Religious freedom advocates call on elected officials to protect the ability to practice faith without fear
David Elliot,
April 4, 2019
More than 140 religious liberty advocates have signed on to a letter asking elected officials to ensure that individuals and communities are able to practice their religion without fear for their physical safety. Among the letter’s signers was CHN Executive Director Deborah Weinstein. The letter was delivered today to the White House and to leaders in Congress. The letter cited recent attacks in the U.S., New Zealand and Canada.
CLASP applauds court’s decision to protect Medicaid in Arkansas and Kentucky
Renato Rocha,
April 1, 2019
Yesterday, the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia blocked the Trump Administration’s attempt to take away health coverage from people who can’t document new work reporting requirements in Kentucky and Arkansas. The judge concluded that the administration’s approvals of these new requirements were “arbitrary and capricious.”
What’s next for the ACA?
David Elliot,
March 29, 2019
There’s a lot to unpack from President Trump’s decision, announced earlier this week, to join a federal lawsuit that seeks to overturn the Affordable Care Act in its entirety. Not surprisingly, the decision drew criticism from defenders of the ACA. What is noteworthy, however, is the volume of criticism coming from other sources – right-wing legal scholars, Republican senators, and even the Republican attorney general of Ohio, who announced he is intervening to oppose the Administration.
CHN analysis shows funding caps must be lifted in order to prevent serious losses in human needs programs
CHN Staff,
March 27, 2019
Every year, the Coalition on Human needs compares funding for well over 150 human needs programs starting in FY 2010 and continuing to the current fiscal year (this year, 2019). CHN uses FY 2010 as a benchmark because that is the year before the Budget Control Act passed Congress and was signed into law by President Obama. That law called for automatic cuts in spending if Congress could not curtail spending on its own.This year, CHN tracked spending for 184 human needs programs. CHN found that 131 of the programs, or 71 percent, lost ground since FY 2010. And 54 programs were cut by 25 percent or more.
Trump officials step up attacks on Medicaid; meanwhile, CBPP pushes back on work requirement claims
David Elliot,
March 25, 2019
The Trump Administration is expanding its attacks on Medicaid – and, by extension, the Affordable Care Act – even as courts consider whether the moves constitute executive branch overreach. The Administration is pushing ahead and granting approval to states seeking to impose work requirements on Medicaid recipients, despite ongoing legal challenges and large-scale losses in the number of people covered. The Administration also is quietly trying to sell states on the merits of imposing block grants, or a per-person spending cap, without congressional approval.
