Professional Opportunities
WORK FOR THE NEWSLETTER!
We are looking for a first-year MAP student to become the editor for the 2025-2026 school year! If you are interested, please email russwswpn@gmail.com.
Membership Operations Associate - League of Conservation Voters (Washington, DC)
Partnerships Manager - Unify America (remote)
Program Manager - Waterspirit (Rumson, NJ)
Program Manager - Sadie Nash Leadership Project (hybrid: Newark, NJ)
Manager of Admissions & Placement - SEEDS, Access Changes Everything (hybrid: Newark, NJ)
National Policy News Highlights
Millions of immigrant families would be shut out under new child tax credit proposal
The 19th
“...One provision of the bill requires a child’s parent or parents to have a Social Security Number, shutting out undocumented immigrants or those without work authorization, even when the child themselves has a Social Security Number. In mixed-status households, where one parent has a Social Security Number and the other doesn’t, the child is still ineligible.”
Lawsuits Reveal the Administration’s Attacks on Congressional Power
The Brennan Center for Justice
“In its first 100 days, the second Trump administration’s actions have upended seemingly every aspect of American life and government. More than 200 federal lawsuits have challenged its moves, and at least 149 have won initial victories. Given the sheer volume of cases, it’s easy to get lost in the details and lose sight of the bigger picture of what’s at stake for our democracy. But zooming out reveals a clear trend: The administration is pushing to create an all-powerful executive that can ignore and usurp Congress’s constitutional authority at will.”
Appellate Court Says Florida’s Drag Show Ban Is Likely Unconstitutional
truthout
“The Florida law, passed by a Republican state legislature and signed by GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis, doesn’t explicitly mention drag shows in its text. But the regulation of “adult live performances” in front of audiences with children present — including shows that use “prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts” — undoubtedly targets drag shows. Venues that violate the statute face fines and the possibility of having their liquor license suspended or revoked, while individuals could be charged with a misdemeanor.”
4 Takeaways From the Citizenship Case (That Was Really About Injunctions)
The New York Times
“The Supreme Court heard arguments on Thursday in a case related to President Trump’s executive order trying to end so-called birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to undocumented migrants. But the question before the justices was narrower: whether a single district court judge has the power to block a policy across the country.”
Regional Policy News Highlights
'All so opaque' — Newark Mayor Baraka released after chaotic arrest at ICE center protest
Gothamist
“Federal Homeland Security agents arrested Newark Mayor Ras Baraka [last] Friday afternoon in a chaotic scene outside a newly reopened federal immigration detention center he’s been protesting for the past week, accusing him of trespassing. Videos posted to social media by Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman at around 8 p.m. — about five hours after the mayor was taken into custody — showed Baraka exiting a second facility where he'd been transported. Crowds outside chanted ‘Let the mayor go.’”
Cash assistance may curb recidivism among people leaving prison, study says
The New Jersey Monitor
“A bill introduced in the New York legislature earlier this year would create a reentry fund to offer cash payments of $425 each month for up to six months for eligible residents leaving prison. The bill has been stalled in committee since January and is unlikely to pass before the legislature adjourns in June. Some critics say that the proposed New York program is a redundant and unrestricted handout for people with criminal records, and question whether limited public safety funds should support individuals already eligible for state services, including Medicaid, food assistance, job placement programs and housing aid.”
Camden residents concerned over transparency in EMR deal
WHYY
“About a dozen Camden residents showed up at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting and raised concerns about an agreement between the city and EMR, the operator of a metal recycling yard in South Camden. The agreement comes following a five-alarm fire over the winter that EMR blamed on “the storage or disposal of lithium-ion batteries.” A social media post on Facebook urged people to show up to Tuesday’s meeting to speak out against the $6.7 million deal announced in April. The post alleged that city officials didn’t incorporate public input before drawing up the contract.”
Here’s how much Medicaid means to NJ hospitals, care facilities
NJ Spotlight News
“With Medicaid funding set to be cut dramatically in the Republican-led Congress, Democratic members have tried to focus on the impact spending cuts would have on patients like Sasha, a girl with cerebral palsy from central New Jersey, who on Tuesday told a Congressional committee the program providers for her “health, independence and dignity.” Medicaid, the state and federally funded health insurance for some 1.9 million New Jersey residents, also serves as a lifeline for hospitals, particularly those in low-income communities.”
Upcoming Events
The Primary Election
June 3-8, 10th, 2025
Your polling location!
In less than a month, voters will head to the polls to pick who they would like to represent the Democratic and Republican parties for the Gubernatorial election in November! You have the opportunity to vote early from June 3rd through the 8th at any designated polling place in your county, or you can show up to your address-specific polling site on election day to cast your ballot. Don't miss this opportunity to be a part of history!
To the Class of 2025
We’d love to keep in touch! If you’d like to continue receiving our emails during the school year, don’t forget to subscribe with your preferred email address. The newsletter is great for alumni, and we hope that you can send us any resources, job opportunities, or stories you might like to share. Please subscribe with your preferred non-Rutgers email.
Congratulations!
To the class of 2025, congratulations on achieving this great accomplishment! All of your hard work has paid off, and you can be proud of all the hard work you put in to get here. A new generation of policy-savvy social workers is exactly what the world needs right now, and you can prove there is hope in these times of great uncertainty and polarization. It has been a turbulent last couple of years, but we did it! We look forward to celebrating with you all next Monday. Don't forget to subscribe to the newsletter with your preferred non-Rutgers email! We are always looking for alumni connections, jobs, and stories! Please keep in touch with us!
