Katie
@katiealbitz.bsky.social
Writing about the narratives that shape US child care policy. Fighting for universal child care.
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When this is over
Recently, I’ve had a couple conversations about threats to child care, children, families, and educators abruptly cut short by someone interjecting that it is equally important to lay the groundwork f...
open.substack.com
On those who yearn for "when this is all over" in the passive voice, "finding common ground" with so-called family values Republicans, and the valorization of incrementalism.
open.substack.com/pub/katiealb...
open.substack.com/pub/katiealb...
Reposted by Katie
Comrades, it’s time for another thread about lessons I learned as a union organizer writing/working campaigns for public employees across multiple states from 2008-2024. Here’s a big one: leaders of progressive organizations are often FAR more conservative and risk-averse than their base 🧵 1/x
November 11, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Comrades, it’s time for another thread about lessons I learned as a union organizer writing/working campaigns for public employees across multiple states from 2008-2024. Here’s a big one: leaders of progressive organizations are often FAR more conservative and risk-averse than their base 🧵 1/x
Reposted by Katie
“finally it will be clear to americans that republicans dont like obamacare”
will you listen to yourself man, listen to the actual words coming out of your mouth
will you listen to yourself man, listen to the actual words coming out of your mouth
November 11, 2025 at 3:41 PM
“finally it will be clear to americans that republicans dont like obamacare”
will you listen to yourself man, listen to the actual words coming out of your mouth
will you listen to yourself man, listen to the actual words coming out of your mouth
Reposted by Katie
One of the things we* learned from the genocide livestreamed from Palestine is that the obvious, indisputable starving of children is not enough to move the American political class. The brutal revocation of SNAP is no different. Been thinking about how far this says we are from the horizon.
November 11, 2025 at 2:56 PM
One of the things we* learned from the genocide livestreamed from Palestine is that the obvious, indisputable starving of children is not enough to move the American political class. The brutal revocation of SNAP is no different. Been thinking about how far this says we are from the horizon.
Reposted by Katie
ByHeart plans to recall all its baby formula products amid a multistate outbreak of infant botulism, company officials said. The company said it was notified Monday evening of 15 cases in a dozen states.
ByHeart recalls all baby formula amid botulism outbreak
Officials have identified 15 cases of infant botulism potentially linked to the company’s organic products. The recall is not expected to create a nationwide shortage.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 11, 2025 at 2:45 PM
ByHeart plans to recall all its baby formula products amid a multistate outbreak of infant botulism, company officials said. The company said it was notified Monday evening of 15 cases in a dozen states.
Reposted by Katie
I would add that the most radical vision for Health Savings Accounts is one where HSAs are not tied to health insurance at all and the individual bears all the risk and is saving/paying for their own health care costs (instead of risk being pooled through public or private coverage).
November 11, 2025 at 2:46 PM
I would add that the most radical vision for Health Savings Accounts is one where HSAs are not tied to health insurance at all and the individual bears all the risk and is saving/paying for their own health care costs (instead of risk being pooled through public or private coverage).
Seeing that Britt was a leader in this negotiation, I now understand why organizations in my field were using broad reopen the government language despite the harm early educators are going to face with Medicaid reductions, without ACA subsidies, and are already facing right now from ICE.
November 11, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Seeing that Britt was a leader in this negotiation, I now understand why organizations in my field were using broad reopen the government language despite the harm early educators are going to face with Medicaid reductions, without ACA subsidies, and are already facing right now from ICE.
Reposted by Katie
It was over before it began.
November 11, 2025 at 2:05 PM
It was over before it began.
As someone who has professionally tried and now almost given up on pushing meaningful, moral messaging on my senators, they do not say this because it is not why they did it. They won't even lie and say the moral reason was their motivation. It is a huge problem.
instead of saying this was good strategy, maybe senate dems should say: "the republicans were going to kill people by starving them to death, and because we aren't monsters, we decided to let this fight go. We'll keep fighting. Stop electing monsters."
November 11, 2025 at 2:08 PM
As someone who has professionally tried and now almost given up on pushing meaningful, moral messaging on my senators, they do not say this because it is not why they did it. They won't even lie and say the moral reason was their motivation. It is a huge problem.
Reposted by Katie
"Part of the strategy was Spanberger using the political capital that Virginia voters gave her to throw her party under the bus. That's the kind of person she has shown herself to be, somebody who takes grassroots energy and dulls it," says @alexshephard.bsky.social. newrepublic.com/article/2029...
Transcript: The Dems Blinked, and That Will Embolden Trump
TNR’s Monica Potts and Alex Shephard say the Democrats’ decision to cut a deal and end the shutdown was stupid but not surprising.
newrepublic.com
November 11, 2025 at 1:53 PM
"Part of the strategy was Spanberger using the political capital that Virginia voters gave her to throw her party under the bus. That's the kind of person she has shown herself to be, somebody who takes grassroots energy and dulls it," says @alexshephard.bsky.social. newrepublic.com/article/2029...
Reposted by Katie
I have not forgotten the last shutdown where I stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial & they all made big speech about protecting DACA folks and LOOK WHAT HAS HAPPENED.
THEY CAPITULATED and where are DACA folks now.
THEY CAPITULATED and where are DACA folks now.
anyway if dems think I'm gonna forget this shit in 5 months, they're wrong. if they think I'm gonna forget it in 5 years, they're wrong. they have fully convinced me that purging the party of these inept losers in the senate is more important than retaking the senate in the next election cycle
November 11, 2025 at 4:26 AM
I have not forgotten the last shutdown where I stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial & they all made big speech about protecting DACA folks and LOOK WHAT HAS HAPPENED.
THEY CAPITULATED and where are DACA folks now.
THEY CAPITULATED and where are DACA folks now.
Reposted by Katie
THE Rick Scott who ran a healthcare company that was slapped with the largest Medicare fraud fine in U.S. history? Why he in this?
www.miamiherald.com/news/politic...
www.miamiherald.com/news/politic...
November 11, 2025 at 3:54 AM
THE Rick Scott who ran a healthcare company that was slapped with the largest Medicare fraud fine in U.S. history? Why he in this?
www.miamiherald.com/news/politic...
www.miamiherald.com/news/politic...
I can't believe they want it to fail so they can run on the concept of a fight while people suffer. I should be able to believe it, but I can't.
Kaine says he thinks Johnson will have no choice but to take up the subsidies if it passes through the Senate. "And if it comes out of here bipartisan, he cannot not take it up without having November 2026 make November 2025 look like a picnic."
November 11, 2025 at 2:25 AM
I can't believe they want it to fail so they can run on the concept of a fight while people suffer. I should be able to believe it, but I can't.
Reposted by Katie
24 Dem/Ind voted to criminalize hemp products:
Alsobrooks, Blunt Rochester, Coons, Cortez Masto, Duckworth, Durbin, Fetterman, Gillibrand, Hassan, Heinrich, Hirono, Kim, King, Lujan, Murray, Padilla, Reed, Rosen, Schiff, Shaheen, Slotkin, Van Hollen, Warner, and Whitehouse
Alsobrooks, Blunt Rochester, Coons, Cortez Masto, Duckworth, Durbin, Fetterman, Gillibrand, Hassan, Heinrich, Hirono, Kim, King, Lujan, Murray, Padilla, Reed, Rosen, Schiff, Shaheen, Slotkin, Van Hollen, Warner, and Whitehouse
November 11, 2025 at 2:19 AM
24 Dem/Ind voted to criminalize hemp products:
Alsobrooks, Blunt Rochester, Coons, Cortez Masto, Duckworth, Durbin, Fetterman, Gillibrand, Hassan, Heinrich, Hirono, Kim, King, Lujan, Murray, Padilla, Reed, Rosen, Schiff, Shaheen, Slotkin, Van Hollen, Warner, and Whitehouse
Alsobrooks, Blunt Rochester, Coons, Cortez Masto, Duckworth, Durbin, Fetterman, Gillibrand, Hassan, Heinrich, Hirono, Kim, King, Lujan, Murray, Padilla, Reed, Rosen, Schiff, Shaheen, Slotkin, Van Hollen, Warner, and Whitehouse
Reposted by Katie
More than 15 Senate Democrats join GOP to advance nationwide ban on hemp products, including CBD gummies,
oh the paul amendment is going down 78-22
November 11, 2025 at 1:16 AM
More than 15 Senate Democrats join GOP to advance nationwide ban on hemp products, including CBD gummies,
Feeling very Oprah bees gif about this
UPDATE: The Senate votes 53-47 to shoot down the Baldwin amendment to extend ACA funds for 1 year. A party-line vote with every Republican rejecting it.
An important vote in this series: Tammy Baldwin’s proposal to extend ACA expiring funds for 1 year. It’s structured as a motion to table (i.e. scrap it from the amendment tree). But it’ll show the appetite (or lack thereof) in the Senate to address this issue.
November 11, 2025 at 1:13 AM
Feeling very Oprah bees gif about this
Reposted by Katie
ah yes, i cant wait to "negotiate my own insurance" when my bargaining power is "potentially 0.00000000000000000001% of their annual revenue" and theirs is "my ability to get medical care"
Trump: "I want the money to go into an account for people where they buy their own health insurance. It's so good. The insurance will be better. It'll cost less. Everybody is gonna be happy. They're gonna feel like entrepreneurs. They're actually able to go out & negotiate their own insurance"
November 11, 2025 at 12:48 AM
ah yes, i cant wait to "negotiate my own insurance" when my bargaining power is "potentially 0.00000000000000000001% of their annual revenue" and theirs is "my ability to get medical care"
I've been mad about this post in particular for a few hours. "We" win, "they" lose... but I'm not a Democrat elected official, I'm a person who needs health insurance from the ACA.
That December vote is a huge moment we can turn into a victory. People are watching. Good bill, we win; they cheat, they will lose. If we fight united.
November 11, 2025 at 12:15 AM
I've been mad about this post in particular for a few hours. "We" win, "they" lose... but I'm not a Democrat elected official, I'm a person who needs health insurance from the ACA.
Reposted by Katie
I'll get back to "party unity" as soon as the Senate Minority Leader tells us if he voted for the Democratic party nominee for mayor of his city.
I'm tired of party unity only ever running one way.
I'm tired of party unity only ever running one way.
November 10, 2025 at 11:14 PM
I'll get back to "party unity" as soon as the Senate Minority Leader tells us if he voted for the Democratic party nominee for mayor of his city.
I'm tired of party unity only ever running one way.
I'm tired of party unity only ever running one way.
Reposted by Katie
Now we have Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) calling for a motion to table the Collins amendment and replace it with her own amendment to extend ACA subsidies.
November 10, 2025 at 11:29 PM
Now we have Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) calling for a motion to table the Collins amendment and replace it with her own amendment to extend ACA subsidies.
savvy background leaks are not getting him out of this one.
SCOOP: Schumer privately fought to extend government shutdown
Scoop: Schumer privately fought to extend government shutdown
"We let him know what we were doing," said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.).
www.axios.com
November 10, 2025 at 11:00 PM
savvy background leaks are not getting him out of this one.
Reposted by Katie
"Within this amorphous framework, men’s biggest problem is, likewise, a feeling—an unreachable itch, or a marrow-deep belief—that men should still rank above women in the social hierarchy, just not as much as before. "
www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
What Did Men Do to Deserve This?
Changes in the economy and in the culture seem to have hit them hard. Scott Galloway believes they need an “aspirational vision of masculinity.”
www.newyorker.com
November 10, 2025 at 10:11 PM
"Within this amorphous framework, men’s biggest problem is, likewise, a feeling—an unreachable itch, or a marrow-deep belief—that men should still rank above women in the social hierarchy, just not as much as before. "
www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
they did not do this to feed hungry children.
November 10, 2025 at 10:02 PM
they did not do this to feed hungry children.
why the hell are @abdulelsayed.bsky.social's fundraising emails asking me for SEVENTY DOLLARS right now? SEVENTY?
November 10, 2025 at 9:54 PM
why the hell are @abdulelsayed.bsky.social's fundraising emails asking me for SEVENTY DOLLARS right now? SEVENTY?
at the end of the day, it's hard to feel anything other than that I was wrong to leave child care because I didn't earn a living wage and try to do something to fix it instead of getting a job doing literally anything else.
November 10, 2025 at 9:48 PM
at the end of the day, it's hard to feel anything other than that I was wrong to leave child care because I didn't earn a living wage and try to do something to fix it instead of getting a job doing literally anything else.
Reposted by Katie
This allows Trump (via DOJ) to use taxpayer money to bribe eight GOP Senators. It's that simple, there's no other way to describe it.
And where's the compensation for people injured by the Trump admin's unlawful conduct through DHS & DOGE?
Take a bow, @schumer.senate.gov, you did this.
And where's the compensation for people injured by the Trump admin's unlawful conduct through DHS & DOGE?
Take a bow, @schumer.senate.gov, you did this.
November 10, 2025 at 9:23 PM
This allows Trump (via DOJ) to use taxpayer money to bribe eight GOP Senators. It's that simple, there's no other way to describe it.
And where's the compensation for people injured by the Trump admin's unlawful conduct through DHS & DOGE?
Take a bow, @schumer.senate.gov, you did this.
And where's the compensation for people injured by the Trump admin's unlawful conduct through DHS & DOGE?
Take a bow, @schumer.senate.gov, you did this.