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Congress has passed disastrous legislation that extends the worst Trump-era tax policies: tax breaks for the wealthy, paid for by increasing the national deficit and gutting critical resources for millions of people, such as health care and food assistance. This new law also targets immigrants, including those who are lawfully present, refugees, asylees, and survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking.
The core of this Big Horrendous Bill is a series of devastating cuts: nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid, over $300 billion from education, $186 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and more. More than 300,000 Rhode Island residents rely on Medicaid. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), 67,000 Rhode Islanders who gained coverage under the Affordable Care Act expansion are at risk of losing it. Congress also allowed enhanced premium tax credits to expire, which means that approximately 40,000 low- and middle-income Rhode Islanders who get coverage through HealthSource RI will lose subsidies and see their premiums increase by an average of 85 percent.
Food insecurity will also worsen. More than 144,000 Rhode Islanders rely on SNAP and about 22,000 of them may lose some of their benefits. Congress has also shifted more of the burden of funding Medicaid and SNAP to states. For the first time, our state will be expected to shoulder 15 percent of SNAP benefits, at a cost of $51.8 million per year, plus an additional $15.8 million annually in administrative costs previously covered by federal dollars.
However, all is not lost. There is a Rhode Forward, if we are willing to act boldly.
Information is power: We must urgently understand what is in this law and how its provisions will impact health care, food security, education, and our state budget. We need clear, timely analysis and a coordinated statewide response to prepare for the timeline of these cuts.
Build a Rhode Island solution together: We need collective, strategic action that includes community leaders, policy experts, philanthropists, state agencies, and lawmakers. We must protect essential services while building an economy that sustains us all.
Advance tax justice: The new federal law exposes the injustice in our tax system. While essential services are being cut, tax breaks for the wealthy that began in 2017 have been extended and will continue immediately in 2026. According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, Rhode Island’s top 1 percent will receive $354 million in total tax cuts, an average of $58,840 per filer. That is far more than they would have paid under the proposed Rhode Island 3 percent surtax on high earners.
Rhode Island’s tax policy must counter this by finally creating a fair tax structure. Most Rhode Islanders agree that the wealthy must do their part and pay their fair share. As we approach the 2026 elections, it is important to note that in a recent Pell Center poll, 70 percent of Rhode Island voters supported higher taxes on top earners. More than 1,000 residents and 90 organizations signed the Revenue for Rhode Islanders petition calling for a tax on the top 1 percent of R.I. earners, which was delivered to the General Assembly in June before the recess of the legislative session. Wealthy Rhode Islanders need to stand together with the rest of us and do more to protect our state.
Call a special fall legislative session: Thanks to the foresight of the Senate and House leadership, the 2025 legislative session remains in recess, which allows for the opportunity of a special fall session. We urge leadership to reconvene to fully review and proactively plan against the harms of the reconciliation law and pass the Top 1 percent bill, which would raise $190 million annually, with $95 million available in FY 2026.
We propose allocating this revenue to:
While some of these cuts won’t go into effect immediately, we cannot afford to wait until benefits are lost or our state budget is facing worse deficits. Lawmakers must act now. We need to be ahead of the crisis. We must treat this moment with the urgency it deserves and prepare today for what is coming our way.
Weayonnoh Nelson-Davies, Esq., is the executive director of the Economic Progress Institute.
Local News
A Rhode Island husband and wife in their 50s were identified as the two people killed in a Swansea car crash Friday night.
Carlolyn Carcasi, 54, and James Carcasi, 53, of Bristol, Rhode Island, were killed in the Feb. 27 crash, the office of Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn said in a press release Monday.
The crash occurred at the intersection of Route 136 and Route 6 in Swansea, Quinn’s office said.
Police in Cranston, Rhode Island identified the driver who allegedly hit the couple as Demitri Sousa, 28. Sousa allegedly shot and killed a man in Rhode Island nearly four hours before the crash, Cranston police said.
At around 12:18 a.m. Friday, Swansea police spotted Sousa’s Infiniti barreling down Route 6, Swansea officials said previously.
The couple was driving southbound on Route 136 when the Sousa crashed into the side of a Subaru Ascent. Both cars had “catastrophic damage,” and the Subaru was engulfed in flames, Swansea fire and police officials said.
Both occupants of the Subaru were declared dead at the scene, Swansea officials said.
Sousa was transported to a local hospital, where he is being treated for serious injuries. He is expected to live and will be held in Cranston police custody until he is medically cleared, police said Sunday.
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CRANSTON, R.I. (WJAR) — Women’s Fund of Rhode Island and U.S. Sen. Jack Reed celebrated Women’s History Month in Cranston with a panel discussion on Monday.
The event was held at the Cranston Public Library at 9 a.m.
Reed and other leaders of WFRI hosted a panel discussion with women leaders in environmental and agricultural advocacy, education, community resilience, housing, finance, workforce development, and more, officials said.
Women’s Fund of Rhode Island and U.S. Sen. Jack Reed celebrated Women’s History Month in Cranston with a panel discussion on Monday. (WJAR)
“Women have played a critical role in this process, most often without any recognition,” Reed said. “Today’s panel brings together an extraordinary group of women who are addressing the challenged of sustainability from various angles and I want to thank you all for your great efforts.”
The panelists highlighted their experiences, shared insights and tips on lifting up women’s voices, provided strategies for sparking change and more.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (1)
According to officials, some of the panelists included Executive Director of the Rhode Island Food Policy Council Nessa Richman, Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives at Rhode Island College Kim Bright, Newport Housing Authority Executive Director Rhonda Mitchell and more.
Local News
A Seekonk man is accused of murder after he allegedly shot and killed a man in Rhode Island before causing a car crash in Swansea that killed two people last week, police said.
Demitri Sousa, 28, is charged with murder, using a firearm while committing a crime of violence, and carrying a pistol without a license, the Cranston Police Department said.
The shooting occurred Thursday night in Cranston, police said in a press release.
That night, Sousa allegedly arrived at the Cranston home of Javon Lawson, 35. Sousa began banging on the side door of the home, police said.
When Lawson approached the door, he was hit by gunfire from outside, police said.
First responders transported Lawson to the Rhode Island Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Cranston police said.
“Based on the preliminary investigation, the motive is believed to be a dispute between the suspect and the victim over a mutual female acquaintance. Detectives are continuing this investigation to gain more insight, as well as to collect and analyze evidence,” Colonel Michael Winquist, Chief of Cranston police, said in an emailed statement to Boston.com.
Neighbors gave police video footage that “showed a male subject wearing dark clothing and a mask walking toward the residence moments before the shooting and fleeing immediately afterward,” Winquist said.
The suspect was also seen running to a white Infiniti sedan which then drove off, the Cranston police chief said.
Shortly after the shooting, a license plate reader captured the vehicle driving southbound on Route 10, and then later in Fall River and Westport, Massachusetts. The sedan’s license plate was registered in Sousa’s name, Winquist said.
At around 12:18 a.m. Friday, Swansea police spotted Sousa’s Infiniti barreling down Route 6, Swansea officials said.
Just moments later, Sousa allegedly “crashed into the side of another vehicle, a blue 2022 Subaru Ascent that had been traveling southbound on Route 136,” Swansea Police Chief Mark Foley and Fire Chief Eric Hajder said in a joint press release.
Both vehicles had “catastrophic damage,” and the struck car was engulfed in flames, the Swansea officials said.
The driver and passenger of the hit car — a man and a woman — were declared dead at the scene, they said.
“Swansea Police had been alerted to be on the lookout for the suspect vehicle. However, Swansea Police were not involved in the pursuit and were not pursuing the vehicle at the time of the crash,” the Swansea chiefs wrote. Swansea official have not announced charges related to the fatal crash.
Sousa had been driving the Infiniti and appeared to be suffering from serious injuries, Winquist said. Inside the car, police found a pistol and “additional .22 caliber ammunition was recovered” from Sousa at Rhode Island Hospital, Winquist said.
Police arrested Sousa and transported him to Rhode Island Hospital. Sousa is expected to survive, Winquist said. Sousa will be held in Cranston police custody until he is conscious and medically cleared, Winquist said.
“On behalf of the Cranston Police Department, I want to extend my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Javon Lawson and the two individuals who were killed in the crash in Swansea,” Winquist said.
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