Demand Congress use its “power of the purse” to hold Trump accountable
Article 1, Section 9, Clause 7 of the U.S. Constitution says: “No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.”
The President of the United States does not have unlimited authority to decline congressional appropriations and decide what gets funded and by how much depending on his whims and which political adversaries he wants to punish.
By hijacking congressionally appropriated funds, Donald Trump and Elon Musk (and his unqualified, unscreened team) are yanking funding from people and programs in our communities―which will have a real impact on many of our neighbors as they face frozen funding for critical human needs programs that people rely on to survive.
Congress must stand up to stop this lawless power grab.
Donna Kelly has bills to not pay. $386 for her car note. $198.26 for her car insurance. $52.50 for her cellphone service. $119.75 for Pepco. But Kelly, a security guard at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art, the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and the Freer Gallery of Art, won’t…
Today is Day 19. Concern is mounting among human needs advocates about the effect a prolonged shutdown would have on key programs such as nutrition assistance and public housing. Already the Trump Government Shutdown is the second-longest in modern history. If it continues until Saturday, Jan. 12, it will be…
The Trump government shutdown continues with no end in sight. Roughly 800,000 federal workers still remain either furloughed or working without pay. Everyday people are hurting because of a lack of funding for essential services all across America. You can take action today. The Senate should not take up any other legislation…
Today is Day 18. Some 800,000 federal employees are affected by the Trump Government Shutdown. These include approximately 420,000 workers deemed essential and working without pay, and about 380,000 workers who have been furloughed without pay. These numbers do not include workers employed by contractors hired by the government, who…
Outgoing House Speaker Paul Ryan Wednesday marked an end to his tenure in office much the way he began it – with smooth-sounding words on poverty and entitlement programs that, at best, sounded like simplistic platitudes and, at worst, sent up a smoke signal that conservatives won’t let go of…
President Trump has threatened to veto the year-end spending bill if it does not include $5 billion for his border wall. Today, his press secretary has tried to step back from the brink by saying Trump could sign a bill that allows him to find $5 billion for the wall…
By now you’ve probably heard about the 7-year-old Guatemalan girl who died in U.S. Border Patrol custody last week. The death of Jakelin Caal was announced last Thursday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection after inquiries by the Washington Post. More than eight hours after Jakelin, her father, and a large…
Editor’s note: The following piece was written by Makenna Whitworth, CHN’s Fall 2018 intern. Makenna is a senior majoring in political science at Brigham Young University. By Makenna Whitworth Why fight for human needs? Thousands of organizations across the country are devoted to social justice, women and men everywhere dedicate their…
CHN welcomed seven new members to its Board of Directors this week as well as one new Board officer. The new members represent a variety of issues reflected in the human needs community, ranging from anti-poverty efforts to labor, affordable housing, immigration, LGBTQ rights, and domestic violence. All CHN Board…
Editor’s note: Deborah Weinstein, Executive Director of the Coalition on Human Needs, issued the following statement Wednesday in response to the bipartisan agreement on the Farm Bill and strong passage in the Senate: “The agreement of House and Senate conferees on the Farm Bill, followed by the overwhelming 87-13 vote…
CHN just released another edition of the Human Needs Report. Read on for the latest on the stopgap spending bill, the proposed Public Charge rule, farm bill negotiations, TANF, criminal justice reform, and the new Consumer Finance Protection Bureau Director. Click here for a PDF version. Stopgap Spending Bill Pushes Potential FY19 Partial…