A piece in The Hill today says that “Republican leaders are mulling what to do for the rest of the year…” It goes on to say that legislative activity will slow down dramatically after Congress returns from its spring recess so members can spend more time campaigning before the November…
Archives: Voices
Launching today: The Kids Blog Carnival
Editor’s note: Beginning today and continuing into April, the Coalition on Human Needs is participating in the Kids Blog Carnival, hosted and sponsored by the Children’s Leadership Council. Today’s introductory post is authored by CLC Executive Director Randi Schmidt. In the coming weeks, look for additional posts from a wide…
The Human Needs Report: The Highs and Lows of the FY18 Omnibus Spending Package and more
CHN just released another edition of the Human Needs Report. Read on for the highs and lows in the FY18 omnibus spending package, the future of the Farm Bill, and a citizenship question on the 2020 Census. Click here for a PDF version. Appropriations Package Passed with Important Gains for Human Needs Programs After…
Omnibus appropriations bill marks progress, but promises remain unfulfilled
Deborah Weinstein, Executive Director of the Coalition on Human Needs, issued the following statement Friday, March 23 in response to passage of the Fiscal Year 2018 Omnibus Appropriations Bill: “After years of shrinking services, Congress approved final spending levels that will reduce the erosion that has occurred in many human…
Six months after Maria
Tuesday, March 20 marks six months since Hurricane Maria wreaked havoc on Puerto Rico, killing more than 1,000 people, destroying tens of thousands of homes, darkening much of the island for months, cutting access to clean water and uprooting the lives of millions of U.S. citizens. Today protesters will gather…
Left behind after Hurricane Maria: Puerto Rico’s Children
Even before Hurricane Maria battered Puerto Rico with historic, sustained, 155-mile-per-hour winds, the U.S. island was facing an economic catastrophe of unprecedented magnitude. For more than a decade, following a disastrous, U.S.-enforced tax policy that took effect around 2006, Puerto Rico shed jobs, suffered a loss of economic vitality, and…
Child care advocates deliver more than 43,000 petitions in support of Child Care for Working Families Act
Editor’s note: This piece was written by Jessica Church, Advocacy Manager for Child Care at the National Women’s Law Center. It was originally published on the National Women’s Law Center’s website on March 9. Several of the groups that participated in the event described below, including NWLC, are members of…
Fact of the Week: Only 1 in 4 unemployed workers receives unemployment insurance, a near historic low
Only 27 percent of unemployed workers received unemployment insurance in 2016 – a near historic low – according to a recent report from the National Employment Law Project (NELP). The report also found that the percentage of jobless workers receiving unemployment insurance (UI) has declined by 25 percent nationwide since…
Honor people lost to gun violence by seeing them and taking action
Today students around the nation walked out of class for 17 minutes to commemorate the lives of those killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. It is the one-month anniversary of their deaths, and participants are shining a spotlight on Congress’ failure to act to curb…
“Dear National Rifle Association: We Won’t Let You Win. From, Teenagers.”
Students from coast to coast walked out of school today, with many observing 17 minutes of silence in memory of the 17 victims of the most recent mass school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The National School Walkout was loosely organized by EMPOWER, the youth…
The real reasoning behind Medicaid work requirements
Back in January, I wrote a piece for this blog about a move by the Trump administration to allow states to impose work requirements for Medicaid recipients. Since then, three states – Kentucky, Indiana, and Arkansas – have received federal approval to allow them to establish work requirements for adult…
Rallying for the Dreamers
Dreamers and their advocates gathered Monday in at least a dozen communities throughout the U.S. as a Trump-imposed six-month deadline for resolving their immigration status came and went with no action from Congress. In Washington, D.C., advocates flooded Capitol Hill to pressure lawmakers to reach a deal – and it…