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The Human Needs Report is the Coalition on Human Needs'
newsletter on national policy issues affecting low-income and vulnerable
populations. It is published every other week while Congress is
in session.
If you would like to receive the Human Needs Report by email,
send an message to Adam Hughes with "subscibe
Human Needs Report" in the subject line.
- Bush Proposes $674 Billion "Economic Stimulus" Package
On January 7, President Bush unveiled his plan for reviving the sagging economy: a $674 billion stimulus package featuring tax breaks favoring the wealthy. Critics of the plan - who include members of the President's own party - warn that it not only fails to provide economic stimulus, but will send the country's deficits soaring. In fact, economists predict that plan could lead to a record budget shortfall - one that, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, could exceed $900 billion.
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- Unemployment Benefits Extended for Some Workers
On January 8, the President signed into law a $7.2 billion package to extend unemployment benefits for some jobless workers. The House passed the bill earlier that day, and the Senate unanimously passed the measure on January 7. The law (PL 108-1) - the first passed in the 108th Congress - grants 13 weeks of federal assistance to unemployed workers who have exhausted their 26 weeks of state aid.
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- Senate Works Toward Completion of 2003 Appropriations
The fiscal year 2003 appropriations process came to a halt last year just prior to the 2002 Congressional elections, leaving all eleven non-defense spending bills unfinished. The stalemate was the result of partisan divisions over spending levels and internal Republican disagreement over how closely to stick to the $749 billion spending limit set by President Bush for total discretionary spending. With a majority now in the 108th Congress, Republican Senators have vowed to pass the FY 03 omnibus appropriations bill as quickly as possible, hoping to prove that GOP control of Congress can overcome the partisan wrangling that led to last year's spending gridlock.
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- President Bush Re-Introduces Welfare Plan
On Tuesday, January 14, President Bush unveiled his proposal for the reauthorization of the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program. His new plan is almost identical to the reauthorization proposal forwarded by the Bush Administration last year - a plan very similar to the welfare bill passed by the House of Representatives last May. The President's proposal would increase TANF work requirements while providing no additional funds to states for child care, transportation, or job training. In addition, the plan would not restore welfare benefits to legal immigrants. Advocates are concerned that this proposal would be particularly devastating now because unemployment continues to be high and states are in severe fiscal crisis. While neither the House nor the Senate has taken up welfare yet this year, Senate Democrats are expected to forward a proposal similar to last year's bipartisan Work Opportunity and Responsibility for Kids (WORK) Act. Advocates viewed the WORK Act - passed by the Senate Finance Committee last June - as a less punitive and more flexible welfare plan. TANF was set to expire on Sept. 30, 2002, but states have continued to receive federal dollars to run TANF programs through a continuing resolution (CR). However, because the current CR expires on March 31, lawmakers will have to take up welfare within the next few weeks. If they do not reach agreement on a welfare bill by then, Congress may further extend the program with another CR.
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