The Real Story on Trump and Cuts to Essential Programs
Deborah Weinstein,
January 24, 2020
President Trump was asked by very friendly interviewer Joe Kernen of CNBC, will “entitlements ever be on your plate?” The President replied, “At some point they will be.” And, when asked whether he’d “do some of the things that you said you wouldn’t do in the past” (specifically, Medicare), he...
One year and counting in the fight to protect immigrant families
CLASP,
January 23, 2020
2019 was a transformative year for administrative activism through the one-two punch of comments and litigation. Although our block-and-delay tactics have resulted in some early successes, we’re experiencing the ups and downs that come with litigation and the appeals process. We’ve also seen that injunctions alone aren’t enough to eliminate the intense fear that’s been building in immigrant communities since the start of the Trump Administration. We know that the proposals are designed to make immigrants and people of color feel afraid and unwelcome.
Study: Southern states that expanded Medicaid have better health outcomes than non-expansion states
David Elliot,
January 21, 2020
In Southern states in the U.S. that expanded their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act, adults experienced low rates of decline in both physical and mental health compared with adults living in states that did not opt for Medicaid expansion. That’s the finding of a new study published this month in the journal Health Affairs. The study, conducted by researchers at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School, could create new incentives in the 14 states that have not expanded Medicaid to do so.
Why nutrition assistance in Puerto Rico needs an overhaul
David Elliot,
January 17, 2020
When Hurricane Maria slammed into the U.S. Virgin Islands in September 2017, it took roughly six weeks for low-income islanders to begin receiving emergency nutrition assistance. But when that same hurricane devastated Puerto Rico, similar emergency assistance did not begin to flow until six months after the storm’s landfall. Why the difference? Puerto Rico’s Nutrition Assistance Program (NAP) is that island’s version of SNAP, which exists in all 50 states plus some of the U.S. territories. But NAP is different -- unlike SNAP, it does not have the flexibility to respond to natural disasters such as hurricanes -- or, more recently, earthquakes.
Federal refugee policy creates tension in the Midwest
CHN Staff,
January 15, 2020
Tense debates have surfaced in the upper Midwest over whether to accept refugees at the local level. Local governments were given the authority to choose in an order signed by President Donald Trump. In response to the order, Gov. Tony Evers issued a letter affirming Wisconsin's support of refugees. But at the county level, some of the debate has been more nuanced, including whether there should be caps on numbers of refugees.
