I’m a Black woman with a Ph.D. in cell and molecular biology, spent 10 years working for Congress. I now work for a philanthropy that believes diversity, equity and inclusion are among this nation’s greatest strengths.
So President Trump and I don’t have much in common, except for two things. First, we’re both from Queens, so we’re not afraid to say what’s on our minds. Second, we both agree that the government as it’s currently constructed isn’t working for everybody.
Right now, the American dream, the idea that we all have the chance to succeed and lead a better life, is simply unattainable for so many people, no matter how hard we work.
If this resonates, you’re not alone.
New research from the Frameworks Institute finds that 70 percent of Americans believe that “the system is rigged.” It’s a mindset that’s common among majorities of Republicans and Democrats, those at the very top and at the very bottom of the income ladder and across various races and ethnicities.
And they’re not wrong.
When about 10 million children live in poverty and more than 27 million people have no health insurance, the system is rigged. When it is outrageously expensive to raise a family, the system is rigged. When about $5 trillion is spent on health care in our country every year, yet we live shorter and sicker lives than many other countries, the system is rigged. When the top 10 percent of households in America hold 67 percent of total wealth, you know that the system is rigged.
Count me among this strong majority of Americans who believe deeply that our country needs radical change. But not the type of change we’re currently experiencing.
The Trump administration is engaged in an unprecedented attempt to systematically dismantle the entire federal government. Whole agencies have been shut down with the stroke of a pen. Tens of thousands of federal workers were indiscriminately fired without cause. Grant funding for community organizations and scientific research is being halted without warning.
All while Congress is pursuing drastic cuts to vital programs like Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare, all to give wealthy Americans a tax cut.
This isn’t radical change, it’s radical chaos. Chaos that will come at the expense of people across America and the world who depend on the work that federal agencies do to feed, house, care for, and support families.
The administration isn’t making life easier for anyone. Instead, it’s rigging the system even more against everyday people like the ones I grew up with in Queens.
I believe there’s a far better way to transform America. It starts with a simple premise: ensuring that health is not a privilege for some, but a right for all.
Everyone should have quality and affordable health insurance. Instead of seeking nearly $1 billion in Medicaid cuts and pursuing discredited ideas like work reporting requirements, the administration and Congress should strengthen the very popular health insurance program that covers one in every five Americans.
The enhanced tax subsidies for Affordable Care Act plans that helped drive down the uninsured rate expire later this year; making them permanent should be a national priority. Reining in drug prices so people don’t question whether they can afford an ambulance ride should be paramount. And childbirth, a dangerous prospect for many women in America, should be a whole lot safer.
While we’re at it, let’s not force people in America to choose between earning a paycheck and caring for themselves and their families. Somehow, America remains the only wealthy nation in the world that does not guarantee paid family and medical leave. It’s an abomination.
And if we want every child to grow up healthy (and really, who doesn’t?), let’s ensure they all have access to safe and affordable early child care and nutritious food.
It’s past time to redesign our support systems for families so they aren’t relegated to relying on limited benefits just to avoid starvation. Let’s further enhance the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Child Tax Credit, which significantly lowered food insecurity and child poverty in 2021.
People who work, especially caregivers and teachers, deserve wages that are enough to live on. Every child should receive healthy school meals for free. School districts should have funding to buy, prepare, and store fresh fruits and vegetables.
This blueprint is not all that’s needed to make our country fairer and stronger. But just imagine an America in which everyone receives healthcare coverage, all workers have paid leave and every child has access to nutritious food. This America would look nothing like the country we know today.
This type of transformative change will not be easy, but it is absolutely necessary and achievable if policymakers can summon the will to match our nation’s wealth. And unlike what’s happening now in Washington, where each day seems to bring unnecessary and destructive upheaval, it would actually improve people’s lives.
Today’s system isn’t working for everyday Americans. The question is: How do you make it work better?
I’d opt for good health policies over complete chaos any day. And I bet the people of Queens — not to mention communities across the country — would agree.
Avenel Joseph, Ph.D., is interim executive vice president at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
