The disastrous budget reconciliation package that is now in the Senate will severely harm at-risk communities unless substantial changes are made.
The $295 million in SNAP cuts will increase hunger across the country, hitting children, seniors, and working families the hardest. At a time when food insecurity is still high in many communities, cutting SNAP is both cruel and short-sighted.
Roughly 15 million Americans will lose health coverage because of the $800 billion cut to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act along with other provisions in the House package.
Tens of millions of people with low incomes will lose access to basic needs programs, all to give tax breaks that primarily benefit the wealthy and corporations while inflicting harm on immigrant communities.
We cannot keep allowing the passage of these unfair tax policies that disproportionately benefit the rich while making low-income and vulnerable communities suffer, including by taking food assistance and health care away from millions. That’s not good for our society or economy.
Now more than ever, it’s critical that Congress protect health care, nutrition, and other essential services that help millions of families meet their basic needs. We should strengthen support for these programs—not take them away. We need each and every Senator to get a strong and clear message that their constituents oppose these harmful proposals.
With 2019 now upon us, the 2020 Census is right around the corner. Join the Coalition on Human Needs and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights to find out what you need to know as the year-long countdown to the next decennial census begins.
You’ll hear from experts on the importance of a complete and accurate count, how inadequate census outreach would be detrimental to our democracy, and an overview of the state of play around whether a citizenship question will be included. You’ll get a preview of what will happen between now and 2020, how to keep up the pressure on Congress and the Administration to ensure a fair Census, and what can be done to improve the count of certain populations such as young children that have been under-counted in the past.
The decennial census is one of the foundational building blocks of our democracy. The demographic information gleaned by the Census Bureau is used to make critical decisions both by the government and the private sector, such as the allocation of funding for social services and where non-profits and businesses decide to expand their operations. And the official count will be used for electoral redistricting and the reapportionment of Congress itself.
So much is at stake, and many important changes are in store for the 2020 Census. This time, there will be a greater emphasis on gathering Census form responses online. And in spite of a federal judge’s recent ruling, questions still remain about the inclusion of a citizenship question for the first time in decades, which could result in lower response rates from populations that have historically been undercounted to begin with.
Keep in mind: Slides and a full recording of the webinar will be available after the event, so even if you cannot attend, you should sign up to gain access to the materials.