To the editor:

During the Hancock Township Board meeting on March 10, members of a local group, Citizens Rally for Accountable Government (CRAG), urged the board to sponsor a resolution on federal executive overreach. The Board postponed the discussion to the next meeting, Monday, April 14 at 7 p.m. in the Township Hall (52825 M-203, Hancock Township).

The CRAG members hope the Board will endorse a resolution similar to the one passed unanimously by the Houghton City Council on February 16. The Houghton resolution reads in part: “Be it resolved that the Houghton City Council opposes administrative overreach, including the large-scale reductions in force of civilian federal employees.”

I pointed out that the administration attempted to illegally terminate Congressionally approved funds for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and has supported the illegal firing of thousands of federal employees by Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a department never approved by Congress. Musk was elected by no one and is therefore accountable to no one.

These cuts are especially galling because they mainly affect young people just establishing their careers, and they will fund a tax cut for billionaires and large corporations. The bill sponsoring the cuts has been approved by the House and sent to the Senate.

Dorothy Riutta, also a Hancock Township resident, spoke regarding the fact that H. Con. Res. 14, which establishes the Congressional Budget through 2034, proposes slashing $880 billion in federal funding from Medicaid, funding that many residents of Canal View, the county-supported medical care facility in Hancock, rely on.

Township resident Dr. Terry Kinzel, a physician at Canal View, clarified that Medicaid is a funding source for many of our hard-working families and neighbors who need nursing home care and, because of the great expense, run through their entire life’s savings and thus rely on Medicaid.

Tom Snyder, also a Township resident, said that services that have been cut include the repair of ponds damaged by floods that had previously been provided by the Natural Resource Conservation Service. He said such services are important for the prevention of soil loss and stream water quality.

Collectively, CRAG members urge the Hancock Township Board to put political differences aside and work together to address this Constitutional crisis.

Beth Flynn

Hancock Township 49930