Time for Congress to get the DOGE treatment. What exactly do you do for a living? | Opinion
What did you do last week?
To the elected House and Senate: What did you do last week? Please email your government employees. Use bullet points, please.
Geoffrey Clifford, DuPont
Expanding child care
One of the challenges to expanding childcare in Pierce County is the cost and complexity of opening new facilities. Senate Bill 5655 offers a practical, cost-effective solution that allows providers to use existing spaces, such as churches and multi-use buildings.
Right now, outdated building codes make it harder than necessary to expand childcare services. Even when a facility is safe, officials often calculate occupancy limits based on the entire building rather than just the areas used for childcare. SB 5655 fixes this by requiring that occupancy calculations apply only to the areas of a building where childcare services are actually provided.
The childcare crisis is directly tied to workforce participation and economic development in Pierce County. When parents can’t find childcare, they can’t work, and when they can’t work, businesses struggle and the economy slows. I urge our local lawmakers and community leaders to support SB 5655.
Naomi Wilson, Ruston
Betraying our allies
In case you missed it.
In a televised interview, Trump acknowledged, without offering any sense of concern, disapproval or remorse, that his removal of support for Ukraine would likely encourage Putin to increase attacks on Ukraine — obviously killing more civilians and soldiers than would have occurred if US military support had been left in place
Russia has increased attacks on Ukraine, according to news reports on the fighting in Ukraine.
Wade Boyd, Longview
Invest in Washington students
State legislators work hard to ensure state dollars are being spent on programs that have proven success and are cost-effective. The Ninth Grade Success Initiative is that program for Tacoma Public Schools, where I am the Director of Schools. The Ninth Grade Success initiative has allowed us to invest in our students’ transition to ninth grade with support from the state to pay for our staff’s coaching, collaboration time, and critical interventions with students who need it most. As a result, we’ve seen more students passing all their classes during the critical first year of high school. Investing in the ninth-grade year pays dividends in reducing students’ need for additional costly credit recovery and summer school. This work makes it much more likely that students pass their classes the first time. I ask legislators not throw away years of investment; please continue funding what works for students.
Doug Hostetter, Tacoma
Destroying important agencies
In less than 50 days, Trump and his sycophant cabinet picks are doing everything to destroy the agencies they head. None are qualified or experienced for these jobs..
Pam Bondi and Kash Patel began by purging the DOJ and FBI of all employees who did their job on investigating and prosecuting the Jan. 6 Insurrection. RFK upends the HHS investigations of the bird flu and measles out breaks, while withdrawing from the World Health Organization. The defense secretary orders the suspension of the Pentagon’s offensive cyber operations against Russia.
Trump showed that he will stand with Russia and Putin, while not supporting Ukraine and the NATO alliance. The US voted with Russia, North Korea, Iran and others against a UN action to support Ukraine. \
DOGE, the Disruptor of Government Efficiency, is Musk’s illegal attempt to destroy all U.S. agencies and departments. It’s Project 2025 in action. This is the true waste, fraud and abuse of presidential power. A complete disaster of firing employees and closing agencies without any true investigations. The government is in complete chaos. Republicans are complicit by not doing their jobs. They are the party that says government doesn’t work and when elected, prove it.
Who exactly will benefit from Trump’s second term?
Steve Golubic, Puyallup