Editor’s note: Deborah Weinstein, Executive Director of the Coalition on Human Needs, issued the following statement Thursday in response to the House vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act: “Today’s cruel and unconscionable vote to deny health care to millions of Americans is one of the most destructive acts ever to…
Archives: Voices
‘Why would anyone want to diminish the access to health care we’ve been able to create?’
Denise White-Jenkins of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, was worried. Years ago, her daughter, a sophomore in college, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. She was successfully treated, but in February, her daughter was approaching her 26th birthday, and she would no longer be able to be on her parents’ health insurance…
Head Smacker: Misnamed “Working Families Flexibility Act” Would Give Workers Less Flexibility, Less Time and Less Pay
UPDATE: This bill passed the House on May 2 on a vote of 229-197; no Democrats supported the bill, and they were joined by six Republicans who also voted no. See how your Representative voted here. We’ll keep you updated on the bill’s progress in the Senate. Bills in Congress are…
Head Smacker: Trump plan slashes taxes on companies already dodging taxes
On April 26, the Trump Administration released a barebones outline of a tax agenda that would slash taxes on corporations and wealthy individuals. The plan would cut the tax rate by almost 60 percent – down from 35 percent to 15 percent – for corporations and some other businesses. Now,…
Update: House may vote on Head-Smackingly bad Health Care Repeal soon – Tell your Rep to Vote NO
Last week, we put out a blog on the very bad health care repeal bill revived, zombie-style, by making it a lot worse. Speaker Ryan may be close to getting enough votes to pass it, but people around the country are fighting back. You should join them. Any representative should…
Fight for $15: Advocates rally for increase in federal minimum wage
Dorothy Staub cherished her job as a caseworker with the National Guard in Erie County, Pennsylvania. She helped veterans handle a wide array of problems, ranging from financial difficulties to mental and emotional crises, including substance abuse and thoughts of suicide. Until one day the federal contractor she worked for…
Tell Congress: Do No Harm
You’ve likely heard about what’s going on in Washington, D.C. this week. Members of Congress, faced with a deadline that could come Friday or slide into next week, are negotiating a FY17 spending bill that could further threaten human needs programs. We’ve heard this song before. We need you to…
Head Smacker: Buy my $1 health insurance! How to make a very bad bill worse
We’ve seen reports that House Republicans are continuing to work on changes to their bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act. For some of the most right wing members who opposed the bill, their excuse was that it wouldn’t reduce premiums enough. So a possible amendment has been talked about,…
Resources from around the Coalition: Tackling hunger in low-income neighborhoods, WIC’s positive results, high-quality child care proposals and more
Closing racial disparities in homeownerships. Ending domestic hunger in low-income communities. Tackling the gender pay gap. Proposing commonsense, high-quality, and realistic child care reform. CHN’s coalition members are producing great work on very important issues. This week, we continue our Resources from around the Coalition blog series, highlighting important resources you should be…
Who will protect the air we breathe and water we drink? The resistance.
This piece was originally published by The Huffington Post on April 17. More and more Americans are coming to the conclusion that climate change is no myth at a time when the Trump administration is intent on ignoring reality and appeasing corporate interests. Some environmental leaders are responding by formulating…
Strong foundations: the economic futures of kids and communities
“Our young people are the future, and we all want them to have the support they need for successful and fulfilling lives. As a central banker, I recognize the benefits to the broader economy when more people are better prepared for work and for managing their finances. In short, ensuring that…
We must invest in housing
It really was great news that Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, Matthew Desmond’s urgent wake-up call about the gross injustice of evictions, won the Pulitzer Prize. The painful reality of housing insecurity was brought home to me on April 1, when the National Coalition for the Homeless…