Archives: Voices

Day 20: The Trump Shutdown’s forgotten workers

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…

Human needs concerns mount as the Trump Shutdown continues

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…

Shutdown update: what you can do today and how to learn more

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…

The Trump Wall: a Monument to Cynical Deception

Steel or concrete, President Trump’s wall is a useless, wasteful and increasingly tired ploy. It is time for this massive hostage-taking to stop.

Stories from the Trump Shutdown

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…

Paul Ryan and “complex problems”

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…

The Trump Shutdown: approaching Dec. 21, here’s what matters

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…

Immigrant children and the underpinning of cruelty

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…

Why fight for human needs?

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 welcomes diverse array of new Board members

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…

The Human Needs Report: stopgap spending measure passes, more than 189,000 comments submitted on Public Charge, Farm Bill nears passage, and more

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…