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The U.S. Government is Waging War on Us All!
The U.S. government has accelerated its war on the people of the U.S. and is increasing its threats against the people of South America. The government shutdown, like the threat of a military assault on Venezuela, has been a demonstration of the priorities of the government and those it really represents.
For 43 days, the members of Congress have tied themselves up in political theater while the people they supposedly represent paid the price. The government shutdown meant that more than 42 million people on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) couldn’t buy needed food. It was a mean-spirited attack on the most vulnerable people in the U.S., especially because there were contingency funds that could have been used during the shutdown.
The Democrats refused to pass the Republican budget without an extension of health insurance subsidies that affect 24 million, whose health care coverage comes through the Affordable Care Act. This will mean huge increases in people’s health care premiums.
About 670,000 federal workers were furloughed, and another 730,000 worked without pay during the shutdown. This included air traffic controllers who were forced to work six 10-hour days. Meanwhile, ICE and Border Control agents continued to be paid to carry out their attacks across the country. The standoff ended when some Democrats gave up and voted for the bill.
The Republicans followed Trump’s orders, while the Democrats put up a weak resistance, making speeches in Washington and wringing their hands. If the Democrats were serious about mounting a real opposition to this budget, they and their staff could have returned to their home districts. They could have held protest meetings and helped to mobilize people for coordinated demonstrations and strikes across the country demanding the extension of the Affordable Care Act, protesting federal workers being laid off and forced to work without pay.
They wouldn’t do that because it would expose the lie of their so-called representative government. While Trump’s agenda is more openly vicious, both parties represent the interests of those in power – those who control the big corporations and financial institutions.
At the same time, Trump’s Department of War sent a massive naval battle group to the Caribbean, off the shores of Venezuela, to threaten the regime of Nicolás Maduro, the president of Venezuela. And those in control of the U.S. government are openly saying their goal is the overthrow of the Maduro regime. To demonstrate what they are ready to do, they have attacked 20 small boats, killing at least 80 people, claiming they are running drugs. And how does suspicion of drug trafficking lead to execution? It has nothing to do with drugs. Venezuela is not a major producer of the cocaine or synthetic drugs imported to meet the demand in the U.S.
It is not about drugs at all – this is just a pretense. What it is really about it is who will control and benefit from the largest undeveloped oil deposits in the world that lie off the coast of Venezuela. Maduro has even agreed to let U.S. corporations handle the oil. But this is not enough for the Trump regime.
The U.S. wants to demonstrate its power to the regimes of South America and the rest of the world, especially China. The world’s largest aircraft carrier is now offshore of Venezuela, carrying 4,000 sailors and pilots and 75 attack, surveillance, and support aircraft. Another 10,000 troops are on standby on the 11 other ships in the naval strike group. It’s the largest naval presence in the region in decades.
There may be whining on the part of some Democrats about this massive threat. But Venezuela has been in the crosshairs of the U.S. military since Hugo Chávez was elected president in 1998. There were numerous attempts to get him out of office, including a U.S.-backed coup attempt in 2002. And since Maduro assumed power, the U.S. put a bounty on him – $15 million by Trump in his first term, raised to $25 million by Biden, and most recently raised to $50 million by Trump.
Whether it is opposing the war on our standard of living, guaranteeing access to healthcare, support for education, and other basic needs and rights or opposing the preparations for war that would end up killing innocent civilians, it is up to us. There is a deepening mistrust and anger over the situation we find ourselves in.
We have seen demonstrations of millions of people around the country. It’s time to stop waiting on the politicians and instead start thinking about and discussing how to mobilize and use our collective power.
The Triangle, North Carolina: Durham Food Hall Workers Say “No ICE!”
On October 24, workers at the Durham Food Hall saw a recruitment advertisement for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) displayed on the digital billboard. Workers, many of whom are immigrants, took it upon themselves to unplug the billboard and many walked off their jobs in disgust.
For many, the ICE ad was just the last straw of concerns. Workers were already facing a lack of a plan for what happens when ICE shows up at work, sexual harassment, lack of restrooms, and low pay. The walkout has sparked some organizing efforts, including a petition signed by around half of the food hall employees and a series of rallies with community supporters. Some workers have since faced retaliation, being told not to return to the food hall and missing work. The road hasn’t been easy, but the workers were right to stand up!
Bay Area, California: Newsom’s Budget Abandons Immigrants
Starting in 2026, Californians aged 19 and older without permanent legal immigration status will no longer be able to enroll in full coverage Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid health care program. Governor Gavin Newsom has overseen the expansion of Medi-Cal coverage to immigrants since 2020, but proposed this retraction as one way (along with gutting assistance for those without housing) to reduce the state’s major budget deficit.
When politicians have to come up with money, why is it always the most vulnerable who get the bill? Newsom paints himself as the opposition to Trump, a Democrat who can actually challenge the president’s attacks against democracy. But none of the Democrats have a solution that gets people what they really need, and Newsom is no exception. We can’t keep accepting cuts to the services people rely on, while more and more money goes to the billionaires!
Newark, New Jersey: New Jersey Feels Pain from ICE
Data released last month by the Deportation Data Project shows the toll that ICE activity has taken in New Jersey since Trump took office. In those 8-9 months, ICE arrested at least 3,000 people in the state. This means that ICE has been arresting about 11 people per day for the entire period.
For every person arrested, that’s another family ripped apart. Imagine the pain of losing a partner, a parent, a sibling or a friend or co-worker to sudden and irreversible arrest and disappearance. These are thousands of ongoing tragedies. How long will we allow this cruelty to continue?
Baltimore, Maryland: Real Estate Speculation Sucks Our Blood
In the past five years, more and more residential real estate financing in East and West Baltimore has been funded with a relatively new type of risky loan. These loans are often used by out-of-state investors who want to buy up many houses or a whole neighborhood to rent them out and get rich quick. In many cases, this strategy failed, leading to foreclosures and evictions for the residents. This is reminiscent of the financial collapse of 2008 caused by speculative mortgages that ruined the finances of millions of working-class people.
Many of these homes remain vacant with windows boarded up. These days, rent, down payments, and mortgages are already unaffordable for most working people. Investors speculating with our homes and lives is heartless. Everyone deserves affordable and safe housing, and no family should have to endure the humiliation of eviction due to their landlord’s greed. We must put an end to banks and landlords trying to grow their riches by exploiting our homes and neighborhoods!
