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economy
English as the Official US Language Is a Win for Trump's Culture War, But a Loser for All of Us
Immigrant families are the latest punished in our political—and informational—crisis.
Mar 06, 2025
In her towering 1967 essay, “Truth and Politics,” Jewish philosopher and refugee immigrant to the United States Hannah Arendt wrote, “No one has ever doubted that truth and politics are on rather bad terms with each other.” Nearly 60 years later, President Donald Trump is ensuring this observation becomes a reality — and in the process is putting our immigrant children and economic future at risk.
Our current political crisis is, at base, rooted in an informational crisis, where the facts of any particular matter — public health, climate change, gun violence, et al — only pertain insofar as they are politically useful for the Trump administration.
Above all, we are being forced to live with falsehoods about immigrant families living in the United States. This administration has blamed immigrants for harming the economy, spiking the housing market, and “poisoning” the country.
Say it plain: Not one of these claims is true — not vaguely, not a little, not in part, not kind of, not at all. But, as we are in a moment where political convenience constantly pressures the truth, the Trump administration published an executive order on Saturday, “Designating English as the Official Language of The United States.” This new policy is bad for kids, bad for the U.S.’s immigrant integration system, and bad for our economic present and future.
As its title notes, the order sets English as the country’s official language. But that is largely symbolic, completing a conservative culture war crusade — backed for years by radical groups like ProEnglish and U.S. English and California Republican gubernatorial and senatorial candidate Ron Unz. The U.S. government already conducts essentially all of its business in English.
More consequentially, it rescinds a quarter-century of federal guidance instructing public agencies to take steps to make their programs and services accessible to linguistically diverse communities. Until last weekend, that guidance instructed leaders of public systems to translate written materials and online information — and to interpret audio information and public meetings for non-native English speakers.
This longstanding policy was grounded in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans discrimination based on people’s national origins, and was a lynchpin of the country’s approach to integrating immigrant families into U.S. society, culture, communities and the economy. The success of the rescinded guidance wasn’t simply about doing the right thing — ensuring that multilingual communities can fairly access public services — it was also about supporting these communities because their success benefits everyone who lives in this country. Indeed, studies of immigrant families indicate that their children bring valuable languages and cultures to their schools — and benefit when educators engage them (across language differences) as partners.
This is immensely important now, as the country’s immigrants and their children make up the bulk of the growth in the U.S labor force in recent years. Their success in schools today and in the workforce tomorrow is essential to sustaining the country’s economic growth.
Look at what the Trump administration’s new guidance is throwing away. While far from perfect, the United States’ immigrant integration systems perform relatively well compared to similar systems in other countries.
Here’s how that looks in schools: Linguistically diverse children of immigrants are often designated as English learners (ELs), and receive targeted language instruction to help them learn the language while also advancing their academic development. Critically, research shows that the best way to do this is to provide them with bilingual learning opportunities so they are exposed to English while continuing to develop in their home languages.
Over time, as these students learn English, their academic outcomes significantly improve — these “former ELs” reliably become one of the highest-performing student groups in U.S. schools. What’s more, recent research has linked schools’ increased immigrant student enrollment with better academic outcomes for U.S.-born students.
Yet now, the Trump administration has chosen to dismantle public protections ensuring that these students’ families get translated enrollment forms and information about their available school choices. It has chosen to reduce their opportunities to learn about housing, health care, nutrition, and enrichment programs available to their children.
Or maybe it hasn’t? At the end of the order, the White House insists that it requires no “change in the services provided by any agency.” In a political moment where the facts are decreasingly important, perhaps it’s no surprise that the text of this executive order is confusingly at odds with itself.
But, given conservatives’ consistent support for reforms to make children of immigrants’ lives less stable and safe — see, for instance, the administration’s enthusiasm for conducting armed immigration enforcement raids on K–12 campuses — it’s hard to imagine a future where these language access supports persist. In this moment, the maximally cruel outcomes feel like the safest bet.
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The Economy Is Like the Ocean: Why We Must Protect Its Foundations
If we continue to strip away vital support systems—whether through mass layoffs, corporate greed, or government neglect—we are poisoning the waters we all rely on.
Mar 05, 2025
The economy is like the ocean—both rely on a healthy foundation to thrive. Just as the ocean's ecosystems depend on clean waters and balance at its depths, the economy needs a strong, stable base—workers, industries, and resources that function properly at the ground level. If the ocean floor becomes polluted, it disrupts the entire ecosystem, causing the waters above to suffer. Likewise, when the foundations of the economy are neglected—through inequality, corruption, or unsustainable practices—the effects ripple upward, leading to broader instability, high unemployment, and deepening inequality, making it increasingly difficult for ordinary people to stay afloat.
A clear example of this is when mass layoffs of government workers occur. Governments play a key role in maintaining infrastructure, social services, and public sector employment, which support the economy at large. When governments reduce their workforce through austerity measures or budget cuts, the immediate consequences affect the foundational services people rely on—healthcare, education, public safety, and more. These cuts often lead to decreased economic activity in local communities, as government workers are consumers themselves, spending on goods and services. Moreover, when government employees lose their jobs, the ripple effects can harm the private sector, as unemployment rises and consumer demand falls, further destabilizing local economies. The loss of these vital workers often undermines the very systems that hold society together, from the safety nets that protect the vulnerable to the systems of governance that enable economic stability.
Much like a polluted ocean, neglecting the "depths" of the economy—whether through environmental degradation, mass reductions in vital services, or economic policies that favor the wealthy over everyday people—ultimately pollutes the economic waters above. By weakening the economy's foundations, mass layoffs and economic instability erode confidence in the system, resulting in diminished growth, further instability, and a more fractured society. Both ecosystems—natural and economic—are delicate, requiring careful, long-term stewardship to avoid collapse and ensure prosperity for future generations.
Just as we fight for environmental protections to sustain our planet, we must fight for policies that sustain economic stability and fairness.
I understand this reality firsthand. As someone who experienced homelessness while raising a child, I've seen what happens when economic policies fail the most vulnerable. Losing stable housing wasn't just a personal hardship—it was a direct consequence of a system that prioritizes short-term profits over long-term stability. The economic ocean had already been polluted, and I was caught in the current, struggling to survive in a world that often overlooks those in need. I faced the consequences of an economy that fails to support its most essential workers, the ones who are too often invisible in the greater economic landscape.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, I witnessed another failure of economic stewardship. Many homeless individuals had no information about the virus, no access to protective measures, and no healthcare support. My daughter and I took it upon ourselves to educate and distribute resources to those left behind. Later, while filming my docuseries In Correspondence With Eric Protein Moseley, a spin-off of Homeless Coronavirus Outreach, I contracted Covid-19 myself. I was fortunate to receive care from St. Jude Center—Park Central and Catholic Charities Dallas, but my experience further solidified the urgency of healthcare and economic policies that serve everyone—not just the privileged. It became clear to me that a system that neglects its most vulnerable citizens will ultimately collapse under the weight of its own inequities. The pandemic illuminated the deep cracks in our social systems, with those at the bottom facing the greatest hardships and suffering the most severe consequences.
The current economic landscape shows us that public resources must be protected, not gutted. Economic justice and environmental justice go hand in hand. If we continue to strip away vital support systems—whether through mass layoffs, corporate greed, or government neglect—we are poisoning the waters we all rely on. Those at the bottom will feel the effects first, but soon enough, the instability will reach every level of society, affecting businesses, communities, and entire nations. This instability doesn't just threaten the most vulnerable, but the entire fabric of society itself. When the foundations weaken, it's only a matter of time before the entire structure is compromised.
We cannot afford to let the ocean of our economy become toxic. Just as we fight for environmental protections to sustain our planet, we must fight for policies that sustain economic stability and fairness. We need long-term solutions, not short-term cuts that deepen inequality and erode trust in the system. If we fail to act now, the waves of economic instability will continue to crash down, leaving millions struggling to stay afloat and threatening the future prosperity of us all. Our failure to protect the foundations of the economy will not only harm those already at the bottom—it will have consequences for all of us, as the ripple effects of neglect reach every part of society. The time to act is now—before the waters of economic injustice drown us all.
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Analysis Finds Trump Tariffs Will Cost Average US Family $1,600 or More Per Year
"The trade war Trump is igniting will weaken our economy and cause chaos in our marketplace as Americans pay the cost in the form of higher prices on everyday items," said Rep. Don Beyer.
Mar 04, 2025
As U.S. President Donald Trump's new tariffs took effect on Tuesday, Congressman Don Beyer released a Joint Economic Committee report showing that the policies could cost the average working-class family in the United States at least $1,600 annually.
"The tariffs Trump just imposed on Canada, Mexico, and China will raise costs by up to $2,000 per year for an average American family," Beyer (D-Va.) said in a statement. "The trade war Trump is igniting will weaken our economy and cause chaos in our marketplace as Americans pay the cost in the form of higher prices on everyday items."
Dean Baker, co-founder and senior economist of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, warns that Trump's tariffs could cost families even more than the estimates from Beyer's report, which cites figures from the Budget Lab at Yale University.
"While our report does not touch on this, these tariffs will also lead to retaliation that badly harms American producers," Beyer said. "And they will fail to achieve any of the pretextual objectives Trump has stated for imposing them. Less than two months into his term, Trump is running the economy into the ground and raising a real and growing risk of a recession."
Ignoring experts' warnings about impacts on consumers and the economy, Trump on Tuesday doubled his previous tariff for Chinese imports to 20% and—after a monthlong delay—hit Canadian and Mexican imports with 25% tariffs. As The Associated Pressreported, the moves sparked "swift retaliation" from "America's three biggest trading partners."
Leaders from those countries had warned of their responses if Trump followed through on his threats. There was also evidence of what would happen from the tariffs that the president imposed on China during his first term. At the time, Beyer's report notes, "U.S. importers and consumers paid almost entirely for Trump's tariffs through higher prices."
Trump has recently claimed that his plan will force production in the United States, but the report points out that the new "tariffs also impact the price of domestically produced goods by causing U.S. producers to raise prices if their supply chain relies on imported raw materials subject to the tariffs."
Using figures released Monday by the Budget Lab, Beyer's report warns that this time:
- Electronics, like computers, phones, and televisions, will see overall prices rise by nearly 11%;
- Clothing prices are expected to also rise by 7.5%;
- The price of cars, car parts, and other motor vehicles are expected to increase by over 6%;
- Oil will also rise by 1.7% and petroleum and coal products will rise by 1.6%, making it more expensive for families to fill up their gas tanks and heat their homes;
- And at a time when a trip to the grocery store is already squeezing household budgets, grocery prices will jump under these tariffs, with fresh produce prices rising by nearly 3%, rice prices increasing by 4.4%, and food prices overall rising by nearly 2%.
"In addition to harming the national economy, Trump's tariff policies will significantly impact state and local economies," the report says. "In fact, small counties in the South and Midwest tend to have economies that are most reliant on international trade. Those states that are heavily dependent on trade for statewide business may also be particularly impacted."
Despite the anticipated impacts of the tariffs that Trump has already imposed, he is expected to go even further, targeting the European Union and beyond. The Tax Policy Center warned in October that "a 20% worldwide tariff and a 60% tariff on Chinese goods, one of many import tax ideas floated by... Trump, would increase household taxes by an average of nearly $3,000 in 2025."
Beyer—who serves on the panel behind the report and the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade—noted Tuesday that "Republicans in Congress could stop this at any time by passing legislation I and others have offered to rein in Trump's abuses of tariff authorities, but they appear content to help Trump raise prices and risk economic disaster."
Separately, Beyer and every other Democrat on the subcommittee released a joint statement stressing that "Americans simply cannot afford to be caught in endless trade wars" and that they "are united in rejecting these irresponsible tariffs designed to increase revenue for more tax cuts for the ultrawealthy."
Republicans control not only the White House but also both chambers of Congress, and GOP House members last month advanced a budget resolution that would fund an extension of Trump's 2017 tax cuts for the rich by slashing health and food assistance programs that help millions of working-class Americans.
Beyer and his subcommittee colleagues called on House Republicans "to work with us to reassert Congress' role in setting strategic, stable trade policies and to invest in the American economy, instead of abdicating their responsibilities to President Trump and Elon Musk," the billionaire leading the administration's effort to gut the federal government.
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