Latest news with #MichelleKing
CBS News
4 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Sacramento's pest detection dog sniffed out threats for years. Now he's being laid off.
SACRAMENTO — Sacramento County leaders have approved a new budget, and they're making millions in spending cuts. But there's only one full-time employee who's actually permanently losing his job, and he doesn't even get a paycheck. It's the dog days of Kernul's career. The nine-year-old chocolate lab is an agriculture detection dog with the county. His job is to help protect California crops by sniffing out fruit and other plants that can carry invasive insects and disease. "He will find a lot more stuff that people are smuggling in than a person," said Michelle King with the county K-9 inspection team. King is Kernul's handler. The pair spends their days inspecting packages coming into the Post Office and other shipping facilities across the Sacramento region. But Sacramento County is facing an $18 million general fund deficit, and on Wednesday, the board of supervisors voted to eliminate 44 full-time positions. And while all the humans will be offered other vacant jobs, Kernul is the only county employee actually being laid off. "It was heartbreaking, very heartbreaking," King said. "I had a really hard time handling it." Detector dogs are capable of clearing up to 8,000 parcels a day. Kernul's top finds include an illegal mango tree shipment from Puerto Rico, and guava fruit from Florida infested with Caribbean fruit flies. Funding for Kernul's position had come from the state, but that money is now being reallocated. "The decision was made recently to more evenly distribute the K-9s throughout California," said Kevin Martyn, the county's chief deputy agricultural commissioner. King will continue being an inspector with Sacramento County, but now she'll no longer have her loyal partner by her side. The county has looked into getting grants or other sources of funding to save Kernul's job, but as of right now, his last day of employment will be in December.
BBC News
06-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Cambridgeshire foodbank runs out after demand surges
A charity that supports families of children with special education needs and disabilities (Send), said a rise in demand for its services was "heartbreaking". Little Miracles supported more than 5,000 people in April across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough with counselling, therapy, activities and family also operated a food bank and said the demand had gone "crazy" and it was "struggling to cope" - Last week it "ran out of food". Founder Michelle King said the increased need was especially prevalent among families with children who had complex needs, and as a small organisation, "it is scary to support so many people". She added it was "preparing for the demand to get worse". 'Uncertain' Peterborough City Council previously said requests for assessments for Send children had risen by 20% between King said last year, the charity supported more than 50,000 it still had a "massive" waiting list and feared things could get "worse" with changes proposed to government-offered this year, the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, announced planned benefit cuts as part of her Spring Statement, which included changes to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Universal Credit. Reeves hoped the cuts would save £5bn by 2030 and get more people into work."Even currently, the threshold to qualify for social services is very high and charities are having to help those who don't make the cut", Ms King said."The new proposals are scaring people. They are feeling uncertain and anxious. It is a very tricky time." Little Miracles said it faced challenging times and had appealed for donations to its foodbank, which served hundreds of families. "We are so dependent on our fundraising, but there are less people who are in a position to give now," Ms King said."We are lucky to have partnerships that donate food, but we never have enough. Earlier this week, as well, we ran out of food."She said everyday staples, including pasta, tinned items and food cupboard basics were desperately needed."This is not what we expected when we set up 15 years ago," she added. "There shouldn't be so many families in a state of worry and in dire need really. It is a heartbreaking situation." Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Over 1 Million Americans Can Still Claim $1,400 Recovery Rebate Credit By 2025 Deadline: Here's How
American citizens who did not claim their Recovery Rebate Credit in 2021 have until April 15 to file their taxes and claim up to $1,400 from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The agency began issuing payments in December 2024 to those who were eligible but did not claim the credit, reserved for individuals who did not receive one or more stimulus checks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligibility and Automatic Payments: The IRS has identified more than 1 million taxpayers who missed claiming the credit. To qualify, individuals need to file their 2021 tax return and claim the credit. Automatic payments are made to those who filed their returns correctly. If you are not sure whether you claimed the credit, you can check your 2021 return or review the Economic Impact Payments on the IRS website. Deadline and Filing Requirements: Taxpayers should be aware that they are required to file their returns by the April 15 deadline if they wish to receive the payment. The IRS will send notifications to eligible individuals by mail about the payment, and the money will either be sent via direct deposit or a paper check. Turmoil In The IRS The IRS dismissed thousands of probationary workers during peak tax season, a move that was challenged but then reinstated after a Supreme Court ruling, leading to concerns about refund delays and data security. Meanwhile, Social Security Commissioner Michelle King resigned after disagreeing with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) over access to sensitive beneficiary data. At the same time, reports emerged that DOGE silently deleted or altered over 1,000 canceled contract listings, removing more than $4 billion in claimed savings. Despite increased scrutiny, DOGE has presented no direct explanation, instead blaming federal agencies for the mistakes. Read Next: Image via Shutterstock Send To MSN: Send to MSN Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? This article Over 1 Million Americans Can Still Claim $1,400 Recovery Rebate Credit By 2025 Deadline: Here's How originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Sign in to access your portfolio
Washington Post
21-03-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Judge temporarily blocks DOGE from accessing sensitive Social Security data
A federal judge on Thursday barred U.S. DOGE Service employees from accessing sensitive Social Security Administration data and ordered members of the team led by Elon Musk to delete any personally identifiable information it has obtained from the agency. On the broad premise of rooting out fraud within the federal government, about a dozen Musk-aligned tech engineers gained access to databases containing reams of taxpayer information. In February, a clash about DOGE's access to sensitive data spurred the then-acting commissioner of the SSA, Michelle King, to leave her job about a month after being appointed to the role.
New York Times
28-02-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Social Security Administration to Cut Roughly 7,000 Workers
President Trump's escalating initiative to drastically cut the federal work force has reached the Social Security Administration, a crucial program that keeps millions of older Americans out of poverty, which said on Friday that it would reduce its head count by more than 12 percent. The Social Security Administration, which sends about 73 million retired and disabled beneficiaries more than $126 billion each month, said it had plans to cut roughly 7,000 workers from its 57,000-member work force. The agency will also shutter six regional offices, which coordinate and provide support to workers on the front lines who serve beneficiaries, bringing the total count to four: in the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest/West Region and Southwest. The agency said the reductions would focus on functions and employees 'who do not directly provide mission critical services.' Those who do work with beneficiaries hold positions in field offices, disability hearing offices, payment centers and supporting its toll-free customer service line. Amid the cuts, two dozen senior staff members have announced their departures, according to a memo issued Friday from Leland C. Dudek, the Social Security Administration's acting commissioner. He took the reins after the departure of Michelle King, the previous acting commissioner, who left abruptly after refusing to give people working on the government's cost-cutting initiative access to closely held data. 'I have never seen so many senior executives leave the Social Security Administration at one time,' said Jason Fichtner, who has served in several positions at the agency, including deputy commissioner and chief economist. 'Coming so soon after the resignation of Acting Commissioner Michelle King, this is evidence that the agency is in turmoil and needs an experienced leader to take control.' Democrats in Congress were quick to criticize the agency's staff reductions, and said it was inevitable that customer service would be harmed. Senator Patty Murray, a Democrat from Washington State, and vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said customer service operations have long had historically low staffing levels and inadequate discretionary funding, pointing to 30-minute wait times when beneficiaries call the toll-free number, which receives 80 million calls annually. That is on top of 57 million calls and 30 million visits to its 1,200 field offices, according to her office. 'Gutting S.S.A.'s work force will make it significantly harder for Americans to get the benefits they have earned — and much harder to get the help they need,' she said in a statement. The government cost-cutting initiative, known as the Department of Government Efficiency and run by Elon Musk, maintains an online 'wall of receipts,' which lists how much it claims to have saved by canceling federal contracts (it has been riddled with errors and vastly inflated its savings). The list includes, among other items, office leases that it plans to cancel, including several related to the Social Security Administration. The Social Security A.F.G.E. General Committee, a union representing 42,000 Social Security employees, said staffing was already at a 50-year low while the number of beneficiaries increases by 10,000 people daily. Rich Couture, A.F.G.E. spokesman, said the agency had operational costs of less than 1 percent of annual payments and was highly efficient. Social Security has been a crucial piece of the social safety net since President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the law creating it in 1935, and it was designed to be self-sufficient. It has a dedicated revenue source from payroll taxes, which workers split with their employers. The program has faced a financing shortfall for years, partly because of demographic shifts. Falling birthrates mean fewer people are paying into the program, thousands of baby boomers are retiring daily and retirees are living longer and collecting benefits for longer periods. On top of that, because of income inequality, a larger share of the country's income base is not subject to the tax compared with years past. This is because an ever growing share of high-earners' income is not subject to payroll taxes. The trust fund that pays Social Security's retiree benefits is expected to run dry in 2033, when tax revenue will be enough to pay 79 percent of scheduled benefits. That means beneficiaries' checks would be reduced by 21 percent if Congress does not intervene. Several of President Trump's policy initiatives are expected to worsen that shortfall.
