Tax Day – a day many Americans perceive with dread. But here at CHN, we support our tax dollars going to critical programs that millions of Americans rely on every day – programs like education, housing assistance, child nutrition programs, Medicaid, and so many more. We are, of course, always mindful that these programs need Read More »

How to fill the rest of 2018
A piece in The Hill today says that “Republican leaders are mulling what to do for the rest of the year…” It goes on to say that legislative activity will slow down dramatically after Congress returns from its spring recess so members can spend more time campaigning before the November midterm elections. As such, GOP Read More »
Categories: Poverty and Income
The Human Needs Report: The Highs and Lows of the FY18 Omnibus Spending Package and more
CHN just released another edition of the Human Needs Report. Read on for the highs and lows in the FY18 omnibus spending package, the future of the Farm Bill, and a citizenship question on the 2020 Census. Click here for a PDF version. Appropriations Package Passed with Important Gains for Human Needs Programs After months of negotiations, uncertainties, a Read More »
Categories: Budget and Appropriations

Fact of the Week: Only 1 in 4 unemployed workers receives unemployment insurance, a near historic low
Only 27 percent of unemployed workers received unemployment insurance in 2016 – a near historic low – according to a recent report from the National Employment Law Project (NELP). The report also found that the percentage of jobless workers receiving unemployment insurance (UI) has declined by 25 percent nationwide since 2007, before the Great Recession, Read More »
Categories: Labor and Employment, Unemployment Insurance
The real reasoning behind Medicaid work requirements
Back in January, I wrote a piece for this blog about a move by the Trump administration to allow states to impose work requirements for Medicaid recipients. Since then, three states – Kentucky, Indiana, and Arkansas – have received federal approval to allow them to establish work requirements for adult Medicaid recipients to be eligible Read More »
Categories: Labor and Employment, Medicaid
The Human Needs Report: Spending and budget work, immigration proposals, gun control measures, and more
CHN just released another edition of the Human Needs Report. Read on for the latest on Congress’s spending and budget work, immigration proposals, gun control measures, and much more. Click here for a PDF version. Appropriations Work Continues as Congress Approaches March 23 Deadline Appropriators continued negotiations through the weekend to try to complete a Read More »
Categories: Budget and Appropriations, gun violence, Immigration, Labor and Employment, Payday lending, Poverty and Income
A bit of good news for some Dreamers, but a real solution is needed
Dreamers, whose lives have been turned upside down in the past few months, received a small amount of good news on Monday. That’s when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to speed up the legal fight over ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The notice came just one week before the March 5th Read More »
Categories: Immigration
Resources from around the Coalition: Trump FY19 budget edition
On Feb. 12, the Trump administration released its Fiscal Year 2019 budget request. Since then, CHN’s members have been busy analyzing the proposal and pointing out the many ways it would slash basic human needs programs and harm low-income people. Listed below are just a few of these analyses and resources; these and many more Read More »
Categories: Budget and Appropriations
CHN just released a special edition of the Human Needs Report focusing on President Trump’s FY19 budget request, including sections on select departmental budgets. Click here for a PDF version of the Human Needs Report. The Trump FY19 Federal Budget Slashes Critical Human Needs Programs The Trump administration released its Fiscal Year 2019 budget request on Read More »
Categories: Budget and Appropriations