Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned 40 years of jurisprudence when it weakened the ability of federal agencies to set policy and take actions to serve the public.
Archives: Voices
House Republicans release FY 2025 Census funding with 2 percent cut from 2024 levels
On June 25, House Republicans released the text of their proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) appropriations bill, which funds, among other things, the U.S. Census Bureau. The bill provides the Census Bureau with $1.354 billion—an amount that is well below both the agency’s FY 2024 funding level ($1.382 billion) and the Administration’s FY 2025 budget request ($1.6 billion).
‘This cruel, misguided ruling will only worsen homelessness’
The U.S. Supreme Court Friday ruled that local jurisdictions may ticket and arrest unhoused people for sleeping outside in public places, even when adequate shelter or housing is not available. The 6-3 decision in City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson, with Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Ketanji Brown Jackson, and Elena Kagan dissenting, immediately drew scathing criticism from advocates for the unhoused.
Groups tell Congress: Don’t cut the programs that meet our needs
More than 1,100 organizations from all across the country have signed a letter to congressional leaders, calling on Congress to provide enough funding in next year’s appropriations bills to “invest the amounts needed to meet the needs of our country and protect American competitiveness, economic strength, security, and services critical to families and individuals” and to reject “poison pill policy riders.” So far, the House Committee on Appropriations has been producing exactly the kinds of funding bills this very large number of groups oppose.
Farm bill must safeguard EBT households from benefits theft
As the House and Senate consider this year’s farm bill, policymakers must prioritize protecting EBT households from benefits theft by improving the safety features of EBT cards, ensuring the reimbursement process for stolen benefits is swift and efficient, and guaranteeing EBT households have reliable, consistent electronic access to their balance and transaction information.
The Coalition on Human Needs Strongly Supports the Biden Administration’s Actions to Protect Immigrant Families and Workers
The Coalition on Human Needs applauds the Biden Administration’s announcement of administrative actions aimed at protecting families with an undocumented spouse and allowing certain DACA recipients and other Dreamers to receive work visas more quickly.
Groups oppose deep cuts to IRS, an end to Direct File
Ahead of last week’s House Appropriations Committee consideration of the FY25 2025 Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) bill, nearly 100 groups wrote leading House appropriators in opposition to a proposal that could cut funding for the IRS by billions of dollars and end the popular Direct File project, which allows some taxpayers to file quickly, easily, and for free.
Labor leaders and advocates warn of the negative impact of privatizing SNAP’s workforce
Labor leaders and other advocates are sounding the alarm on two provisions in the House farm bill that would allow states to privatize the employees who administer SNAP benefits – a move that they say would threaten the integrity of the nutrition assistance program as well as endanger workers.
Drug overdose dilemmas: Fewer fatalities — but more total overdoses and racial disparities
In May, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the number of fatal drug overdoses in 2023 showed a 3 percent decrease from 2022, from 111,029 to 107,543. That 3,486 fewer people died from overdoses is good news. But how good? Is this single statistic a sign of widespread success in our national efforts to reverse and reduce our drug epidemic? A recent New York Times article asked “Has fentanyl peaked?” Has it? Are there fewer fatal overdoses because people with substance use disorder are using less?
The Census counts everyone. So why shouldn’t everyone be counted?
Every 10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau seeks to count every person living in the United States. The census counts adults and children; voters, people not registered to vote, and people who cannot vote; people of all races, genders, and religions; rich people and poor people; and people living in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., U.S. territories, and on American Indian reservations. And it counts everyone residing in the United States (which excludes people visiting from other countries for tourism or business trips), whether or not they are U.S. citizens.
Advocates hail Biden Administration decision to expand and make IRS Direct File permanent
The IRS announced this week that it will both make permanent and expand Direct File, which this year for the first time enabled 140,000 filers in 12 pilot states to file their taxes quickly, easily, and, most important, for free. The announcement stated that all 50 states plus Washington D.C. will be invited to participate in the program.
I got help. Now I give back. That’s how a healthy society should work.
Life is unpredictable. And sometimes, no matter how hard you work, life throws curve balls that hit you in the gut. That’s what our tax dollars are supposed to be for — a helping hand when we’re most in need. More than once in my life, the social safety net came through for my family. And thanks to that help, we’re able to give back today.