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.
View a streaming captioned copy of the webinar here. The presenter slide deck is available here.
Jared Bernstein, top Biden economist serving on the White House Council of Economic Advisers, will join CHN to explain how the COVID relief legislation now moving through Congress is the right size, with the right policies, to get us on the road to economic and pandemic recovery.
Called the American Rescue Plan, this robust $1.9 trillion plan proposed by the new Biden administration supports COVID vaccines and health care; cuts child poverty in half; helps the unemployed; provides more nutrition aid, housing assistance, one-time payments, child care, and paid leave; supports education and other state and local services; and much, much more.
Moderator Ellen Teller of the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) will field questions for Jared. We’ll then hear more real-world stories about how the pandemic is hitting our communities, and how this COVID relief package will help. And we’ll finish with CHN’s Executive Director Debbie Weinstein updating you on where things stand in Congress, and what you can do to ensure that help goes where it’s most needed.
If you’ve joined other CHN webinars, you may have seen Jared Bernstein, then with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, make economic predictions about poverty and income. He’s a top economist and a great explainer focused on addressing inequality and the needs of people with low incomes.
This webinar will be closed-captioned. Even if you can’t attend be sure to register to get a recording of the webinar, slides, and other resources. Watch the recording below: