More than 250 Organizations Urge the House to Prioritize Children’s Safety in FY26 DHS Appropriations Vote
March 5, 2026
CHN on Congressional spending bills: Important progress and missed opportunities
Deborah Weinstein,
December 18, 2019
The appropriations bills passed by the House of Representatives will provide important help to many Americans in areas such as child care funding, affordable housing, Medicaid, and more. But Congress missed some opportunities to make our tax code serve those who need help the most, and it failed to block the Trump Administration’s abusive anti-immigrant and anti-discrimination policies. The need to help more people escape poverty and to stop inhumane attacks on immigrants remains urgent, and the members of the Coalition on Human Needs will redouble their efforts towards just and commonsense policies in the new year.
A missed opportunity: Congress fails to expand tax credits to help children, low-income workers
David Elliot,
December 18, 2019
Moments before midnight Monday, Congressional leaders reached an agreement on an end-of-year tax package that leaves out millions of poor people. In particular, despite a tenacious push by Speaker Pelosi and allies and a welcome demonstration of at least some bipartisan support, some children in poor families remain too poor to get help from the tax code. Advocates had hoped that Congress would expand the Child Tax Credit to cover families who are either too poor to qualify, or qualify for just a fraction of what other families receive. Also needing help were low-income workers without dependents, the only group whose tax payments can push them deeper into poverty.
CHN in the news: How the Trump Administration’s new food stamp restrictions will hurt people in deep poverty
CHN Staff,
December 12, 2019
This week, CHN Executive Director Deborah Weinstein appeared on both TV and radio to discuss the Trump Administration's latest effort to cut SNAP benefits -- this time, a rule that would take away benefits from as many as 688,000 Americans. Weinstein appeared on the nationally syndicated Leslie Marshall show, and she appeared on a shorter segment on Fox News.
Cutting food aid promotes hunger, not work
Sherry Brennan,
December 11, 2019
You may have heard about the Trump administration’s latest attack on very poor Americans: a punitive new restriction that will cut SNAP benefits for 688,000 people. Growing up, my family got food stamps — and oh, I hated it. I hated standing in line at the grocery store, knowing we’d be paying with coupons that would brand us as “poor” to anyone who noticed. And yet I loved the fact that we had food. As a growing kid, I knew what it was like to come home to a bare kitchen. Those dreaded vouchers meant we got cheese, milk, fruit, eggs, cereal, beans, tortillas, and yes, sometimes even ice cream. That food — and the stability that came with it — sent me on my way. Because I wasn’t hungry in school, I could pay attention. And I excelled.
Coming soon: WE COUNT!
David Elliot,
December 10, 2019
A new resource aimed at making sure young children and hard-to-count populations are counted in the 2020 Census is about to be printed, and advocates hope it will help ensure an accurate tally. You may find it a useful part of your efforts to make sure young children are counted in the 2020 Census. WE COUNT! A 2020 Census Counting Book is an engagingly colorful, culturally sensitive 32-page book aimed at both young children and their parents. Its purpose is twofold: it is meant to be read aloud to young children to help them learn to count and, at the same time, it teaches adults to correctly count the members of their households on the 2020 Census form, despite their different living situations.
