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Families & The Federal Budget

Labor-HHS-Education Bill Moves in the Senate

June 16, 2016
On Thursday, June 9, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed (29-1) the FY17 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education (Labor-HHS-Ed) spending bill, the first bipartisan Labor-HHS-Ed bill in seven years. The measure would provide $161.9 billion in discretionary (annually appropriated) funding, $270 million below FY16 levels and $2 billion below President Obama’s request.
Lecia Imbery's picture

Advocates Rally Against Provisions in House Child Nutrition Bill

June 16, 2016
Advocates led by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) rallied on Capitol Hill on Thursday, June 9 against provisions in the House Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill (H.R. 5003) they say are dangerous and misguided. Advocates were opposed to the bill that was introduced because it would weaken the Community Eligibility Provision that allows high-poverty schools to provide free meals to all students, affecting thousands of schools and millions of students, and changes made to the bill made it even more harmful.
Lecia Imbery's picture

What works in fighting poverty?

June 16, 2016
Poverty has been in the news a lot lately. Two years ago we marked the 50th anniversary of LBJ’s famous War on Poverty. This year is the 20th anniversary of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, which supplanted Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). And a GOP task...
David Elliot's picture

Paul Ryan’s Recycled, Pro-Poverty Plan

June 16, 2016
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) recently unveiled what he refers to as “ a #BetterWay to fight poverty in America .” With all due respect, sir… Inigo Montoya 1.gif First, although “unveiling” generally means to “ show or reveal to others for the first time ,” the agenda released this month presents...
Julie Vogtman's picture

What Works - and What Doesn't - to Reduce Poverty and Expand Opportunity

June 14, 2016
Join the Coalition on Human Needs and cosponsors on Thursday, June 16 for a live-streamed event looking at effective anti-poverty programs and how the recently released Ryan poverty plan measures up.
Lecia Imbery's picture
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Zika has arrived in the US! Tell Congress: Take action!

June 8, 2016
The Zika virus has officially arrived in the U.S. There are now 472 confirmed cases of the Zika virus in the U.S. and while all the infections so far have been contracted or associated with travel to South or Central America, there is reason for concern: A few days ago we learned that two babies...
Elyssa Schmier's picture

Head Smacker: Rental Assistance to Families with Children Falls as Need Rises

June 6, 2016
High rents, especially when combined with flat wages and an economic recovery that hasn’t reached low-income families, means an increased need for rental assistance. Unfortunately, however, a new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities shows that the number of families with children receiving federal rent subsidies has fallen by over 250,000 since 2004 and is at its lowest point in more than a decade, despite rising need.
Lecia Imbery's picture

Hiroshima and the Hope President: Tell Obama Not to Spend $1 Trillion on Nukes!

May 27, 2016
This week, President Barack Obama will make a historic visit to Hiroshima: the first place on earth where human beings were subject to the devastation of a nuclear weapon, dropped by the United States. He will be the first sitting U.S. president to make the trip. It’s worth celebrating this bit of...
Lindsay Koshgarian's picture

SNAP, TANF, and a Better Path

May 26, 2016
The nation’s core economic security programs are highly effective: they cut poverty almost in half, improve nutrition and health care for millions of people, and promote work. Protecting and strengthening anti-poverty programs is of utmost importance. That’s why the Coalition on Human Needs will be hosting a live-streamed event on June 16, 1-3pm ET, highlighting the good these programs do, how certain proposals would lessen their effectiveness and ways they can be improved upon.
Lecia Imbery's picture

Fact of the Week: 1 in 3 Moms Struggle to Pay for Diapers

May 23, 2016
Everyone knows babies go through a lot of diapers. But for low-income families, the cost of diapers often forces them to go without another necessity, like food or heat. For many, it can force them to leave babies in soiled diapers longer than they’d like, leading to physical and mental health issues for baby and mom. Despite the fact that families in the bottom fifth of the income ladder with infants spend 14 percent of their income for diapers alone, there is currently no federal assistance for purchasing diapers.
Lecia Imbery's picture

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