EDITOR:

Dickinson County will suffer from Republican plans (21-6 in House Budget Committee) to cut SNAP (food stamps) by $230 billion and Medicaid by $880 billion so that the top 1% can reap a $1.1-trillion windfall. The Green Book December figures, put out by Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, show that 2,666 Dickinson County residents depend on SNAP. That’s 1,741 adults and 945 children, 10% of the county’s population. In December, $425,009 in Food Assistance was provided — $5 million dollars annually.

If this assistance goes away or is significantly reduced, the local food pantries such as St. Vincent de Paul, the Salvation Army and Feeding America distributions don’t have the resources to replace SNAP reductions. Reductions in Medicaid would imperil our county residents. Who will provide medical care for the 4,268 Medicaid eligible and those in poverty, nearly 12% of the county according to U.S. Census data?

The dismantling and destruction of the safety net won’t bother the wealthy, but it will devastate those most in need. But don’t wait for U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman to help. He’s fine with billionaire presidential adviser Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency, as Bergman wrote to me on Feb. 13, “Whatever actions Musk and DOGE take, they are accountable to the people through President Trump. They serve at his will, they’re not unaccountable. As your Congressman, I will continue to work with President Trump and all of his appointees …”

So don’t expect Bergman to keep Congress from savaging Medicaid and SNAP or the USDA’s Forest Service and the Department of the Interior’s National Park Service presence in the U.P. or Medicare and Social Security, which Elon criticizes, that assist the 25% of Dickinson County residents age 65 and older.

When Musk sets his sights on our local Oscar Johnson VA Medical Center, will Bergman think it is OK so long as Trump thinks it is OK? In military basic training, General Jack learned to polish boots well.

Mark C. Miller

Kingsford