The Senate is expected to vote on its version of the Big Brutal Bill this week and—like its House counterpart—it’s devastating for nutrition and health care programs for vulnerable communities.
The Senate proposal includes the largest cut to SNAP in history, as part of a budget package that guts basic needs programs.
The bill also contains the largest cuts to Medicaid in history, and will result in 16 million people losing their health insurance. A recent analysis of the House-passed bill found that because of the cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, and reduced staffing requirements at nursing homes, 51,000 people will die each year.
Additionally, according to the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as many as 330 rural hospitals nationwide could close or reduce services as a result of this bill. And, new research shows that cuts to Medicaid along with SNAP will reduce jobs by 1.2 million nationwide, equivalent to about a 0.8% increase in the unemployment rate.
Cutting the heart out of basic needs programs including SNAP and Medicaid doesn’t save states or the federal government money—it denies care and creates bigger problems down the road, shifting the burden to service providers, local governments, and taxpayers. This will lead to higher costs and more strain on budgets—household and state budgets alike. And it will cost lives.
It’s not too late to change course. Now more than ever, it’s critical that the Senate act to protect health care, nutrition, and other essential services that help millions of families meet their basic needs. We should strengthen support for these programs—not take them away
More than 5 million low-income households receive help affording homes through federal rental assistance. That’s why a new chart book from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities that shows us some of the important facts about rental assistance is so useful. The chart book includes information on who is…
Promoting movements towards racial and ethnic equality. Developing agendas to help low-wage workers and their children succeed. Protecting undocumented students and their families. CHN’s coalition members are producing great work on very important issues. This week, we continue our Resources from around the Coalition blog series, highlighting important resources you…
Editor’s note: This post was written by Richelle Friedman, CHN’s Director of Public Policy, on Saturday, July 23. Richelle is currently traveling with NETWORK’s Nuns on the Bus, who are on the road (including at the Republican National Convention last week and the Democratic National Convention this week) to call on…
Visitors who stand on the sidewalk in front of the AFL-CIO’s Washington, D.C. building and look left capture a magnificent view of the White House, perhaps three-quarters of a mile away. This was the backdrop Tuesday night for the Coalition on Human Needs’ 13th annual Human Needs Hero Reception. CHN…
CHN just released our latest edition of the Human Needs Report, our regular newsletter on national policy issues affecting low-income and vulnerable populations. This edition includes articles on appropriations, Zika funding, the first major piece of authorizing legislation affecting housing vouchers and public housing since 1998, and other actions Congress took – and punted on – before…
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Editor’s note: The following challenge to Congress originally appeared in the Huffington Post on Wednesday, July 13. Our nation cries out for leadership. We need you to lead and heal now by acting to remedy wrongs and prevent harm visited disproportionately on communities of color. There are meaningful steps you…
Editor’s note: In light of recent events in Minnesota, Baton Rouge, and Dallas, and subsequent protests across the country, CHN is urging Congress to take action on a number of human needs issues important to communities of color before members break for their summer recess. You can join our call…
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on the National Council of La Raza’s blog on July 1. The National Employment Law Project’s Executive Director Christine Owens also penned an op-ed on this topic that was published by The Hill and is featured on NELP’s blog. The Supreme Court has ended…
Have there been times in the past 12 months when you did not have enough money to buy food for you or your family? Gallup put this question to nearly 118,000 households throughout the United States in 2015 as part of an annual survey aimed at measuring food hardship in…
If you read CHN’s latest Human Needs Report, posted earlier this week, you know that Congress continues to squabble over funding for the Zika virus. They left for the fourth of July recess without approving additional funds. And, thanks to an in-depth article that appeared Sunday in the Washington Post,…
As you’ve (hopefully) heard by now, CHN held a June 16th briefing on Capitol Hill entitled “What Works—and What Doesn’t—to Reduce Poverty and Expand Opportunity.” The briefing included experts from a wide range of organizations working to combat poverty and featured remarks from House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. This week, we…