The People Have Spoken
...Now what will they say?
A freeze, a freeze of the freeze, DEI is dying, raids are underway, television meteorologists are not fired after all.
The people have spoken.
Frozen and Thawed — President Donald Trump suspended federal grants and loans. Or at least he wanted to do that. A federal judge stopped it from happening Tuesday afternoon.
What would the freeze have done?
Here’s some background from the Associated Press.
Iowa received about $11 billion in federal funding this year. Would state agencies have lost some money if this freeze later became a cut? Governor Kim Reynolds didn’t specifically say. But Reynolds, the state’s first female governor, said that Trump wants to make sure that DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) programs aren’t getting tax dollars.
“DEI is dead,” she said. Although, she added that she ordered state agency leaders to make sure that there isn’t any money going to DEI programs in state government that may have been overlooked. (More on DEI in a bit…)
Here’s the TV story I did on this.
Legal? — While Trump looks to shed federal workers, cut spending, and weed out employees who aren’t loyalists to him, he has pushed the boundaries of his authority with the funding freeze order (was it legal?) and spread chaos.
We don’t know if this attempt to freeze areas of federal funding is short-term or longer-term chaos.
The biggest uncertainty may come to those in the non-profit world…the people committed to things like saving babies, feeding the hungry, healing the addicted, sheltering the homeless, protecting the abused, and serving the elderly.
(Note: My wife Emily leads an Iowa-based nonprofit that saves babies across the world, so our family believes in the value of nonprofits).
How can nonprofits who depend on federal funding as part of their financial sustainability not panic when they hear a primary funding source is “paused?” Paused for how long? Is there risk that they could lose some or all of that paused funding?
If you work(ed) in the private sector, and your boss told you that you would need to keep working but wouldn’t get paid for an unspecified time, would you be concerned?
I suspect you would.
Inside Iowa Politics — Bethany Snyder, the director of the Iowa Nonprofit Alliance, told me on the latest Inside Iowa Politics about the chaos and confusion that the Trump administration’s initial funding freeze announcement had on various nonprofits. Her organization plans a webinar for nonprofits this Tuesday to help them prepare for the future if more executive orders and memos could threaten their viability.
Snyder doesn’t know what to expect next. The Trump administration seems to have backed down from the funding freeze. Was it because of the judge’s ruling? Was it the public backlash? Did members of Congress push back in private? All of the above?
RIP, DEI? — Republican politicians fueled by conservative commentator outrage and consumer and citizen pushback have been dropping diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
Trump also blamed that horrific crash of a plane and Blackhawk helicopter in Washington, D.C. on Obama and Biden DEI policies. He provided no evidence of his allegation that he made as divers were searching for bodies in the Potomac River.
It is reactions and unfounded conspiracy theories like these that weakened his ability to govern during his first administration and contributed to his defeat.
Deportation Directives — Raids and apprehensions have been underway over the past week in numerous American cities: Chicago, Austin, San Jose, Miami, Los Angeles, San Antonio, Omaha, Phoenix, Detroit, and Atlanta.
Trump campaigned on mass deportations. He is fulfilling that promise as president. Americans did not support whatever Biden’s immigration policy was on the southern border.
Some voters undoubtedly backed Trump because of his pledge to deport people living in the country illegally. How far will this go? Will deportations focus on those with violent records?
How many others who overstayed work visas or entered the country illegally will also get deported?
Americans demanded action on the southern border. Democrats failed to deliver it.
Back on the Air — Allen Media baffled many of us in television journalism when it planned to dump local meteorologists and replace them with meteorologists from the Weather Channel (which the company also owns) who would do the weather from afar.
How would that work? How would national meteorologists who don’t know the area handle a tornado bearing down on the viewing area? Would a meteorologist doing the forecast remotely from Atlanta know how Iowans pronounce the town of “Nevada” or “Madrid?”
There was widespread criticism in the industry. But more importantly, there was huge public backlash to this idea. The company is now dumping the idea apparently. The local meteorologists are back.
Television news has financial challenges and will need to evolve in its purpose and business plans. But firing some of the most vital people in a local newsroom — the meteorologists — proved not the right path. How can anyone be surprised?
What Does It Mean? — Thinking back about all these things over the past week I just kept thinking, “the people have spoken.”
That’s how Trump got back in the White House. Voters demanded new action on immigration. Trump is taking new action.
Voters complained (and have complained for years) on the budget imbalance in D.C. Trump is taking action.
Some Americans think DEI has gone too far. Trump is taking action.
Consumers don’t gather around their television sets like they used to do. They can find some of their weather information on their phone. A giant television company took action.
The Response — But actions have consequences. It seems too soon to know how Americans will react to Trump’s actions regarding immigration and the border.
It might also be too soon to know what people will think about eliminating DEI and what the ramifications will be. Although, his claims that DEI policies are somehow responsible for the plane/chopper crash — unless he provides direct evidence — may be an unforced error in judgement that trails him.
And Trump found out from the court system and various nonprofits, schools, local governments and associations about how much harm freezing federal funding could do…even if that freeze was supposedly temporary.
Beyond politics, Allen Media found out the strength of the bond between television viewers and meteorologists.
Strength of Speaking Out — Yes, it does still matter when people speak out. Politicians and decisionmakers don’t always listen to popular opinion. Sometimes they follow their own instincts, whether it is what they truly believe is the best course of action or whether it is the most politically expedient. But we are seeing what happens with the public weighs in.
Decisionmakers do listen. Do you speak?
Random Nostalgia — Do you remember Slice soda? When I worked at Hardees, we used to offer it. After a two-decade disappearance, Slice is back. Its new owner said that is now has less sugar and is better for your gut health. Jolt Cola is coming back, too.
FoodDive has this story on what was old is new again.
Iowa Writers Collaborative — I write this column as part of the Iowa Writers Collaborative, a group of about 60 independent writers. We bring our own viewpoints and experiences on a variety of topics that impact our lives.
Check out the latest columns here.
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