Complaining about a build-up of migrants at the border while visiting Calexico last week, President Trump blamed the build-up on “some very bad court decisions,” singling out the “Flores decision” as a “disaster.” I have to tell you, Judge Flores, whoever you may be, that decision is a disaster for our country,” Trump said. Problem: “Flores,” in this context, is not a judge. She was a 15-year-old girl named Jenny Lisette Flores, who fled El Salvador in the 1980s and was detained upon trying to enter the U.S. to live with her aunt.
Archives: Voices
The latest Human Needs Report: budget steps, disaster aid stalled, food assistance threatened, Dreamers update, and more
CHN just released another edition of the Human Needs Report. Read on for a the latest on Congress’s budget and spending work, stalled disaster aid for Puerto Rico, the loss of food assistance for millions, a new bill to protect Dreamers, and more.
Op-ed: Why Congress must lift the spending caps to help low-income families
Every year, the Coalition on Human needs compares funding for well over 150 human needs programs starting in fiscal year 2010 and continuing to the current fiscal year (this year, 2019). CHN uses 2010 as a benchmark because that is the year before the Budget Control Act passed Congress and was signed into law by President Obama. That law called for automatic cuts in spending if Congress could not curtail spending on its own. This year, CHN tracked spending for 184 human needs programs. CHN found that 131 of the programs, or 71 percent, lost ground since 2010. And 54 programs were cut by 25 percent or more.
Religious freedom advocates call on elected officials to protect the ability to practice faith without fear
More than 140 religious liberty advocates have signed on to a letter asking elected officials to ensure that individuals and communities are able to practice their religion without fear for their physical safety. Among the letter’s signers was CHN Executive Director Deborah Weinstein. The letter was delivered today to the White House and to leaders in Congress. The letter cited recent attacks in the U.S., New Zealand and Canada.
CLASP applauds court’s decision to protect Medicaid in Arkansas and Kentucky
Yesterday, the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia blocked the Trump Administration’s attempt to take away health coverage from people who can’t document new work reporting requirements in Kentucky and Arkansas. The judge concluded that the administration’s approvals of these new requirements were “arbitrary and capricious.”
What’s next for the ACA?
There’s a lot to unpack from President Trump’s decision, announced earlier this week, to join a federal lawsuit that seeks to overturn the Affordable Care Act in its entirety. Not surprisingly, the decision drew criticism from defenders of the ACA. What is noteworthy, however, is the volume of criticism coming from other sources – right-wing legal scholars, Republican senators, and even the Republican attorney general of Ohio, who announced he is intervening to oppose the Administration.
CHN analysis shows funding caps must be lifted in order to prevent serious losses in human needs programs
Every year, the Coalition on Human needs compares funding for well over 150 human needs programs starting in FY 2010 and continuing to the current fiscal year (this year, 2019). CHN uses FY 2010 as a benchmark because that is the year before the Budget Control Act passed Congress and was signed into law by President Obama. That law called for automatic cuts in spending if Congress could not curtail spending on its own.This year, CHN tracked spending for 184 human needs programs. CHN found that 131 of the programs, or 71 percent, lost ground since FY 2010. And 54 programs were cut by 25 percent or more.
Trump officials step up attacks on Medicaid; meanwhile, CBPP pushes back on work requirement claims
The Trump Administration is expanding its attacks on Medicaid – and, by extension, the Affordable Care Act – even as courts consider whether the moves constitute executive branch overreach. The Administration is pushing ahead and granting approval to states seeking to impose work requirements on Medicaid recipients, despite ongoing legal challenges and large-scale losses in the number of people covered. The Administration also is quietly trying to sell states on the merits of imposing block grants, or a per-person spending cap, without congressional approval.
For Puerto Rico, NAP aid could happen soon – but another dark cloud looms
When Congress returns next week, senators are tentatively scheduled to consider a measure that could extend $600 million in emergency nutrition assistance to Puerto Rico. About half of the 1.35 million Puerto Ricans who receive NAP benefits began experiencing cuts earlier this month; by today – Friday, March 22 – all 1.35 million recipients will be feeling the cuts.
Human Needs Report: Trump budget, crisis in Puerto Rico, battle over emergency order at the border, and more
CHN just released another edition of the Human Needs Report. Read on for a detailed analysis of President Trump’s FY20 budget request, plus the latest on the loss of food aid for millions, the Trump emergency declaration, a new bill to protect Dreamers, and more.
For the sake of families, we must reduce the cost of child care
The cost of child care is generating an economic and moral crisis within the United States. With yearly prices soaring above the cost of in-state college tuition in 28 states, parents are forced to spend large portions of their income on child care at a time when they have accumulated little wealth.
Puerto Rico: A recovery in reverse?
For the Puerto Rican coastal community of Loiza, the hits just keep coming. First there was Hurricane Irma, which sideswiped the eastern part of the island, where Loiza is located, late at night on Sept. 4, 2017. Not even two weeks later, Hurricane Maria came ashore, scoring an even more direct hit than Irma, and once again, Loiza absorbed the worst of the storm’s fury. Now the community faces a new threat as residents face cuts to their Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.