Monthly Archives: September 2005
- CHN: Congress Approves Stop-Gap Measure to Keep Government Running
With most appropriations bills not yet signed into law, Congress moved quickly to approve a bill that will keep the government running beyond the end of the 2005 fiscal year. Fiscal year 2006 begins October 1. The House approved H.J. Res. 68 Thursday, September 29, by 348-65 to fund discretionary programs through November 18, and Read More »
- CHN: Conservatives Continue to Press for Cuts to Low-Income Services and New Tax Breaks for the Wealthy
Congress has delayed by one month its plans to cut $35 billion from services that mostly help low-income individuals, such as Medicaid, Food Stamps and student loans. Plans for an additional $70 billion in new tax cuts have also been delayed. (See September 16 Human Needs Report .) Although some members of Congress continue to Read More »
Posted in Child Nutrition, Education and Youth Policy, Food and Nutrition, Health, Health Care Reform, Medicaid, SNAP Comments Off - CHN: Higher Education Act Extension to Allow Time to Consider Reauthorization
On September 26, the Senate approved a three-month extension for the Higher Education Act (HEA), the law that provides $73 billion for postsecondary schools and students, providing more time for the House and Senate to resolve their differing approaches to reauthorizing the law. The House already approved the extension (H.R. 3784) on September 20. The Read More »
Posted in Education and Youth Policy Comments Off - CHN: Hurricane Victims Needing Help Encounter Red Tape, Courtesy of Congress, White House
Fixes to Health Care, Housing, Unemployment Compensation Held Up in Washington People who have lost homes, jobs, or worse in Hurricanes Katrina and Rita need streamlined access to Medicaid coverage, unemployment insurance, housing, and food. They need jobs. Survivors continue to wait in endless lines for help. They are victims not only of the forces Read More »
- CHN: Head Start Reauthorization Moves in House
Legislation re-authorizing Head Start, known as The School Readiness Act (H.R. 2123), passed the House of Representatives September 22. Head Start provides education, health, nutrition and parent involvement services to low-income children and their families, serving nearly one million poor children. The 40-year-old program was funded at $6.8 billion last year. The bill passed the Read More »
Posted in Early Childhood Education Comments Off - CHN: Reconciliation Delayed: Congress Puts Off Cuts to Medicaid and Food Stamps In the Wake of Hurricane Katrina
As they struggle to respond to needs created by Hurricane Katrina, Congress has pushed back its timetable by at least one month for making deep cuts to mandatory programs and passing more tax cuts. The budget resolution Congress agreed to earlier this year set a deadline of September 16 for various committees to cut spending Read More »
Posted in Disabilities, Education and Youth Policy, Food and Nutrition, Health, Medicaid, SNAP, Social Services, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Comments Off - CHN: Washington Focuses on Aiding Gulf Coast Families
President and Congress Return to Washington Early to Support Recovery Efforts Congress and the President have scrambled over the last two weeks to respond to Hurricane Katrina and the devastation it has wrought on the Gulf Coast. First, Congress reconvened early on September 2 to pass a $10.5 billion supplemental appropriation ( PL 109-61 ) Read More »
Posted in Child Nutrition, Disabilities, Education and Youth Policy, Food and Nutrition, Health, Health Care Reform, Housing and Homelessness, Job Training and Education, Labor and Employment, Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), Medicaid, SNAP, Social Services, Tax Policy, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Unemployment Insurance Comments Off - CHN: Estate Tax Vote Postponed
As late as September 5, the night before Congress returned from a month-long recess, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) was placing a repeal of the estate tax at the top of the Senate agenda. At the urging of Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and others in his own party, Frist scrapped those plans to Read More »
Posted in Budget and Appropriations, Tax Policy Comments Off
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