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
The election potpourri edition. It is difficult to believe, but in 25 days, Americans begin voting for President. That’s when voters in Pennsylvania begin early voting. The election is truly upon us. Unfortunately, when some voters attempt to cast ballots, whether it be in person, or through some combination of early voting, absentee, mail-in, or drop-box, they will be in for a rude surprise. This is because a number of states have tightened voter ID laws and otherwise have made it more difficult to vote.
Nutrition assistance, Head Start, federal funds for education, and even safe baby formula would all be on the chopping block if the architects of the highly controversial Project 2025 have their way. Project 2025, drafted in part by the arch-conservative Heritage Foundation with the help of many former aides to ex- President Donald Trump, is a 900-plus page document that lays out guidelines as to what a new administration might look like, although the Trump campaign has disavowed any connection.
Sixty years ago this week, President Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) took a historic step forward in our nation’s fight against poverty, signing the historic Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 and marking the beginning of the War on Poverty. Alongside civil rights and anti-poverty leaders, policymakers envisioned a country that lived up to its ideals of opportunity, democracy, and a fair chance for every child.
Eighty-six years ago, Congress passed and President Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards Act. It outlawed, among other things, the practice of children working in hazardous occupations. But today, violations of the FLSA, particularly involving children, are sharply on the rise. And there are those who want to take us back even farther.
For the third straight year, the share of federal spending on children ages 0-3 declined in fiscal year 2024. That’s according to First Focus on Children, which just released its annual report, and found that the percentage of federal dollars going to programs that wholly or partly serve young children dropped from 1.98% in FY 2021 to just 1.52% in FY 2024.
We urge the Senate to consider and ultimately pass this bipartisan tax package at the first opportunity because it includes important improvements to the Child Tax Credit (CTC). We see Thursday’s vote as a crucial step. You can act to provide needed help for 16 million children in families with low wages, or you can stand in the way of moving this help forward.
Hundreds of advocates crowded into a standing-room-only event at the AFL-CIO headquarters last week as the Coalition on Human Needs celebrated its annual Human Needs Hero gala by honoring one of the movement’s foremost leaders on budget, tax, and related battles.
Led by Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-CT and Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee, advocates gathered earlier this week to warn of the effects of proposed cuts to human needs programs. The speakers, including advocates for human needs, education, the environment, labor and public health, among others, warned of both dangerous spending cuts and harmful and discriminatory policy riders sprinkled throughout all 12 fiscal year 2025 House spending bills.
President Biden and his Administration have achieved historic advances towards meeting our vital needs. We applaud his accomplishments and thank him for his continued service to the nation.
During the pandemic, the expanded Child Tax Credit was a lifeline for millions of families. However, I was one of the many who couldn’t benefit from it. Why? At 15, I gave my baby to family members. But because the adoption was never finalized, I actually ended up owing child support — and only found out after it had compounded. Because of that debt, I was unfairly denied the Child Tax Credit for the children I later had with my husband.
I loved the library as a child. The library was my safe place, especially in the summer, when schools were also closed. But sometimes, the libraries were closed. I could count on most libraries being closed on Sundays. Even when they were open, as a child, sometimes I wanted to play outside. Whenever I wanted to play outside, my mom would pile every single one of our earthly belongings into a shopping cart, and we would go to the park. We were always clean, but with our piles of bags, it was obvious we were homeless.
Once more we were witnesses to shocking violence as a man with an assault rifle injured former President Trump, killed Corey Comperatore and sent David Dutch and James Copenhaver to the hospital with serious injuries. We mourn the death of Mr. Comperatore and hope for the speedy recovery of the injured.
