Social Security cuts could devastate already understaffed offices, workers say
U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) is warning of possible reductions to benefits as the Social Security Administration works to cut costs.
During a call with reporters Wednesday, Murray cited a recent case in Seattle where the agency declared a man dead when he wasn’t and tried to take back benefits it believed were wrongly issued.
Steve Kofahl, a retired Social Security Administration employee, said staffing levels are at their lowest point since he began his career in 1973.
He believes the agency is preparing to close hundreds of local Social Security offices, which would lead to diminished service at a time of life when many people need help.
"It’s when people retire, which should be a happy time, but it’s also a stressful time," he said during the call. "There’s no substitute for the personal touch that Social Security employees can provide in field offices to people in these circumstances."
Laura Novakoski, a soon-to-retire Social Security worker in Portland, said staffing levels are down, but demand for services is up.
"The field office, it takes a couple of weeks or more to get an appointment, if you can even reach us on the phone," she said. "Or they come and wait in the lobby and the waiting times are going up to one, two hours and higher. That goes on all day long. The workers are stressed, the public is stressed.”
Murray said the DOGE goal is to take Social Security benefits from people who need them to fund a tax cut
Idaho Senate passes transgender bathroom, dorm ban
A bill banning transgender people from using sex-segregated bathrooms and sleeping areas across many facilities in Idaho is close to becoming law.
State senators passed House Bill 264 along party lines Wednesday, which specifically applies to county jails, state prisons, domestic violence shelters and college campuses.
It would also ban anyone from entering a dorm room dedicated to the opposite sex.
Sen. Tammy Nichols (R-Middleton) said she feels transgender women are forcing society to accept and accommodate them.
“If women were not getting pushed against from biological men trying to invade our spaces then we wouldn’t have to be having these discussions,” Nichols said.
She said these private areas aren’t safe to share with transgender women.
Sen. Brandon Shippy (R-New Plymouth) agreed, saying the move will make women safer.
“I have sisters, I have a mother, I have daughters, I hope to have granddaughters someday and they need to be protected,” Shippy said.
Senate Democratic Leader Melissa Wintrow (D-Boise) said that’s not true.
“We’re making it an issue. There’s no problem,” said Wintrow. “We are the ones that are overreacting and making an issue.”
Trans women who testified against the bill in committee hearings this year said they’re the ones facing threats for using restrooms that align with their gender identity.
House lawmakers need to agree to technical amendments before it could reach the governor’s desk.
Divisive rent stabilization bill advances in WA Senate
A rent stabilization bill is a step closer to state law in Washington.
The Senate Housing Committee Wednesday voted to recommend the bill’s passage.
"This bill is a simple guardrail for the many, many people in this state who just want to make sure that they can have a little bit of control in that household budget and plan and save and know how high the rent will go," Sen. Emily Alvarado (D-West Seattle), who sponsors the measure, said.
The bill would cap rent increases at 7% for any 12-month period and prohibit landlords from increasing rent within the first 12-month period of a lease.
It would also empower tenants to terminate leases by giving appropriate notice if landlords raise rents beyond the legal limits.
The committee’s two Republicans both voted against the bill.
"I think most landlords are saying that they're doing what they can to keep rates affordable, and I think we need to honor that and not be regulating the private sector," Sen. Keith Goehner (R-Dryden) said.
The bill now goes to the Senate Ways and Means Committee.
Hospital officials say potential budget cuts in WA would cause 'radical' service reductions
Washington hospital leaders are sounding the alarm about potential cuts in services if legislators go ahead with cuts and tax increases proposed this week.
Dr. Tanya Sorensen from Providence Swedish Hospital in Seattle said most hospitals, including hers, are already operating in the red.
That’s in part because government reimbursement rates for patients in subsidized care programs aren’t covering the full costs of services.
"We rely on government funds to provide safety net services for our community and our region," Sorensen said. "If the proposed cuts and increased costs are implemented, we will be forced to reduce services and programs vital to our patients. These are very vulnerable patients. These are pregnant women, these are kids."
Washington State Hospital Association officials have said legislators are considering whether to cap state payments to hospitals that care for public and school employees.
There are also proposals to raise the Business and Occupation tax and the payroll tax for large companies, which include some urban hospitals.
Association CEO Cassie Sauer said many of her member facilities are exploring partnerships to help them weather a period of economic difficulty that worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Darryl Wolfe, the CEO of Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles, told reporters during a briefing Wednesday that his hospital is looking for a partner to help it stay afloat.
"If OMC is not able to find a suitable affiliate, we will have to make radical cuts in our community, including considering perhaps shrinking to the size of a critical access hospital, which is one-third our size on bed count," Wolfe said. "That would be devastating for my community."
The hospital association estimates the proposed Senate budget will create $330 million dollars in lost revenue and budget cuts for its members, while the the House budget would result in about $300 million in reductions.
SNAP restrictions move closer to reality in ID
Idaho state senators are the latest to give their approval on a bill trying to ban federal food benefit recipients from buying candy and soda.
The proposal passed mostly along party lines Wednesday.
Sen. Ben Toews (R-Coeur d'Alene) said these sugary foods and drinks contribute to America’s ever-growing obesity problem.
"The fact that a program meant to provide a nutritious diet to low-income households is failing at this basic task points to a serious failure in stewardship to taxpayer dollars," the north Idaho lawmaker said.
Retailers and manufacturers oppose the idea, saying it’d be too complicated to implement and limits individual freedom.
If signed into law by the governor, state health officials would request a waiver from the federal government to make the change.
Several states have tried to implement similar bans in the past, but they've never received federal approval.
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Reporting by Doug Nadvornick, James Dawson and Owen Henderson.