Stephen Semler
@stephensemler.bsky.social
Policy analyst/advisor. Newsletter: stephensemler.com
Reposted by Stephen Semler
Read the joint research with @quincyinst.bsky.social by Hartung and @stephensemler.bsky.social. costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/paper/profit...
November 26, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Read the joint research with @quincyinst.bsky.social by Hartung and @stephensemler.bsky.social. costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/paper/profit...
Reposted by Stephen Semler
A new book by Costs of War contributor William Hartung and Ben Freeman looks at how we got to a trillion dollar military budget — more than half of which goes to military contractors. www.commondreams.org/opinion/tril...
'Trillion Dollar War Machine': Understanding US Militarism and How to Dismantle It | Common Dreams
William D. Hartung and Ben Freeman's extremely timely and necessary book explains how today's crises are the predictable consequence of an entrenched system of militarism, a politics captured by lobb...
www.commondreams.org
November 26, 2025 at 3:52 PM
A new book by Costs of War contributor William Hartung and Ben Freeman looks at how we got to a trillion dollar military budget — more than half of which goes to military contractors. www.commondreams.org/opinion/tril...
Reposted by Stephen Semler
Biden doubled Affordable Care Act Marketplace enrollment by:
1) Spending more on Marketplace subsides ($124 billion last year alone)
2) Stripping millions of people’s Medicaid coverage
www.stephensemler.com/p/democrats-...
(Per enrollee, Marketplace coverage is far more expensive than Medicaid.)
1) Spending more on Marketplace subsides ($124 billion last year alone)
2) Stripping millions of people’s Medicaid coverage
www.stephensemler.com/p/democrats-...
(Per enrollee, Marketplace coverage is far more expensive than Medicaid.)
November 25, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Biden doubled Affordable Care Act Marketplace enrollment by:
1) Spending more on Marketplace subsides ($124 billion last year alone)
2) Stripping millions of people’s Medicaid coverage
www.stephensemler.com/p/democrats-...
(Per enrollee, Marketplace coverage is far more expensive than Medicaid.)
1) Spending more on Marketplace subsides ($124 billion last year alone)
2) Stripping millions of people’s Medicaid coverage
www.stephensemler.com/p/democrats-...
(Per enrollee, Marketplace coverage is far more expensive than Medicaid.)
Reposted by Stephen Semler
I understand that linking Biden to mass Medicaid disenrollment is considered controversial on this website. It shouldn’t be. He did everything a president could do to ensure it happened & was clear in his intent to funnel people from Medicaid to the Marketplace
www.stephensemler.com/p/democrats-...
www.stephensemler.com/p/democrats-...
November 25, 2025 at 5:34 PM
I understand that linking Biden to mass Medicaid disenrollment is considered controversial on this website. It shouldn’t be. He did everything a president could do to ensure it happened & was clear in his intent to funnel people from Medicaid to the Marketplace
www.stephensemler.com/p/democrats-...
www.stephensemler.com/p/democrats-...
Reposted by Stephen Semler
A common defense of Biden’s behavior from Democratic partisans is that Medicaid continuous coverage originated as a temporary provision, so it should be temporary.
That’s precisely the same argument Republicans are making now in opposing the extension of the enhanced ACA subsidies:
That’s precisely the same argument Republicans are making now in opposing the extension of the enhanced ACA subsidies:
November 25, 2025 at 5:37 PM
A common defense of Biden’s behavior from Democratic partisans is that Medicaid continuous coverage originated as a temporary provision, so it should be temporary.
That’s precisely the same argument Republicans are making now in opposing the extension of the enhanced ACA subsidies:
That’s precisely the same argument Republicans are making now in opposing the extension of the enhanced ACA subsidies:
Biden doubled Affordable Care Act Marketplace enrollment by:
1) Spending more on Marketplace subsides ($124 billion last year alone)
2) Stripping millions of people’s Medicaid coverage
www.stephensemler.com/p/democrats-...
(Per enrollee, Marketplace coverage is far more expensive than Medicaid.)
1) Spending more on Marketplace subsides ($124 billion last year alone)
2) Stripping millions of people’s Medicaid coverage
www.stephensemler.com/p/democrats-...
(Per enrollee, Marketplace coverage is far more expensive than Medicaid.)
November 25, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Biden doubled Affordable Care Act Marketplace enrollment by:
1) Spending more on Marketplace subsides ($124 billion last year alone)
2) Stripping millions of people’s Medicaid coverage
www.stephensemler.com/p/democrats-...
(Per enrollee, Marketplace coverage is far more expensive than Medicaid.)
1) Spending more on Marketplace subsides ($124 billion last year alone)
2) Stripping millions of people’s Medicaid coverage
www.stephensemler.com/p/democrats-...
(Per enrollee, Marketplace coverage is far more expensive than Medicaid.)
Reposted by Stephen Semler
Chicago’s Operation Midway Blitz has led to a surge in ICE raids. Families are hiding for days, missing work and losing income. Wage theft complaints are up as workers face fear and exploitation.
@sarahlazare.bsky.social reports with @workdaymagazine.bsky.social
inthesetimes.com/article/undo...
@sarahlazare.bsky.social reports with @workdaymagazine.bsky.social
inthesetimes.com/article/undo...
Visible and Invisible: How ICE Is Terrorizing Chicago’s Working Class
Fear, panic, hiding for days—this is the experience of families under assault by the Trump Administration
inthesetimes.com
November 25, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Chicago’s Operation Midway Blitz has led to a surge in ICE raids. Families are hiding for days, missing work and losing income. Wage theft complaints are up as workers face fear and exploitation.
@sarahlazare.bsky.social reports with @workdaymagazine.bsky.social
inthesetimes.com/article/undo...
@sarahlazare.bsky.social reports with @workdaymagazine.bsky.social
inthesetimes.com/article/undo...
Reposted by Stephen Semler
@tkbarnes.bsky.social reports: “Raytheon was allowed to claim about half a million dollars in tax refunds for jobs it did not create due to a loophole in its economic development contract with Buncombe County.”
Exclusive: We Followed the Money to Raytheon in North Carolina
We got hundreds of pages of public records about a controversial deal to offer tens of millions of state and local subsidies to a new Raytheon/Pratt & Whitney plant in Asheville.
inkstick.substack.com
November 25, 2025 at 3:48 PM
@tkbarnes.bsky.social reports: “Raytheon was allowed to claim about half a million dollars in tax refunds for jobs it did not create due to a loophole in its economic development contract with Buncombe County.”
Reposted by Stephen Semler
A phenomenal explainer
November 25, 2025 at 2:10 AM
A phenomenal explainer
Reposted by Stephen Semler
Reposted by Stephen Semler
Democrats caving on ACA Marketplace subsidies looks even worse once you remember the Biden administration pushed millions from Medicaid into the Marketplace, promising affordable coverage.
www.stephensemler.com/p/democrats-...
www.stephensemler.com/p/democrats-...
November 24, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Democrats caving on ACA Marketplace subsidies looks even worse once you remember the Biden administration pushed millions from Medicaid into the Marketplace, promising affordable coverage.
www.stephensemler.com/p/democrats-...
www.stephensemler.com/p/democrats-...
Reposted by Stephen Semler
Democrats caving on health care is worse than you think
Polygraph | Newsletter n°323 | 24 Nov 2025
open.substack.com
November 24, 2025 at 10:36 PM
Democrats caving on ACA Marketplace subsidies looks even worse once you remember the Biden administration pushed millions from Medicaid into the Marketplace, promising affordable coverage.
www.stephensemler.com/p/democrats-...
www.stephensemler.com/p/democrats-...
November 24, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Democrats caving on ACA Marketplace subsidies looks even worse once you remember the Biden administration pushed millions from Medicaid into the Marketplace, promising affordable coverage.
www.stephensemler.com/p/democrats-...
www.stephensemler.com/p/democrats-...
Reposted by Stephen Semler
Some context on why locals in a place like Asheville find it incredible that they need to offer tax deals to the likes of Raytheon to "incentivize" it to set up shop – the company is already flush w/ taxpayer funds and highly profitable
popular.info/p/how-trumps... h/t @stephensemler.bsky.social
popular.info/p/how-trumps... h/t @stephensemler.bsky.social
How Trump’s trillion-dollar war machine enriches the 1%
Congress will decide in the coming weeks whether to approve a $1 trillion military budget for 2026.
popular.info
November 20, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Some context on why locals in a place like Asheville find it incredible that they need to offer tax deals to the likes of Raytheon to "incentivize" it to set up shop – the company is already flush w/ taxpayer funds and highly profitable
popular.info/p/how-trumps... h/t @stephensemler.bsky.social
popular.info/p/how-trumps... h/t @stephensemler.bsky.social
Reposted by Stephen Semler
The records show the company was able to use a loophole to claim tax refunds for jobs it did not create.
They also show that a narrowly written provision to a Hurricane Helene relief bill allowed it to bypass public comment as it got approval for millions in new grants during the genocide
They also show that a narrowly written provision to a Hurricane Helene relief bill allowed it to bypass public comment as it got approval for millions in new grants during the genocide
November 20, 2025 at 6:54 PM
The records show the company was able to use a loophole to claim tax refunds for jobs it did not create.
They also show that a narrowly written provision to a Hurricane Helene relief bill allowed it to bypass public comment as it got approval for millions in new grants during the genocide
They also show that a narrowly written provision to a Hurricane Helene relief bill allowed it to bypass public comment as it got approval for millions in new grants during the genocide
Reposted by Stephen Semler
I got hundreds of pages of records about a controversial deal to offer millions in state + local subsidies to Raytheon (Pratt & Whitney) for a new plant in Asheville, NC.
The company produces the engine for the F-35, which Israel has used during the Gaza genocide
inkstickmedia.com/special-trea...
The company produces the engine for the F-35, which Israel has used during the Gaza genocide
inkstickmedia.com/special-trea...
November 20, 2025 at 6:52 PM
I got hundreds of pages of records about a controversial deal to offer millions in state + local subsidies to Raytheon (Pratt & Whitney) for a new plant in Asheville, NC.
The company produces the engine for the F-35, which Israel has used during the Gaza genocide
inkstickmedia.com/special-trea...
The company produces the engine for the F-35, which Israel has used during the Gaza genocide
inkstickmedia.com/special-trea...
Reposted by Stephen Semler
-More than half of the pending $1 trillion military budget will go to contracts
-Over a quarter of the contracts will go to just four firms
-One in ten federal dollars those firms get will go to their shareholders
My latest for @juddlegum.bsky.social’s @popular.info
popular.info/p/how-trumps...
-Over a quarter of the contracts will go to just four firms
-One in ten federal dollars those firms get will go to their shareholders
My latest for @juddlegum.bsky.social’s @popular.info
popular.info/p/how-trumps...
How Trump’s trillion-dollar war machine enriches the 1%
Congress will decide in the coming weeks whether to approve a $1 trillion military budget for 2026.
popular.info
November 19, 2025 at 8:03 PM
-More than half of the pending $1 trillion military budget will go to contracts
-Over a quarter of the contracts will go to just four firms
-One in ten federal dollars those firms get will go to their shareholders
My latest for @juddlegum.bsky.social’s @popular.info
popular.info/p/how-trumps...
-Over a quarter of the contracts will go to just four firms
-One in ten federal dollars those firms get will go to their shareholders
My latest for @juddlegum.bsky.social’s @popular.info
popular.info/p/how-trumps...
Reposted by Stephen Semler
"The military industrial complex tries to present the illusion that it serves working class interest." — @stephensemler.bsky.social
Listen back to our launch event via
@macrodosepod.bsky.social
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/w...
Support Macrodose on Patreon: patreon.com/Macrodose
Listen back to our launch event via
@macrodosepod.bsky.social
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/w...
Support Macrodose on Patreon: patreon.com/Macrodose
November 20, 2025 at 11:46 AM
"The military industrial complex tries to present the illusion that it serves working class interest." — @stephensemler.bsky.social
Listen back to our launch event via
@macrodosepod.bsky.social
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/w...
Support Macrodose on Patreon: patreon.com/Macrodose
Listen back to our launch event via
@macrodosepod.bsky.social
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/w...
Support Macrodose on Patreon: patreon.com/Macrodose
Reposted by Stephen Semler
Is there fentanyl on the boats from Venezuela the Trump administration is blowing up? No. I explain and discuss @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2025/11/19/u...
Venezuela Doesn’t Produce Fentanyl. Trump Is Targeting It Anyway.
www.nytimes.com
November 19, 2025 at 11:14 AM
Is there fentanyl on the boats from Venezuela the Trump administration is blowing up? No. I explain and discuss @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2025/11/19/u...
Reposted by Stephen Semler
Congress will decide in the coming weeks whether to approve a $1 trillion military budget for 2026.
How Trump’s trillion-dollar war machine enriches the 1%
Congress will decide in the coming weeks whether to approve a $1 trillion military budget for 2026.
popular.info
November 19, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Congress will decide in the coming weeks whether to approve a $1 trillion military budget for 2026.
Reposted by Stephen Semler
Should Congress approve such a historic sum, it would not only enable many of Trump’s dangerous and unjust policies — including military occupations of US cities — it would also trigger a historic redistribution of wealth from the public to private arms companies and their shareholders.
How Trump’s trillion-dollar war machine enriches the 1%
Congress will decide in the coming weeks whether to approve a $1 trillion military budget for 2026.
popular.info
November 19, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Should Congress approve such a historic sum, it would not only enable many of Trump’s dangerous and unjust policies — including military occupations of US cities — it would also trigger a historic redistribution of wealth from the public to private arms companies and their shareholders.
Reposted by Stephen Semler
Reposted by Stephen Semler
popular.info/p/how-trumps... via @stephensemler.bsky.social & @popular.info
#MilitaryIndustrialComplex
#MilitaryIndustrialComplex
How Trump’s trillion-dollar war machine enriches the 1%
Congress will decide in the coming weeks whether to approve a $1 trillion military budget for 2026.
popular.info
November 19, 2025 at 9:15 PM
-More than half of the pending $1 trillion military budget will go to contracts
-Over a quarter of the contracts will go to just four firms
-One in ten federal dollars those firms get will go to their shareholders
My latest for @juddlegum.bsky.social’s @popular.info
popular.info/p/how-trumps...
-Over a quarter of the contracts will go to just four firms
-One in ten federal dollars those firms get will go to their shareholders
My latest for @juddlegum.bsky.social’s @popular.info
popular.info/p/how-trumps...
How Trump’s trillion-dollar war machine enriches the 1%
Congress will decide in the coming weeks whether to approve a $1 trillion military budget for 2026.
popular.info
November 19, 2025 at 8:03 PM
-More than half of the pending $1 trillion military budget will go to contracts
-Over a quarter of the contracts will go to just four firms
-One in ten federal dollars those firms get will go to their shareholders
My latest for @juddlegum.bsky.social’s @popular.info
popular.info/p/how-trumps...
-Over a quarter of the contracts will go to just four firms
-One in ten federal dollars those firms get will go to their shareholders
My latest for @juddlegum.bsky.social’s @popular.info
popular.info/p/how-trumps...
Reposted by Stephen Semler
A trillion dollar 2026 military budget would likely privatize well over $500 billion in public funds, writes @stephensemler.bsky.social. popular.info/p/how-trumps...
How Trump’s trillion-dollar war machine enriches the 1%
Congress will decide in the coming weeks whether to approve a $1 trillion military budget for 2026.
popular.info
November 19, 2025 at 3:07 PM
A trillion dollar 2026 military budget would likely privatize well over $500 billion in public funds, writes @stephensemler.bsky.social. popular.info/p/how-trumps...