When I turned my attention to President Trump’s new budget, my Euphemism Radar was engaged. And there’s a lot. The Trump Administration wants to do a lot of modernizing, modifying, reallocating, reforming, and improving program or payment integrity. A common theme emerges: they’re all about cutting.
Archives: Voices
‘The shameful state of our children is not an inevitability – it is a choice.’
Every two seconds in America, a public school student is suspended. Every nine seconds, a high school student drops out. Every 43 seconds, a young person is arrested and every 47 seconds, a child is abused or neglected. A child or teenager is killed with a gun every two hours and 34 minutes; suicide claims the life of a young person every five hours. These are but a few of the sobering statistics included in “The State of America’s Children 2020,” recently published by the Children’s Defense Fund.
Not one dollar for The Wall – but let’s not waste money on the Pentagon, either
Last week the Trump Administration announced plans to “reprogram” $3.8 billion appropriated for military spending, including exorbitant military hardware, and use the funds for further construction of the President’s wall along the southern U.S. border. When we heard the news, the phrase “politics makes strange bedfellows” came to mind. On the one hand: CHN opposes any funding whatsoever for President Trump’s wall, which is divisive, expensive, and won’t do a whole lot to deter illegal immigration. On the other hand: much of the $3.8 billion that is being “reprogrammed” includes funding for things the Administration never requested and the Pentagon never asked for and says we don’t need.
CHN Analysis: Two-Thirds of Human Needs Programs Have Lost Ground Since 2010
A new analysis released today by the Coalition on Human Needs found that since 2010, a large number of programs providing health care, housing, training and education, nutrition, child welfare and other social services of special importance to low-income people have seen significant reductions. CHN analyzed spending for 191 human needs programs funded by the federal government. It found that two-thirds (127 programs) were funded at a lower level this year than in FY 2010, adjusted for inflation. More than a quarter of these (49 programs) lost 25 percent or more of funding over the decade. Nearly six out of ten (112 programs) dropped by more than 10 percent.
The Human Needs Report Special Edition: President Trump’s FY21 Budget Request
CHN just released a special edition of the Human Needs Report focusing on President Trump’s FY21 budget request. Read on for an overview of the request and details from select departmental budgets that most directly impact low-income people.
The Growing Jail Crisis in Rural America
James Burns was 15 years old when he was sentenced to prison as an adult. The adult unit that Burns was assigned to repeatedly placed him in solitary confinement. He described the solitary confinement experience as “truly horrible.” Burns shared stories of individuals who suffered great psychological distress from solitary confinement and reported that he was lucky to come out of it and still be able to be a functioning member of society. Burns was a panelist at a recent Vera Institute for Justice event entitled, “America’s Hidden Rural Jail Crisis.” This panel discussion brought together experts with various connections to the criminal justice system to address the current rising incarceration population in rural America.
Count your cuties: How hospitals and medical providers are helping count kids for the 2020 Census
In the 2010 Census, more than 12 percent of Washington, D.C.’s young children — aged 0 to 4 – weren’t counted. That was almost triple the national average – and when it came time to distribute federal funds, D.C. missed out on resources that could have gone to key programs such as affordable housing, nutrition assistance and school programs. Advocates are determined not to let it happen again. They’ve launched Count Your Cuties, a campaign to make sure every young person is counted in the 2020 Census.
CHN: Trump budget offers hardship now and a bleaker future
President Trump calls his proposal, “A Budget for America’s Future.” But the future he envisions is bleak indeed. He proposes less health care, less food for Americans in need, large cuts to Social Security disability benefits, and other harmful cuts, ranging from affordable housing to heating and cooling assistance to student loans and so much more. This is the Trump choice: make the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans permanent, and take away medical care, housing, job training, and food from millions of Americans.
CHN’s State of the Union Response — ‘Mr. President: For Half of Us Americans, Things Are Not So Great’
CHN Executive Director Deborah Weinstein had this to say in response to President Trump’s State of the Union Address: “Yes, Mr. President, unemployment is low. All across our nation, people are working hard when they can. But millions of people do not earn enough to be secure. That is the state of our union President Trump left out of his lengthy address. Close to half of American workers – 53 million people, or 44 percent – are earning a median hourly wage of $10.22. Their median annual pay is $17,950, because close to half of these low-wage workers don’t work full-time.”
More than 21,000 CHN supporters tell Social Security Administration: Don’t cut disability benefits
More than 21,000 CHN supporters have submitted comments to the Social Security Administration in opposition to a proposal that could cause one million Americans to lose Social Security disability benefits.
The Trump Administration’s latest attempt to dismantle Medicaid
This week, we saw yet another attempt by the Trump Administration to dismantle a major social safety net program and hurt the most vulnerable among us. On Thursday, the Administration released a letter to state Medicaid directors giving them an offer: we’ll give you federal Medicaid dollars in a lump sum up front, and you get to make restrictions in benefits or eligibility so you can spend less. The catch? Low-income people, many of whom gained access to Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, will be denied insurance, and state budgets will be even more ravaged down the road.
Update: Status of Trump Administration’s attempts to cut SNAP
In 2019, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) proposed three SNAP rules changes that together threaten to take food away from millions of people in need. USDA was required to review and take into consideration public comments submitted prior to moving forward with final rulemaking. Here is an update on the status of those USDA attempts to sidestep Congress to cut SNAP, and what advocates can do to continue to oppose implementation of those rules changes.