano is DOGE by another name."
"Donald Trump and Republicans know they can't admit they want to kill Social Security outright, so instead they're choosing another method: strangulation. Office closures, delays, mass layoffs, trouble over the phone, trouble over email. Bisignano would bring even more strangulation," Schumer said before the vote. "If Mr. Bisignano is confirmed, Senate Republicans will own all of the chaos he creates at the Social Security Administration."
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'Concerning, Shortsighted, and Detrimental': Trump Attacks National Endowment for the Arts
"Creative expression is the lifeblood that vivifies a free and democratic culture," said the head of one nonprofit publisher. "Every story a writer tells is one Trump cannot control."
May 06, 2025
Arts institutions around the country expressed sadness and outrage after the Trump administration notified theaters, literary arts organizations, and other groups on Friday that their National Endowment for the Arts grants were being withdrawn or canceled. The message came the same day that U.S. President Donald Trump proposed eliminating funding for the independent federal agency.
"Any attempt to dismantle the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)—by eliminating funding, reducing staff, or canceling grants—is deeply concerning, shortsighted, and detrimental to our nation," said CEO of Americans for the Arts, Erin Harkey, on Saturday. "NEA grants have touched every American, supporting projects in every congressional district and helping the arts reach parts of the country, including often overlooked rural communities."
According to NPR, which itself receives two NEA grants valued at $65,000, hundreds of groups across the country on Friday received a message from the NEA that grants offered for the 2025 fiscal year were being terminated or withdrawn. The email read, in part, "the NEA is updating its grantmaking policy priorities to focus funding on projects that reflect the nation's rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the president."
"Consequently," the email continued "we are terminating awards that fall outside these new priorities." According to NPR, the email states the president's priorities include projects that "celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence," "make America healthy again," and "foster skilled trade jobs," among others.
Impacted organizations have submitted information about their terminated or withdrawn NEA grants to a public tracker, which as of Tuesday afternoon lists over 200 groups. According to the spreadsheet, total funding revoked as of 3:00 pm Eastern Time tallied $5.9 million.
According to reporting from The Washington Post, it was not immediately clear whether the NEA is able to rescind grants it has already awarded, something that grantees who spoke to the outlet raised. The NEA was established by Congress in 1965 is the largest funder of arts and arts education countrywide, also according to the Post.
The move to revoke funding "not only threatens the stability of countless community-based programs but also places a heavy burden on smaller arts organizations that rely on consistent support to serve, educate, and inspire," wrote Lina Lindberg, a grant strategist, on LinkedIn on Tuesday.
The nonprofit publisher Electric Literature announced on Monday that its 2025 NEA grant was terminated, but struck a defiant tone in the public statement.
"Creative expression is the lifeblood that vivifies a free and democratic culture. Trump is obsessed with a heritage and legacy of his own imagination. For him, literature is forward facing and therefore dangerous. Every story, even about the past, is a new story. Every story a writer tells is one Trump cannot control," wrote the organization's executive director, Halimah Marcus. "Electric Literature will continue to publish culturally enriching stories about the past, present, and future with honesty and heart."
Portland Playhouse posted on Instagram that the administration had withdrawn the nonprofit theater's $25,000 NEA grant on the eve of the opening night of a production the funding was meant to support.
"To receive this news on the eve of opening night is deeply disappointing. While we have no plans currently to cancel our production, moving forward without the support of this critical funding presents a significant challenge for our company," the playhouse wrote. "We know we're not alone. Arts organizations across the country are grappling with reduced support at a time when the need for community, connection, and cultural expression is vital."
According to n+1's development director Dani Oliver, the magazine on Friday learned about the termination of its $12,500 2025 NEA grant "meant to help us pay our authors, our editors, and to have the magazine distributed to our readers."
"We're trying to stay optimistic, but with the administration's other announcement this week that the NEA might be shut down in its entirety, it's hard to do so," Oliver added.
Earlier Friday, Trump proposed completely getting rid of the NEA in his budget blueprint for fiscal year 2026.
Next to where the NEA appears in the budget, the document explains that "the budget includes the elimination of, or the elimination of federal funding for, the following small agencies."
In addition to NEA, Trump's budget also proposed eliminating funding for the National Endowment for Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The New York Timesreported Friday that "the proposal to eliminate the endowments drew a quick and furious reaction from Democrats."
The Times also reported that on Monday a group of senior officials at the NEA announced their resignations.
One observer, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, connected the grant terminations to the effort by Republicans in Congress to pass a round of tax cuts that will primarily benefit the wealthy. "The next thing Trump is trying to tear down: the arts," he wrote on X Tuesday. "All to fund tax cuts for billionaires."
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