Letters for March 4

Republican budget proposal

Congressman Baumgartner recently voted to support the Republican budget proposal. If passed, it could affect over 200,000 of his constituents who are covered by Medicaid. This district could lose over $2.5 billion in federal funding, and it could reduce Medicaid and CHIP enrollment by 60,000.

I realize he is a junior member of Congress, but I still have the expectation that he will be our voice in Washington. If he does not protect us from these drastic cuts, then who will protect and speak for us?

Please let the Congressman know that we need him to speak up for our health care and well-being. We are not random, line-item statistics.

Maureen Schneider

Spokane

EWU eliminates its Bachelor of Science in physics

Recently, Eastern Washington University Provost Jon Anderson announced that EWU will be eliminating its Bachelor of Science in physics. This move is supported by EWU President Shari McMahan and the board of trustees. These are the same people who have declared that EWU is “the region’s polytechnic.” The incongruity of those two facts will not be lost on most Spokesman readers. No logical reasoning has been presented for this cut, and it will save very little money (no full-time faculty are being eliminated). On the other hand, EWU will have more egg on its face for making yet another nonsensical decision.

EWU’s leadership insists it is all about “student success,” but it’s hard to see how this latest move promotes that.

Jane Ellsworth

Cheney

Baumgartner should go

After reading Rep. Michael Baumgartner’s asinine recommendation that Zelenskyy resign, I have a much better idea – why doesn’t Baumgartner resign? There are so many valid reasons Baumgartner doesn’t deserve to be in office but to name just one, why are he and the rest of the GOP pushing through a budget that includes tax cuts for the rich? So millionaires and billionaires can accumulate more wealth?

In case Baumgartner hasn’t noticed – and judging by his voting record, he hasn’t – the majority of Americans struggle to just have housing and feed their families. Shouldn’t Congress be helping its constituents instead of the oligarchy which doesn’t care one iota about people in need?

Dan Keenan

Spokane

Baumgartner’s 180 -degree turn

Wow! That didn’t take long. A mere week and a half ago Michael Baumgartner gave a full-throated support of Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the struggles in Ukraine and stated definitively that Vladimir Putin was indeed a dictator and he and Russia were certainly the aggressors in the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He made these comments in contrast to what Trump had claimed. I was proud of his courage in speaking truth to power.

Imagine my dismay to read what he had to say on Feb. 28 when he called for Zelenskyy to resign after he dared to stand up to Trump and Vance who were incensed that he would not sign an economic agreement that turned over the mineral rights of Ukraine to the United States without any security guarantees. Zelenskyy is an example of a true leader of his country, looking out for its best interests, unlike our president and vice president who are repeating Russian lies and talking points.

Baumgartner must have gotten a call “encouraging” him to reverse the support he gave to Zelenskyy or else he might suffer politically. How he could go from whole-hearted encouragement of Zelenskyy and the U.S. role in Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression to turning his back on what is right is incomprehensible. Is being in Washington, D.C., more important than being able to get a good night’s sleep with a clear conscience?

Becca Gilman

Spokane Valley

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