Send us a text

Welcome to Raising Tomorrow: Democracy, Decisions & Our Children’s Future. I’m Karen Mulzac Watkins — mom, former elected official, education advocate. 

Today we’re diving into something far bigger than headlines: the federal government shutdown, what it means when the machinery of democracy stops, and how it ties right back to Project 2025 — the plan to centralize power behind the scenes.

“When the lights go off in Washington, the bills keep coming at your kitchen table.”

 This episode will walk through:
 1️⃣ How a shutdown happens and what a “clean” funding bill means.
 2️⃣ Who had the votes, what could have been done, and how Republicans & the Trump administration essentially caused it.
 3️⃣ How this impacts your life — from food benefits to flights to federal workers.
 And we’ll ask some hard questions: If Republicans really cared about Americans, why didn’t they just vote to keep the government open?
 Let’s get started.

https://www.facebook.com/raisingtomorrowshow/

References:

1. Heritage Foundation – Project 2025 Overview (heritage.org)
2. ACLU – Project 2025 Explained (aclu.org)
3. CBS News – What Is Project 2025? (cbsnews.com)
4. Center for American Progress – FAQ About Project 2025 (americanprogress.org)
5. Democracy Forward – People’s Guide to Project 2025 (democracyforward.org)
6. U.S. Department of Education – FY 2025 Budget Summary
7. National Center for Education Statistics – Title I Funding Overview (2023)
8. Heritage Foundation – Project 2025: Mandate for Leadership (2024)
9. American Progress – “Project 2025 Would Destroy Checks and Balances” (2024)
10. Brookings Institution – “Growth of Executive Power” (2024)
11. Congressional Research Service – IF12724 & R48523 (2023–2025)
12. Reuters – “Trump Administration Must Fully Fund Food Aid Amid Shutdown” (Nov 2025)
13. CBS6 Albany – “Judge Orders SNAP Funding; Vance Calls It Absurd” (Nov 2025)
14. Bloomberg – “FAA Announces Nationwide Flight Reductions Amid Government Shutdown” (Nov 2025)
15. Reuters – “How the U.S. Is Eating Trump’s Tariffs” (Oct 2025)
16. USDA – “Trump Administration Expands Beef Imports from Argentina” (Nov 2025)
17. BBC – “Trump Meets Hungary’s Viktor Orbán Amid Power ...