Since taking office, the Trump administration and the Far Right have launched a relentless assault on the working class, targeting healthcare, immigrants, and marginalized communities. These attacks are not isolated incidents but part of a broader strategy to scapegoat vulnerable populations, divide the working class, and consolidate power. They’re a direct assault on our collective well-being and a desperate attempt to distract from the failures of capitalism.
The Assault on Healthcare and Public Health
One of the most immediate and dangerous consequences of Trump’s executive orders has been the undermining of public health infrastructure. In one of his first acts, Trump halted research-grant reviews, travel, and training for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the world’s largest public biomedical funder. This freeze has stalled critical research and disrupted the development of life-saving treatments and interventions. While the administration claimed these measures would not affect programs like Medicaid, Social Security, or Medicare, the reality has been starkly different. In several states, Medicaid programs were temporarily unable to access funds, leaving vulnerable populations without essential healthcare services. This is not just bureaucratic incompetence — it is a calculated attack on the working class, particularly those who rely on public healthcare systems.
The administration’s freeze on federal funding, which as of now have been blocked by a federal judge, are ostensibly aimed at programs related to immigration, climate, and gender affirming healthcare. As CNN reported, these measures were framed as targeting programs that “run counter to Trump’s executive actions.” Thankfully for now, nationwide pushback and alarm led the administration to rescind these freezes last week.
The administration has also stopped key government agencies from issuing all scientific communication for the foreseeable future. A memo issued by acting secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Dorothy Fink, advised leaders of the CDC, NIH, and FDA to ostensibly stop issuing any communications “until it has been reviewed and approved by a Presidential appointee.” This is particularly concerning as these agencies, despite their flaws under capitalism, are tasked with helping to inform the public around health threats.
The administration’s assault on healthcare extends beyond U.S. borders, with consequences for global public health. The Trump administration issued a stop-work order for all global health funding through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). As Democracy Now! reported, the administration explicitly ordered foreign health organizations to halt the distribution of life-saving medications, even if healthcare workers already had the drugs on hand. On the reproductive justice front, the administration reinstated a policy that bans foreign aid workers from even offering abortion-related information.
Trump’s executive orders have also signaled increased support for fossil fuel extraction and a rolling back critical environmental protections, which will lead to increasing pollution and exacerbate the climate crisis. These actions will likely have direct consequences for public health, worsening air quality and increasing the prevalence of respiratory illnesses like asthma.
Attacks on Trans and Nonbinary Communities
The Trump administration has also intensified its attacks on trans and nonbinary individuals. A leaked memo revealed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has instructed staff to “suspend” passport applications seeking gender marker changes. This directive is a direct result of Trump’s executive order defining “sex” as binary, unchangeable, and determined at birth. Since this order, several major U.S. hospitals have taken measures to stop providing gender-affirming care for trans youth under the age of 19, which in states like New York could also violate state human rights laws. This also has led to a coalition of 15 state attorney generals to issue a joint statement rejecting such a measure, saying it is unlawful.
Measures like this make it clear that the same healthcare corporations who coat themselves in rainbows for Pride celebration every June only care about providing healthcare to queer youth when it benefits them financially. This type of care is lifesaving and as more hospitals stop providing care as a result of Trump’s orders, people’s health will inevitably be put at risk.
Trump also released a separate executive order that seeks to stop the “radical indoctrination” in the nation’s school system. This order calls on the Department of Education to come up with policies blocking schools from using federal funds to teach about anything from race to supporting trans and nonbinary students who are socially transitioning to using any part of the curriculum to promote the idea that gender can be fluid. Such measures will only help to ensure young students are not accepted for who they are, harming their physical and mental health.
Trump has also ordered individuals in federal prisons to be moved to the prison section according to their sex assigned at birth. This measure will quite literally be life threatening for trans women, for example, who now could be forced to be housed in men’s prison sections.
Overall, Trump’s policies not only deny the existence and rights of trans and nonbinary people but also exacerbate the systemic discrimination and violence they face leading to the potential of negative health outcomes. Access to healthcare, already a significant challenge for many, will become even more difficult. The administration’s actions are a stark reminder that the ruling class will stop at nothing to divide and oppress the working class, pitting us against each other while they consolidate power and wealth.
The Scapegoating of Immigrants
Perhaps the most pronounced of Trump’s attacks have been those targeting immigrants. The administration has sought to blame immigrants for the sluggish economic growth, worsening economic status, and lack of good job opportunities for most Americans, using them as a scapegoat to divert attention from the systemic failures of the ruling class. Recent measures have expanded the reach of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), allowing agents to enter hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare settings by reversing guidelines which previously kept ICE out of designated “sensitive areas.” This is a direct attack on the health and safety of our patients and communities.
Healthcare settings should be sanctuaries —places where individuals can seek care without fear of persecution or deportation. Instead, Trump’s policies have turned these spaces into sites of surveillance and terror. Cops in our hospitals are already bad enough, but the potential presence of ICE in hospitals and clinics will deter people from seeking care, putting entire communities at risk. For example, individuals with contagious illnesses may avoid treatment, leading to outbreaks that could have been prevented. Similarly, those in need of urgent medical attention, such as overdose prevention services or mental health support, may avoid care altogether, risking severe harm or death.
At harm reduction and overdose prevention centers, like the one where I work in New York City, these policies could have deadly consequences. If individuals are too afraid to access these services, they may use drugs alone or in unsafe environments, increasing the risk of overdose and death. The same applies to individuals stabilized on long-acting injectable medications for substance use or mental health conditions. Trump’s attacks on immigrants are not just an attack on their rights—they are an attack on public health and the well-being of the entire working class.
And it goes beyond strictly health centers — the potential of ICE raiding homeless shelters or various forms of temporary housing, for example, means folks may opt to avoid staying there all together. Individuals staying on the street puts them at increased risk of illness and death.
Besides these directly linked factors, there are the long-term results of the ongoing stress the threat of ICE serves on undocumented individuals and their families. As a result of the administration’s crackdown, parents, children, families, and communities are living day to day under the terror of being raided by ICE, now knowing that they are not even safe in healthcare settings. The medical data is clear that both acute and chronic stress have negative impacts on both mental and physical health. These are circumstances no healthcare worker who claims to care about health and well being can stand for.
The Human Cost of Trump’s Attacks
The Trump administration’s relentless assaults are not just a series of policy decisions—they are also attacks on human life. From freezing critical research funding and blocking access to Medicaid, to halting the distribution of life-saving medications globally and expanding ICE’s reach into hospitals, these measures will have deadly consequences. Trans and nonbinary individuals will face increased barriers to healthcare, immigrants will avoid seeking medical attention out of fear, and entire communities will be left at risk of untreated illnesses. The administration’s attacks on reproductive health, environmental protections, and scientific communication further compound the harm, disproportionately impacting the most marginalized under capitalism.
These policies are not abstract — they will cost lives. People will die from overdoses, untreated illnesses, and the stress of living under constant fear. Families will be torn apart, and communities will be destabilized. As healthcare workers and as human beings, we cannot stand by while these attacks unfold. The Trump administration’s actions are a stark reminder that the ruling class will sacrifice lives as they try to consolidate power. We must do everything possible to stop them. This means organizing from below, in our workplaces and in our communities, and taking the streets to fight these right-wing attacks.