There are many things that I could discuss, one of the things that bothers me the most is how there is not a lot of fight back on the policies the Trump administration is trying to form or reform. People have protested every now and then, but it’s only a small fraction of the population. My question is, how many people see what’s going on and perceive it is an issue and don’t know how to create impact or how many are not worried about these policies? The policies this administration continues to support are ones that affect all peoples. It is not just about race and immigrants. If you are female, trans, gay, indigenous, and overall a part of any minority community, it affects you. Even those part of the majority, it affects your friends, co-workers, and loved ones.
For one, our current administration wants to make it harder for women to vote. I think if they could, they would like to take it away, but instead they try to bypass it and make it harder to be registered and accepted as a voter. If they require a birth certificate as identification, it would affect those who change their name. Most women traditionally speaking, take their spouses’ last name and therefore their name would not match their birth certificate. It’s unacceptable to disregard women’s thoughts and views. The argument is that women should support their husband and let him do the thinking, as if they are superior to women. It’s interesting where this mindset comes from since men are born from women.
Second off, now there are no repercussions for those in law and immigration enforcement if they choose to arrest or question an individual based on appearance or voice. Isn’t Trump supposed to be a business man? If I were to think from his perspective, we would be wasting so many resources looking for individuals who look of Mexican descent. They are arresting people regardless of documentation at this rate and holding them captive until that information is provided. That is already inhuman and unjust, but probably also wastes time and money. Those are funds we could use elsewhere for better policies.
As well, I can recall them cutting funds of the FDA and other important federal organizations. Food regulation affects everybody. Regulated food keeps us safe and makes sure companies cannot take shortcuts. Many diseases and illnesses can spread through food and it’s something we should be concerned about. Food is sustenance that we need to survive, there are only so many companies that participate in their own regulations. Some of those companies can be more expensive and it’s unrealistic for most people to buy their groceries from. Not only does the FDA regulate food but also drugs. According to Forbes, “When drugs are pulled from the market, FDA employees update that information in real time. Without employees to maintain the databases, that information can be delayed — or not reported at all” (Castrucci). The government plays a larger role than we realize at times and without certain funds, it could create drastic impacts.
More people should be worried and it’s scary that they are not. When these changes first started occurring I think people were quick to disregard it. Whenever I would have conversations, I was told not to worry. It’s a privilege to not have worries or fear when going about life on a daily basis.
Linked References:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/briancastrucci/2025/05/05/seven-ways-the-fda-cuts-could-impact-you/
Your reaction essay touches on several current political issues regarding the administration in the White House.
Several things are going on with the Trump administration. First, there is the violation of the norms of behavior in government. Trump is doing things that are illegal or unconstitutional, and he is having his henchmen do things that violate laws and policies. That disregard for the law or standards of behavior is disorienting and it damages our democracy. There is a lawlessness.
He is also acting in violation of the principles of checks and balances, and violating the Constitution. He has ordered many things that are obviously and ludicrously against the Constitution.
His actual policies in most cases are ridiculously bad. Some of his ideas are so unworkable or detached from reality that they have a disorganized and crazy flavor. For example, many communities are having success ending functional homelessness by providing permanent housing with supports to persons who are suffering from serious developmental or mental disabilities, or health problems, or addictions. And rapid rehousing with a focus on getting people into a stable housing situation seems our most effective remedy to the problem of homelessness, but new rules from HUD are going to mandate that federal funds must not be used for these effective practices that offer the best hope of ending homelessness. The HUD policies are instead mandating that local efforts to end homelessness focus on methods that have been demonstratively ineffective. Trump recently ordered everyone who receives SNAP benefits to reapply, which creates a tremendous cost and burden on the Department of Agriculture. There are already many good studies of fraud and errors in SNAP, and they are a trivial percentage of cases, and they are usually caused by people in human services miscalculating the benefits a SNAP recipient should receive, and giving them too little or slightly too much. Having everyone apply again for SNAP benefits is unlikely to solve those errors, and is certain to cause huge increases in administrative costs.
You have not mentioned it, but he and his henchmen are so so blatantly corrupt that it's difficult to understand why the Republican Party has not joined in calling for his removal through impeachment.
Trump is not popular outside a cult-like group of supporters. His approval ratings (the aggregate estimation provided by Nate Silver) was at 44% to 45% in September when you wrote this reaction essay, but fell to about 41% at the end of the semester. About 55% of Americans actively disapprove of his presidency.
And yet, there the demonstrations against Trump, although considered "successful", tended to attract only 1.2% of the population (in June) or 2% of the population (in October). If 55% of the populations strongly dislikes Trump's administration, why do only 1% to 2% show up for demonstrations? Why also are Republicans not standing against the corruption, incompetence, or violations of laws and the Constitution? Why are Democratic Party leaders and many representatives seemingly so ineffective in fighting back against the Trump administration's corruption and incompetence and lawlessness? The situation is indeed puzzling and worrying.
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