First we heard that the Trump Administration would allow for new forms of insurance that would evade the minimum standards that protect people with pre-existing conditions and provide decent coverage. Now they announce they will no longer pay insurance companies the funds to support coverage of more expensive care. These…
Archives: Voices
‘They’re going to be sailing off into the horizon, laughing all the way’
Kelly Conklin and his spouse, Kit, are the co-owners of a custom woodworking business in Bloomfield, New Jersey. They’ve owned the business since 1978, and employ 16 well-paid workers. Now they view their livelihood as threatened – by President Trump’s proposal to slash taxes for the wealthiest Americans and corporations….
For President Trump and his allies in Congress, there is nothing more important than giving tax cuts to rich people and corporations
Tax cuts for the rich are more important than helping people in a disaster: President Trump’s top budgeteer, Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, made a name for himself as an extremist when, as a member of Congress, he tried to insist that no aid for Hurricane Sandy…
‘This budget is heartless and tragic’
With a vote imminent, opponents of the House GOP budget proposal rallied Wednesday outside the U.S. Capitol with members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which has put forward its own budget. It’s not too late to contact Congress to oppose the House budget proposal, and to support the Congressional Progressive Caucus alternative: call 1-888-516-5820…
House budget proposal would undermine national security
Advocates for human needs programs joined two members of Congress Tuesday for a U.S. Capitol news conference aimed at rallying opposition to GOP proposals to slash domestic spending by trillions of dollars and pass tax cuts that would primarily aid the very wealthiest Americans. Participating in the news conference were…
CHN statement on Trump’s proposed tax cuts for the very, very rich
Editor’s note: CHN Executive Director had this response Wednesday to President Trump’s proposal to slash tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans: “President Trump’s budget slashes Medicaid, food and housing assistance, and education funding. Now he is proposing to hand trillions of dollars in tax breaks to the wealthy and to…
CHN meets with Task Force on Poverty, Income Inequality, and Opportunity
Editor’s note: On Tuesday, the Democratic Whip Task Force on Poverty, Income Inequality, and Opportunity met with CHN Executive Director Deborah Weinstein. The conversation focused on new Census data on poverty, the Republican budget, appropriations, and the effectiveness of anti-poverty programs. This is the Task Force’s statement following that meeting:…
CHN URGES DEFEAT OF GRAHAM-CASSIDY: ‘THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL VOTES SENATORS WILL CAST’
Editor’s note: Deborah Weinstein, Executive Director of the Coalition on Human Needs, sent the following letter Monday to the Senate Finance Committee, which is scheduled to hear testimony on the Graham-Cassidy ACA repeal proposal: “I am writing to convey the very deep concerns of the Coalition on Human Needs…
Fact of the Week: 12 facts about the Graham-Cassidy repeal bill
Editor’s note: The following piece was originally published on Families USA’s blog on Sept. 19. For more information and analysis on the horrible ACA repeal bill that the Senate is expected to vote on as early as Sept. 27, see the resources listed at the end of this post. Please take…
Head Smacker: They’re trying to repeal the ACA…again
Millions of Americans breathed a sigh of relief in July when the Senate failed – by one vote – to repeal the Affordable Care Act. But despite hearing from millions of you, their constituents, before, during, and after their summer recess, Senate leaders are at it again. They are trying…
2.5 Million Fewer Poor People in 2016; Now-threatened programs made the difference
The poverty rate declined to 12.7 percent in 2016, down from 13.5 percent in 2015 and from 14.8 percent in 2014, according to new U.S. Census data released Tuesday. That 2.1 percentage point drop is the largest two-year decline since 1969. Since 2014, the number of people in poverty has…
What to look for in the new Census Bureau data
Editor’s note: On Tuesday, Sept. 12, the U.S. Census Bureau will release its annual estimates of poverty, household income and health insurance coverage for 2016. What follows is a description both of trends CHN will be examining from the 2016 data, and questions CHN will be raising about the future…