Professional Opportunities
Policy Associate - AAPI New Jersey (hybrid: Montclair, NJ)
Community Organizer - Resistencia en Acción
(email cover letter and resume to appazmino@resistenciaenaccionnj.org)
Bilingual Spanish/English Intake and Outreach Coordinator - New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund (Highland Park, NJ)
Research Assistant, the Youth and Family Interview Team - Rutgers School of Social Work Center for Prevention Science (remote)
Exciting Fellowship Opportunity
State Policy Fellow - New Jersey Policy Perspective (hybrid: Trenton, NJ)
National Policy News Highlights
Trump orders preparation of Guantánamo Bay facility to house migrants
The Hill
“President Trump signed a memo on Wednesday to prepare a massive facility at Guantánamo Bay to be used to house deported migrants…The memo will direct the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security to prepare a 30,000-person migrant facility at Guantánamo Bay, a facility in Cuba that has been used to house military prisoners, including several involved in the 9/11 attacks.”
Trump Signs Order to Promote ‘Patriotic Education’ in the Classroom
The New York Times
“President Trump signed several executive orders on Wednesday aimed at reshaping American schools, including restricting how racism is taught in classrooms, curbing antisemitism and allowing taxpayer dollars to fund private schools. The orders are designed to advance the Trump administration’s goal of shaking up the nation’s education system, which Mr. Trump has long derided as fostering left-leaning ideologies.”
Trump directs federal government to restrict access to gender-affirming care for youth
The 19th
“Hospitals, clinics and medical schools that provide gender-affirming care to transgender youth are at risk of losing federal funding if they continue providing that care, according to a new executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Tuesday. The order would, if enacted as such, force those hospitals and clinics to choose between staying open or providing specialized care to a small number of patients — and could essentially impose a nationwide ban for youth care.”
More action is required for communities to be equal partners in data governance
The Brookings Institution
“Data can be a powerful resource for communities to both push for resources and policy reforms that can help improve their overall well-being and to address challenges they are facing. However, data can define and redefine narratives for marginalized communities, often in ways that limit their agency and policymaking leadership.”
Regional Policy News Highlights
Expand Anti-Poverty Programs to Help Families in Crisis
New Jersey Policy Perspective
“Federal threats to funding loom over all safety net programs including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), which provides cash assistance to families with the lowest incomes. In response, New Jersey leaders must protect and improve anti-poverty programs to demonstrate a commitment to helping families in need, rather than subject them to further cuts.”
School officials warn Trump’s plan for U.S. education dept. would come with costs
New Jersey Monitor
“Education advocates and school administrators are warning that New Jersey could face disruptive losses of federal funding that would force stops to post-pandemic tutoring, mental health services, and free or reduced school lunch programs if President Donald Trump follows through on a campaign promise to shutter the U.S. Department of Education.”
As ICE threats grow, NJ works to aid immigrants
New Jersey Spotlight
“Immigrants and social justice advocates across New Jersey say they are facing the impacts of strict immigration policies, which open the possibility of deporting thousands and separating families across the country. ICE officials conducted a workplace raid and arrested three people in Newark on Thursday, according to Newark Mayor Ras Baraka who said the action was conducted without a warrant.”
NJ towns that sued state agree to affordable housing quotas after multiple court losses
Gothamist
“Twenty-seven towns have now failed twice to get a judge to grant a stay of the law ahead of a Jan. 31 deadline. [Today], towns must either accept the state’s affordable housing quotas for each municipality to build over the next decade or counter-propose a different number of homes.”
Upcoming Events
Popcorn and Politics: NJ Democratic & Republican Gubernatorial Debate Watch Parties
Presented by the Eagleton Center for Youth Political Participation
Sunday February 2nd, & Tuesday February 4th, 2025
6:30pm-9:00pm
The Eagleton Institute of Politics
Woodlawn Mansion, Douglass Campus
191 Ryders Lane, New Brunswick, NJ
Join Eagleton’s Center for Youth Political Participation for a watch party of the debate between the Democratic and Republican nominees for New Jersey Governor! For both events, doors open at 6:30PM; debate begins at 7:00PM. Light food and drinks will be provided. Open to current Rutgers University undergraduate and graduate students only. Advanced registration is required.
2/2 Democratic Gubernatorial Debate
Democratic Gubernatorial Nominees:
- Mayor Ras Baraka, Newark, NJ
- Mayor Steven Fulop, Jersey City, NJ
- Representative Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5)
- Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11)
- Sean Spiller, President, NJEA
- Steve Sweeney, Former NJ Senate President
To register for the Democratic Debate, click here.
2/4 Republican Gubernatorial Debate
Republican Gubernatorial Nominees:
- Senator Jon Bramnick (R-21)
- Jack Cittarelli, Former NJ Assemblyman
- Ed Durr, Former NJ State Senator
- Bill Spadea, Radio Host, New Jersey 101.5
To register for the Republican Debate, click here.
Racial Justice, Reparations, and the University
Presented by the Sawyer Seminar “Potentialities of Justice: Toward Collective Reparative Futures” at Rutgers-Newark
Wednesday February 4th, 2025, 11:30am-5:00pm & Thursday February 6th, 2025 10:00am-5:00pm
Express Newark
54 Halsey Street, Room 213
Newark, NJ 07102
Join Rutgers Newark for two-day series of keynote speakers, workshops, and panels to explore the role of the university in movements for reparations!
Review the agenda and register for the event here.
Highlight of the Week:
A New Era in Poverty Policy? The Social Safety Net in the Second Trump Administration
In this webinar that was facilitated by the University of Wisconsin - Madison Institute for Research on Poverty, panelists panelists discuss the policies and administrative moves that they are tracking the start of the second Trump administration and a Republican-controlled Congress. This will include food assistance (SNAP), Medicaid, child care subsidies, and benefits provided through the tax system like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC). [Panelists discussed] how changes in the federal bureaucracy could affect program administration.
Featured panelists:
- Peggy Bailey, Executive Vice President for Policy and Program Development, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
- Pamela Herd, Carol Kakalec Kohn Professor of Social Policy, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan
- Josh McCabe, Director of Social Policy, Niskanen Center
- Angela Rachidi, Senior Fellow and Rowe Scholar, American Enterprise Institute
Visit the website here to read speaker bios and learn about the Institute for Research on Poverty.
