Advocates warn of the cost of cutting IRS funding
David Elliot,
December 21, 2023
The Coalition on Human Needs and more than 50 groups sent a letter to House and Senate leaders warning of proposed cuts to the IRS – cuts that would harm the agency’s ability to provide customer service and pursue wealthy tax cheats while actually increasing the nation’s deficit.
Advocates sound alarm on negotiations that could alter border policy, harm immigrants
David Elliot,
December 15, 2023
Immigrant advocacy groups and other human rights activists are sounding the alarm as policymakers seek ways to push through permanent and substantial changes to immigration policy in a supplemental funding measure that would provide billions in international aid. Republicans are holding up the measure unless President Biden agrees to restrictions relating to what they call “border security.”
353 Groups tell Congress: Expand the Child Tax Credit to lift children out of poverty
David Elliot,
December 12, 2023
This week, 353 groups, including the Coalition on Human Needs, signed a letter, delivered to every member of Congress, urging members to expand the Child Tax Credit and to do so in a way that particularly helps children in families with the lowest incomes. You can view the letter in its entirety and see who signed here.
Bipartisan legislation could elevate SSI into the 21st century, encourage savings, and make life easier for people with disabilities
David Elliot,
December 9, 2023
Eddie felt he had met the love of his life after meeting Jen, becoming her boyfriend, and eventually proposing marriage – she said yes. But then reality – in the form of America’s antiquated SSI system – intruded. Eddie, who lives in an adult foster home, has an Intellectual and Developmental Disorder. Jen has a spinal condition that requires 24-hour medical assistance. Both receive Supplemental Security Income benefits. Both say they could lose benefits, including SSI, if they got married because of punitive rules that disqualify single people or married couples if they earn too much or save too much.
To count all kids, Census Bureau should improve the count of adults with low literacy
David Elliot,
December 7, 2023
Ensuring a fair and accurate Census is important for a variety of reasons. First, political entities from school boards and city councils to state legislatures use the decennial Census count to draw political districts, all the way up to Congress. Second, Census numbers drive funding decisions – if a particular community or neighborhood is undercounted, that geographic entity can miss out on funding, not just for a year or two but for an entire decade until the next count occurs.
