Letter: ‘This is personal’

Area resident Martha Wiley shares her views on President Trump’s Make America Great Movement

Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the author alone and do not reflect the editorial position of ClarkCountyToday.com

Trump and Musk and following their mantra: “Move fast and break things.” Isn’t it fun to watch?  Guess those woke liberals are really getting it, right?  But here’s the thing: these fast broken things aren’t just making liberals’ heads explode.  They have actual, real-world consequences that affect all of us, regardless of our political views.

My father, grandmother, and uncle died of cancer.  My husband, daughter, and I survived cancer.  We were lucky.  Trump cancelled funding for cancer research. I guess the 33% of Americans who will develop cancer in their lifetimes just have to take their chances without further research. (www.MSN.com/en-us/news/politics/who-voted-for-this-trump-admin-obstructs-cancer-research-funding; www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/understanding-cancer-risk-/lifetime-probability-or-developing-or-dying-from-cancer.html)

I have Multiple Sclerosis and am anxiously awaiting a cure.  Trump cut funding for the MS Research Program for FY 2025, so the 1 million people with MS in the US are just out of luck.  At the same time, Trump has cut funding for the Americans with Disabilities Act, so those of us in wheelchairs won’t be able to go into stores or businesses without the accessibility required by the ADA. (www.nationalmssociety.org/news-and-magazine/news/funding-congressional-directed-medical)

My daughter required special educational accommodation during her high school years.  This successful program was enabled by grants from the federal Department of Education.  Trump is shutting down the DOE, putting students with disabilities in limbo, but hey, my daughter already graduated and is paying her own way.  Without the DOE, your daughter may not. (www.newsweek.com/what-does-department-education-actually-do-trump-shutdown-explained-2048067)

My grandmother spent the last seven years of her life in a nursing home, paid for by Medicaid.  Republicans’ Continuing Resolution calls for the Energy and Commerce Committee to cut $880 billion in spending over 10 years.  The committee’s options for those reductions are almost entirely in spending for Medicaid and Medicare. My granny passed away a few years ago, but other people’s grandmas will wind up living with and being cared for by family, if they’re lucky.  If they’re not, they’ll be on the street.  (www.factcheck.org2025/03/the-war-of-the-words-over-medicaid-cuts/)

My father-in-law, after nearly 40 years of military service, received exemplary care from the Veterans Affairs hospital system.  Trump intends to cut 80,000 employees from the VA.  My father-in-law passed away in comfort, surrounded by family and the excellent staff at the hospital.  Without these 80,000 employees, yours may not.  (apnews.com/article/veterans-affairs-cuts-doge-musk-trump-f587a6bc3db6a460e9c357592e165712)

I live in Washington state.  Trump’s tariffs on imported supplies, from lumber to drywall to tools, could increase the already high cost of construction in our state by $10,000 per house.  China’s 15% retaliatory tariffs on food produced in Washington, such as beef, dairy, and wheat, will reduce our markets.  Farmers import 90% of fertilizer – whoops, it’s either unavailable or more expensive.  Too bad for the 40% of Washingtonians whose jobs are tied to trade. 

Ships pass through the Columbia River carrying $31 billion in trade.  Trump cut funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that runs a fleet of more than 100 coastal buoys, jeopardizing Columbia River navigation safety and weather forecasting and affecting fishermen and shippers. 

In addition, Trump has refused to approve the July 2024 version of the 1961 treaty with Canada on the wide-reaching Columbia River Treaty that regulates everything from flood control and power generation to water supply and salmon restoration in the region.  (www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/columbia-river-treaty-talks-1.7480986)

Trump laid off hundreds of people at Hanford, Bonneville Power Administration, and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.  Linemen, engineers and power dispatchers will no longer be there to make sure my family and I have power.  Cleanup measures at Hanford will be cancelled, and guess what? Nuclear waste will be reaching the Columbia River.  I’m not thrilled at the thought of the fish and people swimming among nuclear waste, are you?  Oh, and by the way, BPA is entirely self-funded by the utilities that pay for its power and transmission; cuts to the BPA therefore don’t cut taxpayer spending or reduce the federal deficit.  Were these cuts just for fun?  (www.tricitiesbusinessnews.comarticles/reports-hundreds-laid-off-at-handford-site-bpa-pnnl)

All of this is in addition to reckless cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency (the people who make sure our air and water are clean), the Food and Drug Administration (protecting the quality of baby food, meat, milk, medicine, etc.) and on and on.  I guess you think we don’t really need that kind of protection.  I mean, you can always pay $8,000 for a water filter system if the Clean Water Act is erased.  And who needs protection for baby food?  Babies’ little bodies can just learn about food poisoning and toxic metals as they eat their applesauce.  My babies are grown and can make their own decisions about what they eat.  Yours may still be depending on you. 

But hey, MAGA is doing a great job owning the libs!

Martha Wiley
Clark County