I am a 92-year-old resident of Warren who is deeply troubled by developments happening under our current administration. So much is at stake as this administration takes liberties that threaten the fabric of our democracy and the well-being of Pennsylvanians, some of which include:

— Climate Action and Scientific Research. On his first day in office, President Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement for the second time, claiming it represented an “unfair, one-sided rip-off.” This withdrawal, which will be formalized this month, removes America from global climate cooperation at a time when 2024 recorded the hottest average global temperatures on record–1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The administration has also targeted climate research institutions. Most alarmingly, in December 2025, the White House announced plans to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado–the nation’s premier climate and weather research facility, founded in 1960. NCAR has been instrumental in developing weather prediction models, hurricane tracking systems, and wildfire forecasting technologies that save lives across our nation. Climate scientists have called this dismantling “like taking a sledgehammer to the keystone holding up our scientific understanding of the planet.”

— Threats to Public Broadcasting. Public radio and television stations, which have served communities for over 50 years with trusted news and educational programming, have lost all federal funding. In July 2025, Congress voted to eliminate $1.1 billion in federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting at Trump’s urging. This cut affects more than 1,000 public radio and television stations nationwide, including small community stations in rural areas–many in regions that voted for President Trump. These stations provide critical emergency alerts, local news, and educational content, particularly in areas where commercial media has withdrawn coverage.

— Book Bans and Intellectual Freedom. The administration has dismissed the reality of book bans as a “hoax,” despite documented evidence of nearly 16,000 instances of book bans nationwide since 2021. In the 2023-2024 school year alone, more than 10,000 books were banned from public schools, nearly triple the number from the previous year. The Department of Defense removed 596 books from military base school libraries, including literary classics, AP textbooks, and books about American history and diverse experiences. These actions directly challenge our educators and threaten the intellectual freedom that is fundamental to American democracy.

— Economic Hardship from Tariffs. The administration has imposed sweeping tariffs on virtually all trading partners, with rates ranging from 10% to over 100% depending on the country. These tariffs function as a tax on American businesses and consumers. Between April and July 2025 alone, American businesses paid an additional $67.3 billion in tariff costs compared to the same period in 2024. For the nearly 240,000 small businesses affected, this represents an average additional cost of more than $90,000 per business in just four months. Small businesses–which account for 43% of U.S. GDP–are struggling to survive. Many have been forced to freeze hiring, pull back growth plans, or cut salaries. Small hospitals like ours in Warren County face threats from rising costs on imported medical equipment and supplies. The economic uncertainty has led to job losses, with businesses cutting planned hiring by 13.4% and investment by 16.1% according to Federal Reserve surveys.

— Healthcare and Community Wellbeing. The administration’s policies threaten to increase the number of uninsured Americans by 10 million by 2034. Healthcare premiums are projected to rise by a median of 18% nationwide in 2026, with insurers citing tariffs’ impact on drug pricing as responsible for 2-3% of these increases. Food banks are reaching more families in need as economic pressures mount and real wages decline.

— Accountability and Democratic Values. Despite facing 34 felony convictions in New York State courts, President Trump has shown no meaningful accountability. The administration has failed to adequately address rising antisemitism and other forms of hate across our country, even as professionals in education, science, and public service face harassment and threats for simply doing their jobs.

I have seen us weather difficult times before, but the systematic dismantling of scientific research, public education, press freedom, and economic stability concerns me deeply. Our small communities and rural hospitals are particularly vulnerable to these policy shifts.

Mary E. Conarro is a Warren resident.