Being a parent is nonstop hard work, making it challenging to stay on top of political news for families in Washington. Below are highlights and commentary on key policy updates and headlines, from Oct. 27 to Nov. 2, that impact parents, kids, and communities across the state. The opinions shared here are those of the author and do not represent Seattle’s Child.
Washington state and City of Seattle direct millions to food banks after SNAP beneficiaries are cut off
Washington state will give $2.2 million per week to the state’s food banks, and the City of Seattle will provide $4 million a month to local food banks to ensure that families have access to food following today’s cutoff of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits payments. The cutoff is due to the federal shutdown and the Trump administration’s refusal to make funding available from SNAP’s contingency fund. Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell proclaimed a limited civil emergency and pledged the funds would continue until the end of the year or until SNAP benefits are restored. Learn where to get food if you are a SNAP Beneficiary in need check out The Seattle Times article: “Where to get food in King, Snohomish, Kitsap and Pierce counties as SNAP lapses.”
Take action: Contact your congressional representatives and their opposition and tell them to get back to the table and end this shutdown. Go to: congress.gov.
3,000 WA Head Start kids may lose services due to shutdown
Funding for Head Start programs nationwide is at risk of being cut off due to the government shutdown, potentially affecting 3,000 preschoolers in Washington st
ate.
If Congress fails to reach a deal to end the shutdown, the funding holdback that began Oct. 1 could leave more than 65,000 preschoolers in 41 states without classes or services starting Monday, according to the National Head Start Association.Â
According to Joel Ryan, executive director of the Washington State Association of Head Start (WSA), nine programs in the state “are set to have their grants expire, leaving many children and families stranded and staff out of work.”
Washington is one of five states with the highest risk of losing Head Start services during the shutdown, Ryan said, adding: “Parents will be without childcare and children without a safe and stable learning environment. Many Head Start children depend on the program for healthy, warm meals during the day. These children are likely to go hungry without Head Start.”
“The administration and their allies in Congress have put a bullseye on the backs of low-income children and families,” Ryan said of the lockdown and earlier threats to early learning and child and family safety nets like Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). “Children deserve to have quality early learning and be able to go to the doctor.”Â
Take action: Join Ryan in urging Congress to end the federal shutdown and meet the needs of Head Start children. Contact your members of Congress and tell them how you feel.
VOTE by Tuesday!
King County general election ballots are due Tuesday, Nov. 4, and so much is riding on them. From the Seattle Mayor and county executive to four Seattle School Board seats, this election will significantly impact the lives of kids and families. Here are two stories to check out before you vote:
- “Nov. 4 Election: Four Seattle School Board seats on ballot“
- “What Seattle’s $1.3B FEPP Levy could mean for kids and families“
- “Seattle Education Forum: Meet the 2025 candidates“
- “Officials urge WA voters to use drop boxes for Nov. 4 election“
Take action: Lost your ballot? Didn’t arrive in the mail? Go to the King County Elections webpage “Replace my ballot” page to print, seal, and drop it in a voting box.
One more reason to vote ‘Yes’ in FEPP Levy
I read the Seattle Times article “Seattle students use free tuition to fuel their futures” with great interest, knowing that the Seattle Promise program it profiles is riding on the passage of the Families, Education, Preschool and Promise (FEPP) levy on Tuesday. If the levy passes, $82 million will go to the program over six years. Seattle Promise offers every Seattle student two years (90 credits) of free community college tuition, plus aid to cover housing, transportation, book expenses, and access to advisors. The program’s first year enrolled fewer than 250 students. This year, 1,400 students benefited from the program.Â
We need to support programs that work and that give kids a leg up as they enter the workforce. Seattle Promise works, addressing inequities in college enrollment demographics and giving those with fewer resources the chance at a college education.Â
Take action: Vote ‘YES’ on the FEPP Levy by Tuesday, Nov. 4.
Hats off to the King County Council for nonprofit sector support
Last week, King County Executive Shannon Braddock announced the county will invest up to $25 million to shore up the region’s human services workforce as part of its efforts to keep essential community services available.Â
The decision came after the Council reviewed new data showing increasing community and family needs due to the rising cost of living, federal funding cuts, and economic uncertainty. At the same time, individual donations to nonprofits are down, Braddock said in a release, and volunteer shortages are up, threatening organization and program viability.
According to the release, the investments will be made through 2026 to “support nonprofit human service providers and workers with higher wages, cost-of-living subsidies, improved benefits, hiring and retention bonuses, professional development, and more.”Â
“This is an investment that supports local jobs and strengthens the foundational services that countless members of the public rely upon each and every day,” said Braddock.
Free legal clinics for low-income immigrant and refugee familiesÂ
With language, income, and other barriers in front of them, low-income immigrant and refugee families may have a harder time accessing the legal advice they need. That’s why the Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS) is now providing free legal consultations to low-income immigrant and refugee families. The free clinics will continue through December in the ACRS southeast Seattle offices.Â
During each session, a family or individual will work with two attorneys from the Asian Bar Association of Washington (ABAW) and the King County Bar Association (KCBA). The attorneys are ready to advise on a wide range of topics, from writing a will to bringing family from other countries to the U.S. amid the current political environment. Read the full South Seattle Emerald story: “ACRS revives free legal clinics for immigrant and refugee Families“
How hard will 2026’s health care premium increases hit families? HARD.
Shocked was too weak a word: When we logged into our health insurance plan through the state’s health insurance exchange recently, we discovered our premiums will not just double, but will more than triple next year. How can families in our state or across the country weather such increases, especially as federal support waxes and wanes on President Donald Trump’s whim? Check out the article “A new car vs. health insurance? Average family job-based coverage hits $27K” from the Washington State Standard.
Take action by speaking out against grossly increasing premiums:Â
- Call (1-800-562-6900) or email (insurance.wa.gov) the Office of the Insurance Commissioner to file a complaint.Â
- Email your U.S. Senators and U.S. Representative (they vote on federal health-care funding, subsidy levels, and inflation adjustments). Go to congress.gov
- Email your state legislators, who may decide whether to add state-level premium assistance programs, at eg.wa.gov/help/contact-us
Seattle judge orders Trump administration to release funds for WA school counselors
Seattle U.S. District Court Judge Kymberly K. Evanson ruled this week that the Trump administration must release about $1 billion in grants earmarked to hire counselors and mental health workers for schools in 16 states led by Democrats, including Washington state.Â
The money, set aside in 2022, was intended to help rural and underserved areas address escalating mental health needs among youth. But, President Donald Trump terminated the nearly $1 billion in grants because they prioritized districts committed to hiring counselors from diverse backgrounds and according to other criteria.Â
“Congress created these programs to address the states’ need for school-based mental health services in their schools, and has repeatedly reaffirmed the need for those services over the years by reauthorizing and increasing appropriations to these programs,” Evanson wrote in her opinion. “There is no evidence the Department considered any relevant data pertaining to the Grants at issue.” She pointed out that the U.S. Department of Education did not tell grantees why their work didn’t meet the “best interest” criteria.
UPDATE: Let’s hear it for Patty Murray on Trump’s Ballroom build-out
Washington State Sen. Patty Murray says she will fight to ensure that no part of President Donald Trump’s 900-seat “vanity project” ballroom addition to the White House complex is billed to taxpayers. In a statement last week, Murray, a Democrat and the Senate Appropriations ranking member, said “everything will be on the table” to prevent any use of tax dollars on the project.Â
Trump demolished the historic East Wing of the White House earlier this month without obtaining approval from the multiple committees tasked with approving and overseeing and any changes to the landmark site.
Murray stressed taxpayers should not foot any of the bill “to build a massive golden ballroom — especially at a time when this administration has passed the largest cuts to Medicaid and SNAP in history and refuses to lift a finger to keep health care premiums from more than doubling.”Â
Murray may be “just a mom in tennis shoes,” but she’s been the Roman candle of firecrackers in the face of Trump administration policy changes and an immovable Congress.
