The Fight for Healthcare and Services for Our Communities
This week, we heard from many alarmed members, hospitals, and allied unions and elected officials about the chaos and uncertainty that the federal government’s “pause” in funding created. Medicaid portals were down on Tuesday, and Trump administration officials dodged questions about the future of Medicaid and funding for other essential services. After public outcry and lawsuits, the courts put a temporary stop on this illegal withholding of our community resources. On Wednesday, the administration reconsidered its approach and “unpaused” some —but not all —federal funding.
This may be a small victory, but it will be a much longer fight to preserve the healthcare and social services that our members, patients and communities need to survive and thrive. We are in a rapidly changing situation day to day, but we know what the administration’s goals still are. Based on the executive orders Trump issued in the first week of his presidency and statements from incoming federal officials, the administration still plans to eliminate:
- At least eight public health programs related to COVID-19 response and recovery.
- Stronger OSHA Workplace Violence Prevention Standard and OSHA Infectious Diseases Standards.
- Programs that lower the cost of healthcare.
- Protections for reproductive healthcare.
- Healthcare access and privacy protections for immigrants.
- Workplace protections for the development of AI.
- Protections for transgender and gender non-conforming people.
- U.S. membership in the World Health Organization, international funding, and role as a global public health leader.
- All external public health communication from federal health agencies.
- Equal opportunity employment.
- Labor rights for federal workers and high labor standards for federal contractors.
The administration’s longer-term goals include privatizing Medicaid and Medicare and eliminating more union rights.
Frontline nurses and healthcare professionals must be involved in the decisions that impact our profession and our patients’ and the public’s health. With new rumors circulating every day, it’s so important that we hear from our members on the frontlines about what is happening in your hospitals, healthcare facilities, schools, and public health departments. Please reach out and share how these efforts to defund our hospitals and public health infrastructure are affecting you and your patients.
We will continue to monitor and triage the situation. We will continue to work on legal, political, and operational solutions, especially in hospitals, institutions, and organizations that rely on Medicaid, grants, and other federal funding. We will keep you updated on substantial changes we learn about and ways that we will support coordinated efforts to fight back.