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Out-FM Program aired on March 25, 2025

Project 2025, created by the Heritage Foundation and accepted by Trump, then downplayed by him before the election, now is clearly guiding many of the changes the Trump administration is instituting to the federal government. The array of changes, just to healthcare alone, is dizzying.

Noon, meet at 12th Street and Greenwich Avenue in Manhattan

Project 2025 calls for a 50 percent reduction in overall federal employees within a year, and a 75 percent reduction within four years. Veterans make up roughly 30 percent of the federal government workforce, or approximately 300,000.  The dept of Veteran Affairs is planning on eliminating 83,000 jobs this year alone and most of those cuts will come to the Veterans Healthcare system.

Another big target is Medicaid. Medicaid provides coverage for 20% of the US population. In polls it is supported by 77% of the overall public and 84% of those on it. Nearly half the population says more should be spent on it, yet Congress is proposing to cut $880 billion from the program over the next decade.

Mark Hannay of Metro Health Care for All and ACT UP/NY

Joining us to discuss the impact of the Trump administration on healthcare was Mark Hannay, director of Metro NY Healthcare for All. Mark has been a longtime member of ACT UP NY and is an expert on payment systems for healthcare.  Mark will discuss the state of the crisis and the anniversary action this year for ACT UP New York, taking place this coming Saturday, March 29th. The action is called "Death by 1,000 Musk-Cuts!" We're going to be gathering at 12 noon at the New York City AIDS Memorial, in the West Village section of Manhattan on the corner of 12th Street and Greenwich Avenue. Around 12:30 p.m, AIDS activists will head over to the Tesla dealership located also in the West Village area in the meatpacking district at the corner of 13th Street and Washington Street. The action is endorsed by many groups that have worked with ACT UP in the past.

For more info about ACT UP and Rise and Resist, go to websites actupny.com and https://www.riseandresist.org/

Joining us to talk about the Campaign for New York to End Homelessness was Leo Lopez of VOCAL-NY. Central to VOCAL’s mission and  approach has been a commitment to fighting for basic needs, especially housing, for people living with HIV. In recent years, VOCAL-NY has also been a leading member of the coalition that made New York State the first jurisdiction in the world to commit to a plan to end AIDS.  They work to address many of the needs of poor and homeless people.

Leo Lopez (he/him) is the Homelessness Union Organizer for VOCAL-NY. Leo is responsible for outreach and organizing folks facing homelessness and housing insecurity in New York City. Leo is currently the first chapter chair of  VOCAL-NY UAW 2325, which represents the staff. The Trump administration’s attacks on human needs at the federal level are not the only area where issues of concern to working class and poor people must be addressed. We’ll be talking with Leo about a number of these areas including, pushing the legislature to institute a state-wide HASA (that’s New York City’s HIV/AIDS Services Administration), which would provide housing and services across the entire state for those living with HIV. 

Rally info: New York Can End Homelessness rally is this Thursday, March 27th, from 10:30 to 12:00. VOCAL-NY will be protesting outside of Governor Hochul's new New York City office at 919 3rd Avenue, which is at 55th Street.

On April 10th is VOCAL-NY's New York City membership assembly from 4.30 to 7:00. They have this meeting every month on the second Thursday at the LGBT Center on 13th Street. They have food and give two Metro cards to everybody who comes to join for any of their actions.

Leo can be reached at: Leonel[at]vocal-ny.org.

Support Trans Week of Visibility and Action

This week is Trans Week of Visibility and Action, organized by the Gender Liberation Movement (GLM), which we've had on Out-FM. Each day has a different theme for digital action and education. GLM writes, "Action in defense of trans lives is an essential part of all movements for justice. Join us this week and always. The time for mass mobilization in defense of trans lives is now. Trans youth are under attack in states across the country. As efforts to criminalize trans bodies escalate, so must our resistance."

To get involved, go to trans-week.com