Sign in

Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield

@amyellen.bsky.social
987 followers 723 following 149 posts

Higher Ed policy.

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Kate Manne @katemanne.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I wrote for @thecut.com about the Cornell case and what it says that, at my institution and many others like it, protesters are often punished more harshly than sexual assailants www.thecut.com/article/what...
thecut.com
What It Feels Like at Cornell Right Now
As a professor at the Ivy League school, Kate Manne has known many, many victims. There’s a palpable feeling on campus, she writes, that this is big.
531862614
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Lindsey Boylan @lindseyboylan.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
This man is a monster. He seeks out women survivors because he hates them. And he hates them because he hates himself. He has harassed me and other women survivors many times over the years. It must end. He should never have a job anywhere.
12680471997
Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield @amyellen.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Kicking people, including hungry kids, off SNAP is something to brag about?
000
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Stephen Nuñez @socio-steve.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Thanks to @donmoyn.bsky.social for giving a platform to Lauren Supplee to highlight this important issue. This is something I wrote about early in the Trump administration when DOGE was running rampant... substack.com/inbox/post/2...
substack.com
The System for Using Evidence to Improve Federal Programs Has Been Gutted
Here’s How We Fix It
14218
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
It really is striking how many authoritarian states have ended up in this exact same place, where the leader seizes control of scientific inquiry. Lysenkoism in the Soviet Union, Aryan Physics in the Third Reich, Great Leap Forward (also related to Lysenko) in China.
8527271074
Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield @amyellen.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
This. Right here. www.inquirer.com/opinion/viol...
inquirer.com
Violence toward journalists is a symptom of a terminally ill U.S. democracy | Will Bunch
From Trump’s unhinged outbursts to calling the cops on a student journalist, a free press dies in tandem with the American Experiment.
001
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Prof Dynarski @dynarski.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
This is how it is and how it always has been The for-profits account for a hugely outsized share of student debt and especially loan defaults a community college is always better choice than a for-profit college
33815
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Food Research & Action Center @fracposts.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Nearly 5.5 million people have lost access to SNAP since H.R. 1 was enacted. FRAC is urging Senators to reject a Farm Bill that fails to reverse these devastating cuts and leaves SNAP costs shifts to states in place. Read more: frac.org/news/farmbil...
12923
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Good news! We have more time to fight for our national forests. The Forest Service has extended the public comment period on the Trump administration’s plan to eliminate the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The new deadline is October 6.
262200746
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
The cost of Trump’s war that he will never talk about.
1041637646
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Katie Bergh @katiebergh.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
SNAP is linked to better math & reading scores, fewer school days missed due to illness & other positive outcomes for children. But well over 1.5 million kids nationwide have lost access to SNAP after unprecedented cuts were enacted last year.
cbpp.org
With School Year Starting, Children’s Participation in SNAP Continues Rapid Decline
While cutting SNAP eligibility for children was not a stated target of the Republican reconciliation law’s proponents, the cost shift and resulting access barriers are causing serious food assistance ...
01913
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Prof Gavin Yamey MD MPH @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Half of kids in America are covered by Medicaid or CHIP The MAHA Administration is instituting massive Medicaid cuts, which will have awful consequences for child health RFK Jr’s first MAHA Report was called “Make Our Children Healthy Again”—but MAHA policies are doing the opposite
46237
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Erika McEntarfer @erikamcentarfer.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
This change grants Commerce political appointees veto power over data and research releases by scientists and statisticians at NOAA, NIST, Census, and BEA.
8287186
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
NEWS: DOJ announces new lawsuits against Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington for providing in-state tuition to undocumented students. DOJ says this brings them to 21 suits challenging such tuition.
1616877
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Juan Escalante @juanescalante.com · 24/08/2026
TALLAHASSEE – In one of his first moves as education commissioner, Henry Mack has advanced a rule that would block undocumented students from attending the state’s postsecondary career and technical education (CTE) programs.
yoursun.com
Florida’s education chief moves to block undocumented students from career programs
TALLAHASSEE — In one of his first moves as education commissioner, Henry Mack has advanced a rule that would block undocumented students from attending the state’s postsecondary career and technical
62619
Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield @amyellen.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Insane and inhumane.
000
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Institute for Policy Studies @ips-dc.org · 17/08/2026
NEW: Trump's mass deportation push is costing U.S. taxpayers $2,358 each(!), new research from @epi.org and @nationalpriorities.bsky.social found this month. "I don't think people realize how much money is being spent on these mass deportations."
axios.com
Trump deportations cost taxpayers $2,358 each
The projected $268.9 billion could otherwise fund major safety-net programs.
15453204
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 13/08/2026
New in PN: Stephen Miller's secret campaign against helpless kids "Miller is making his dreams come true: accelerating the arrest and removal of thousands of unaccompanied immigrant kids. This is a scene taking place out of public view across the country, impacting 24,000 children."
publicnotice.co
Stephen Miller's secret campaign against helpless kids
That it's happening in the shadows doesn't make it less of a moral blight.
32131941730
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Apoorva Mandavilli @apoorvanyt.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Signing a new EO, President Trump suggested falsely that vaccines were linked to autism and that the combined measles, mumps and rubella shot could be lethal, among other claims. Here’s what the evidence actually shows. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/10/w...
nytimes.com
Fact-Checking Trump’s Claims About Childhood Vaccines After Executive Order (Gift Article)
Mr. Trump signed an executive order on Monday calling to scale back the number of vaccinations American children receive.
1312038
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Adam Cohen (My Personal Views Only) @axidentaliberal.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Bill Cassidy “reluctantly” cast the key vote to make RFK Jr HHS Secretary-because Kennedy promised he wouldn’t do things like this Then-knowing this EO was coming-Cassidy “reluctantly” cast the key vote to make Todd Blanche Attorney General, despite his broken promises on Epstein and the slush fund
40424183
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
people with chronic pain warned us at the time but the criminalization of women and minority people’s pain after the opioid crisis is a public health disaster. I’ve had friends denied pain management after hysterectomies, dental extractions and broken bones.
332928853
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Miranda Yaver @mirandayaver.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
SNAP has an outstanding ROI: every dollar we invest in SNAP generates $1.54 in economic activity. With SNAP cuts, people can’t continue to support these local grocers, so local businesses suffer. Everyone loses.
4928881093
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Jess Piper @piperformissouri.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Trump‘s new CDC Director said “abortion surveillance” will be a big part of the CDC‘s role… Republicans will never stop. Never.
78803410
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 07/08/2026
This is the last race I was tracking, so of the 12 clergy, former clergy and seminarians who ran for Congress this year as Dems, 8 became nominees/won their primaries — and among those who lost was a UMC minister who was *beaten by a Presbyterian minister.* Pretty high intra-party success rate.
623644
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Mike Luckovich @mluckovich.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
261650619
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Dan Vock @danvock.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
ICYMI: We looked at Sen. Durbin's 25-year quest to pass the Dream Act to allow immigrants who came to the U.S. as kids become citizens. There's a lot to unpack, but one question I kept coming to is: What does it mean to achieve success in politics? www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/02/d...
chicagotribune.com
Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin’s quarter-century fight for the DREAM Act remains illusory, but its effects are real
With less than six months left in his legislative career, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin is coming to terms with the idea that the DREAM Act — what he describes as his “most important” piece of legislation — w...
121
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Joan Alker @joanalker1.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
A must read - a preview of what’s to come en masse when Medicaid work reporting requirements start nationwide. A pregnant woman loses coverage by mistake.. long waits lines for the call center.. People are scared. nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news...
nebraskapublicmedia.org
Nebraska becomes first state to disenroll Medicaid recipients under new work requirements
The first work requirement-related disenrollments begin in Nebraska on Saturday. While the state Medicaid director estimates this will impact 200 Nebraskans, advocates are concerned that the number wi...
01621
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Documented @documentedny.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
This guide can help you understand how to ask for free interpretation services at City agencies, housing applications and medical facilities.
documentedny.com
Language Assistance Options for Immigrants in New York City
This guide can help you understand how to ask for free interpretation services at City agencies, housing applications and medical facilities.
012
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Bill McKibben @billmckibben.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
As the UN Secy General says, the Euro wildfires are just an opening act to the El Nino bearing down on planet earth. It's time for smart politicians to stop climate hushing and start getting ahead of the heat. open.substack.com/pub/billmcki...
open.substack.com
High Heat, High Drama
Europe is starting to provide some answers about the next step in the climate fight
9303113
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Bryce Covert @brycecovert.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
A scoop from me: The Trump administration is about to release a proposed rule that would gut most of the quality standards that define Head Start while blocking undocumented immigrants from enrolling their kids www.thenation.com/article/soci...
thenation.com
A New Trump Rule Would Lower Standards at Head Start and Exclude Immigrants From the Program
The Trump administration is on the verge of releasing a proposed rule that would eliminate crucial quality standards at the nation’s preschool program for low-income children.
9154115
Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield @amyellen.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Crazy and inhumane
000
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Debra Wexler @debrawexler.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
What do you know? If you raise the minimum wage, earnings go up for the folks who most need a boost. And the adverse impact to employment is minimal. substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com
A Minimum Wage Natural Experiment Has Been Running for Over a Decade
When 30 States Raised Minimum Wages, What Happened to Pay and Jobs?
0177
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
I've seen Marc Caputo's internally inconsistent story — though he leads with the "It's dead for now" quote, he later says nothing's final until announced and quotes someone as saying "nothing is final until it's final" — so I'll read it more as, "Some WH folks realize this is a no-go in Congress."
axios.com
Scoop: Trump plans to drop "weaponization" fund
Trump's proposal has drawn bipartisan pushback in the GOP-led House and Senate.
17542112
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
Ossoff: This is what small men like Donald Trump and JD Vance and Stephen Miller will never understand—that our national greatness flows not through our blood or our genes, but through our ideas.
14576701958
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Senator Patty Murray @murray.senate.gov · 20/05/2026
So if you or I cheat on our taxes, we could spend time behind bars. But if Trump... or his kids... or his businesses cheat on their taxes, the law doesn't apply. This is insane & beyond corrupt. DOJ works for the American people, NOT Donald Trump.
cnn.com
New settlement term bars IRS from investigating Trump, his family for past tax issues | CNN Politics
The Internal Revenue Service can’t bring claims against President Donald Trump, his family or businesses for past tax issues, according to additional terms added Tuesday to the settlement the Justice ...
45479173
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Anthony Michael Kreis @anthonymkreis.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
The Tennessee Speaker of the House will remove all Democratic Caucus members from standing committees and subcommittees as punishment for their redistricting protests. Democracy dies in Nashville.
19735941786
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Kate Riga @kateriga.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Microcosm of the horror of this post-Callais moment: the Mississippi House plans to hold its redistricting session in the Old Capitol where they seceded & instituted Jim Crow. They'll meet there aiming to erase Bennie Thompson's district — the one majority-Black district in a state that's ~40% Black
211026419
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
ElieNYC @elienyc.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
The Supreme Court is trying to *fast track* the elimination of Black Congresspeople in the upcoming midterms. Its destruction of the Voting Rights Act has devolved into a pure political power play for Republicans BY the Republicans on the Court. I explain in @thenation.com
thenation.com
The Supreme Court Just Made Its Voting Rights Ruling Even Worse
The court has fast-tracked its decision demolishing the VRA, helping southern states redraw their maps before the midterms.
562089804
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Simon Rosenberg @simonwdc.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Yes Congressional Rs are really trying to give Trump $1b for his ballroom!
39367201
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Gothamist @gothamist.com · 04/05/2026
'Persistently high' number of NYC kids rely on food pantries as aid cuts loom gothamist.com/news/persist...
gothamist.com
'Persistently high' number of NYC kids rely on food pantries as aid cuts loom
City Harvest released its annual report on child hunger as families brace for deep cuts to SNAP.
1128
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
Its actually bad that people with lower incomes are losing benefits at a time of rising prices. Clearly, its not because the economy is booming. Its because the administration has deliberately made these benefits harder to access.
9353109
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
“.. Colleen Heflin, a professor at Syracuse University who studies food insecurity, said larger state drops like Arizona’s were ‘beyond anything we’ve ever seen.’” @wsj.com #SNAP www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
40883423
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Ida Bae Wells @nhannahjones.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
We must understand that the Voting Rights Act was not merely about ensuring Black Americans rights, it was about democratizing America. This ruling is not just a decimation of Black rights and Black Americans’ ability to have representation, it is a fatal blow to multiracial democracy.
128100103534
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Admirable Women @admirablewomen.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
English writer Mary Wollstonecraft was born #OTD in 1759. Best known for her book, 𝘈 𝘝𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘞𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 (1792). It is a foundational text for feminism that argued for equal education and rights for women--challenging the notion of female inferiority. #literature #litsky #booksky
A split-image composition featuring two historical elements side by side. On the left is an oil portrait painting of Mary Wollstonecraft, the 18th-century British philosopher and advocate for women's rights. She is depicted as a young woman in her late 20s or early 30s with fair skin, rosy cheeks, and auburn hair tucked under a black cap. She wears a simple white muslin gown draped loosely across her shoulders and chest in a classical, flowing style. Her expression is calm and thoughtful, gazing to the left with soft brown eyes against a dark, shadowy background that gives the portrait a dramatic, introspective mood. On the right is a close-up photograph of the title page from the first edition of her seminal work, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792). The text is printed in elegant 18th-century typography with black ink on aged, slightly yellowed paper. The full title reads: "A VINDICATION OF THE RIGHTS OF WOMAN: WITH STRICTURES ON POLITICAL AND MORAL SUBJECTS. By MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT." Below are publication details: "LONDON: PRINTED FOR J. JOHNSON, N° 72, ST. PAUL'S CHURCH YARD. 1792." The page has a classic book layout with centered lines, decorative rules, and subtle printer's ornaments. The overall image juxtaposes Wollstonecraft's portrait with the foundational feminist text she authored, symbolizing her enduring legacy in women's rights and Enlightenment thought.
9635223
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
PBS News @pbsnews.org · 27/04/2026
About 8 in 10 Americans who re-enrolled in Affordable Care Act marketplace coverage say their health care costs are higher this year, including about half who say their costs are "a lot" higher, according to a survey from the health care research nonprofit KFF. to.pbs.org/47HpDOI
pbs.org
Many Americans plan to cut food to afford ACA health insurance, new poll shows
About 8 in 10 Americans who re-enrolled in Affordable Care Act marketplace coverage say their health care costs are higher this year, according to a new survey from the health care research nonprofit ...
1312360
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Hamed Aleaziz @haleaziz.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
Scoop: immigrants can now be denied a green card for expressing political opinions, such as participating in pro-Palestinian campus protests, posting criticism of Israel on social media and desecrating the American flag, according to internal documents. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/25/u...
nytimes.com
Under Trump, Green Card Seekers Face New Scrutiny for Views on Israel
17405194
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
Virginia becomes the first state in the South to pass paid family and medical leave. www.whsv.com/2026/04/22/v...
whsv.com
Virginia enacts Paid Family & Medical Leave Program, set to start in 2028
Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, alongside the General Assembly passed legislation Wednesday, establishing Virginia’s new Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program.
523182
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Juan Escalante @juanescalante.com · 23/04/2026
The Photo of the Year is Separated by ICE by Carol Guzy, ZUMA Press, iWitness, for Miami Herald
npr.org
World Press Photo announces Photo of the Year 2026
The executive director of World Press Photo said the image shows the inconsolable grief of children losing their father in a place built for justice. It is a stark and necessary record of family separ...
13016
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Ari Berman @ariberman.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
So much false equivalence in media on gerrymandering in Texas vs California & Virginia. California and Virginia maps approved by the voters. That's a huge difference not enough people pointing out
289161073955
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Ignacio Gallup-Diaz @igallupd.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
"Pancreatic cancer mRNA vaccine shows lasting results in an early trial: Scientists caution that more research is needed, but nearly all of the patients who responded to the personalized vaccine are still alive six years later."
nbcnews.com
Pancreatic cancer mRNA vaccine shows lasting results in an early trial
Scientists caution that more research is needed, but nearly all of the patients who responded to the personalized vaccine are still alive six years later.
15997302890