Annie Utterback

I did this a year ago and it's been a game-charger! Highly recommend.

Trumping the President's Union Busting A bipartisan effort in the House seeks to overturn a Trump EO that ended collective bargaining for the majority of federal employees

My latest for @newamerica.org on a bipartisan effort in the House to overturn a Trump EO that removed collective bargaining rights from the majority of federal employees, allegedly due to “national security” www.newamerica.org/education-po...

Reports: Trump DOL cuts more than $500 million in international labor projects. What it means and why the Trump Administration's explanation doesn't make sense.

Special JOBS THAT WORK: The Trump Administration announced $500M in cuts to grants fighting child labor and other problems across the globe. It's a big move that could undercut efforts to protect Americans' economic health during a trade war.

Analysis, how this plays into #DOGE, and what's next:

Last post tonight just to say the red wing black birds are back and also that the world remains indivisible and interconnected and that we could have good lives in balance and peace if we empowered those who honor the interconnections instead of those who fight it with every breath.

This is who was fired from the union workforce at the Department of Education yesterday. Every single number is a person who served the nation and whose life was wrongly disrupted. That's the first tragedy, but it's clearly not the only one.

Are Schools Succeeding? Education Department Cuts Could Make It Hard to Know At least 800 education department research employees and outside partners have lost jobs. The cuts will decimate research and data collection.

I keep hearing the question: What's the biggest impact of Trump education disruptions so far? My answer: Research. Data. Knowledge on how students are doing and how schools might improve. All of this is being decimated. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/12/u...

This is a terrific exposé by @newamerica.org on the trap of for-profit cosmetology programs and the financial impact on low-income communities. A great read for anyone in workforce development and public policy.

3. If you have to take loans, they will be much harder to pay back.

4. You will learn less thanks to declines in support for classroom learning and services that help.

5. If you get to college, you’ll be much more likely to drop out in debt without a credential of any kind.

About #ED #Layoffs
Here are examples of what will now happen to anyone who seeks education or training beyond high school.

1. You will face much higher prices no matter where you go, including community college.

2. It will be far harder to get grants and scholarships or even work-study to help.

Core ED functions include: processing 17+ million FAFSAs, providing 6.4 million students with Pell Grants, disbursing 6.4 million student loans, and managing loan repayments for 43 million borrowers. None of this happens magically, without people.

This is a time for federal and nonprofit workers to gather so I made a Bluesky. Are folks gathering here?

Hi, I'm Annie - I do workforce development research and programming with MDRC:

⭐ promoting evidence-based practices for training programs
⭐ expanding knowledge by learning firsthand from workers
⭐ strengthening pathways to living-wage work for people experiencing poverty