Readers Write: Trump budget, Ozempic, Ukraine

Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

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While I’m of course pleased to see a handful of state-level Republican legislators at last summoning a tiny amount of courage to stand up to their federal GOP counterparts in the form of an open letter politely requesting they not enact draconian cuts to Medicaid and food assistance programs, ultimately I must express my absolute disappointment with Rep. Betty McCollum’s praise of the group (“House passes Trump budget plan,” front page, Feb. 26).

There are 100 GOP members of the Legislature in St. Paul, all of whom presumably voted for the GOP ticket on their ballot and have spent the better part of a decade showing nothing but spineless fealty to President Donald Trump and his cult of followers. The fact that barely more than a dozen of those members showed the weakest possible sign that they still have some level of decency in them by expressing feint support of society’s most vulnerable without even mentioning what an egregious handout society’s most well-off are receiving in the Republican spending plan isn’t brave and doesn’t deserve praise. It deserves nothing but scorn for the dozens of other Republicans in St. Paul and millions throughout the country who clearly think otherwise and still stand behind the awful decisions they made in the voting booth in November.

Rep. McCollum is on the right side of history overall, but she is in the wrong here and her statement is just the latest example of the astonishingly weak and ineffective resistance Democrats have shown to Trump and Elon Musk’s latest version of rabid right-wing extremism.

Adam Skoglund, Eden Prairie

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What a bright spot this morning! Several Minnesota GOP legislators actually had the guts to buck the Musk/Trump axis. While their congressional counterparts just passed a bill paving the way for drastic cuts to Medicaid, more than a dozen Minnesota GOP legislators, headed by state Sen. Jim Abeler (Go Jim!) warned Rep. Tom Emmer and his colleagues against the cuts. Maybe there is a God.

Lucyan Mech, Lauderdale

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The fact that 217 House Republicans voted in favor of Tuesday night’s budget resolution to slash welfare programs like SNAP and Medicaid, give massive tax cuts to the rich and add trillions of dollars to the national debt staggers the imagination. This budget plan is not only disastrous, it’s downright sinful. The fact that only one Republican in the House of Representatives voted against the resolution’s passage reminds me of how Jesus must have felt when only one of ten lepers came back to give thanks for being healed of their disease (Luke 17:11-19). “Where are the nine?” Jesus lamented.

Given Tuesday night’s vote, I wonder, “Where are the 217?”

Alan Bray, St. Peter, Minn.

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The Republicans are going to rob the poor and middle class to give the rich more of your money. They are raising the national debt to further bolster the wealthy into the future. Every Republican administration since President Ronald Reagan has reduced taxes for the rich and run up the national debt. The Democratic administrations have been able to reduce our deficits. The Republicans only complain about the deficit when the Democrats are in power. Trump will add trillions to the deficit over his term.

Our state Republican congresspeople are all in on this. They do not have any concern for their constituents or the promises they made. Trump’s policies will destroy family farms, close rural hospitals and forever destroy the rural lifestyle. You are being destroyed by Rep. Emmer. Facts hurt.

Ronald Hegner, Independence

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Cutting Medicaid in order to pay for tax cuts is spiteful and counterproductive. Medicaid is an efficient program with lower administrative costs than private insurance, and one that also decreases poverty rates and improves health outcomes. More than 500,000 Minnesotans who are on Medicaid are in Republican House districts. All of them, their families and their friends should be calling Reps. Emmer, Brad Finstad, Michelle Fischbach and Pete Stauber and ask them the simple question: How are you improving my health and finances by voting to cut Medicaid?

Michael Aylward, Minneapolis

The Food and Drug Administration’s recent decision on Feb. 21 to declare the GLP-1 drug semaglutide no longer in shortage and to prohibit compounding pharmacies from providing this medication as of April 22 raises significant concerns. GLP-1 drugs, such as semaglutide, have a broad spectrum of benefits and have become an integral part of modern diabetes and obesity treatment protocols, offering patients improved quality of life and long-term health benefits.

This decision significantly impacts individuals who rely on these medications, especially those who cannot afford branded versions like Ozempic and Wegovy. While compounding pharmacies vary in standards, many provide critical services by customizing medications to meet individual needs. However, past issues with quality underscore the need for strict oversight and regulation to ensure patient safety provided by the FDA.

Despite the FDA’s finding, it remains uncertain if these drugs will be consistently available in all regions, potentially causing continued delays in obtaining them. Compounding this issue is the fact that insurance companies often do not cover these drugs, leaving patients to bear prohibitive costs. These medications are transformative, significantly improving health and quality of life.

It is imperative that policymakers and insurers recognize the profound impact of GLP-1 medications and ensure they are accessible to all, regardless of financial status. I urge the FDA to reconsider its decision and for insurance companies to provide coverage for these essential medications. The health and well-being of countless individuals depend on it.

Joel Hutcheson, Edina

The writer is a medical doctor.

Thank you for showcasing in your article from Tuesday, Feb. 25 the shock and dismay of members of the local Ukrainian community at the abandonment of their homeland and our democratic ally by this administration (“U.S. about-face stuns, saddens local Ukranians,” front page). I congratulate the newsroom on covering this, however, the characterization of this as a simple “repositioning of the United States under Trump” and “a dramatic reversal of three years of American policy toward Ukraine” vastly understates the titanic shift from 80 years of American leadership of the free world to openly siding with Russia in attempting to force a democratic Ukraine into capitulation. We all should be fearful of a future where America joins with Russia, North Korea, Belarus and Iran, and we need you in the media to frame this shocking turn with the gravity it deserves.

Mark Lagus, Green Island, N.Y.

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A Minnesota Star Tribune headline on Tuesday, Feb. 25 suggested that the U.S. sided with Russia in a U.N. vote on Ukraine (“U.S. sides with Russia on U.N. vote on Ukraine,” front page, Feb. 25). It would have been more accurate to say the Trump administration sided with Russia. I do not side with Russia, and a 2023 poll suggests that 90% of Americans have little to no confidence in Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. The Trump administration’s ruthless abandonment of the Ukrainian people is the opposite of what the American people want. Please stop suggesting that the United States of America wants to turn our backs on our Ukrainian and European allies. We do not side with Russia!

Michael J. Gardos Reid, Minneapolis

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The above-the-fold headline of Tuesday’s paper should have been “Trump sides with Russia on U.N. vote on Ukraine,” because a large number of people in the U.S. are in favor of providing armaments to Ukraine to win the war against Russia and not permanently giving up territory to Russia.

Norman Holen, Minneapolis