| 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 sign up here. - House and Senate to Attempt Passing a Final Bill Cutting Aid to Poor
Next week the House and Senate will attempt to pass a final version of a bill slashing funding for programs that help the most needy Americans. Before the Thanksgiving recess, both the House and Senate approved their own version of a budget reconciliation bill that cuts funding to mandatory programs.
More> - More Tax Breaks for Wealthy Approved by Congress
By a vote of 234 to 197, the House of Representatives approved $56.1 billion in new tax breaks on Thursday, December 8. H.R. 4297 is the House version of the tax reconciliation bill. The centerpiece of the bill is a $23 billion tax break for those who claim capital gains and dividends - which overwhelmingly benefit the wealthy.
More> - Labor-HHS-Education Bill Must Clear One Last Hurdle
Funding for the many health, education, and social service programs for fiscal 2006 has still not been approved by Congress, although the fiscal year started October 1. Earlier this year both the House and Senate approved their own version of the bill funding the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education. But the bill that emerged from conference was rejected by the House on November 17 (H.R. 3010).
More> - Congress Approves, President Signs, Final Housing Appropriation Bill
On November 30, President Bush signed into law the appropriation for the Treasury and Transportation Departments and HUD (H.R. 3058). The final appropriation had been approved on November 18 by the House by a vote of 392-31 and in the Senate by unanimous consent. Housing programs facing cuts under the bill include the Community Development Block Grants (cut from $4.671 billion to $4.220 billion), and public housing revitalization under HOPE VI (which is reduced from its already low 2005 level of $144 million to $100 million).
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