Clint Mitchell is an elementary school principal in Prince William County, Virginia. He doesn’t like to test students at the end of the month. Why? Because their families are running out of food by then – their SNAP benefits don’t last the whole month. I heard him at a White…
Archives: Voices
Our Economy for the 1% is Bad News for Most Americans, but Particularly Americans of Color
This post was originally published on Oxfam America’s blog, The Politics of Poverty, on January 28. Inequality is on the rise worldwide, but even the effects of inequality are unequal. Wealth inequality in the United States is far greater than income inequality, and the disparities are huge between the typical…
Fact of the Week: Low-Income Programs Got Less Than Half the Average Increase of Other Non-Defense Programs in FY16
While the FY16 omnibus spending bill included funding beyond the harsh sequestration caps and included gains for some important human needs programs, programs serving low-income Americans overall fared considerably worse than others. According to new research by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, low-income discretionary programs (those funded by…
Important First Steps to End Solitary Confinement for Youth in Federal Prisons
This post was originally published on the Campaign for Youth Justice’s blog on January 26. In a historic moment Monday, President Obama used his executive authority to end the use of solitary confinement for youth in the federal prison system. This action is incredibly important to the numerous youth who…
Bipartisan Idea to Lift Millions Out of Poverty
[Editor’s Note: This piece was co-written by Deborah Weinstein, CHN’s executive director, and Rev. Jennifer Butler, CEO of Faith in Public Life. With many thanks to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the National Women’s Law Center for their excellent work on this issue, which the authors drew upon heavily. This originally appeared in The…
Fact of the Week: Roughly 25 Percent of Demand for Emergency Food Assistance and Shelter Went Unmet in U.S. Cities
A survey of select cities across the U.S. showed that roughly a quarter of individuals and families who needed emergency food and shelter were turned away because of a lack of available resources. The Hunger and Homelessness Survey from the United States Conference of Mayors, released in late December, presented the…
On Sentencing Reform, Bipartisanship Isn’t Dead
Within the first minute and a half of his final State of the Union address on Tuesday, President Obama called out the need for criminal justice reform. And with good reason. Nearly 1 in 100 American adults is incarcerated. America’s prison population has increased by 500 percent over the past…
What’s Happening to Failing White Men: Ten Numbers that Explain the Roots of White Male Rage
Amid all the largely disconnected discussions about angry white males, stagnant wages and inequality, fatherless families, and polarized politics, several striking linkages among these issues have largely gone unnoticed. Tens of millions of white men have been expelled or checked out from mainstream American life – a reality with profound…
President Obama’s Final State of the Union: What to Watch For and How You Can Participate
Tuesday night will see President Obama delivering his seventh – and final – State of the Union address. By most accounts, the President will both reflect on the past – highlight some of his Administration’s accomplishments – and look ahead to the future. With only one year remaining in office,…
Talking Poverty with GOP Candidates at the Kemp Forum Tomorrow
As you hopefully saw in our earlier blog post and Fact of the Week, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) is moderating a forum on “Expanding Opportunity” tomorrow (Saturday, January 9) in which at least seven of the Republican presidential candidates will take part. We’ll be taking part via social media,…
Fact of the Week: If Income Gains Had Been Broadly Shared – and not Concentrated in the Hands of the Richest 1 Percent – Poverty in America Could Have Been Eliminated by 1985
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) is interested in reducing poverty, and is moderating a forum on “Expanding Opportunity” this Saturday (January 9) in South Carolina, in which at least seven of the Republican presidential candidates will take part. We await with interest their proposals to reduce poverty and expand opportunity….
GOP Candidates Take the Stage to Discuss Poverty, But Will They Walk the Talk?
2016 is finally here, which means the presidential election is now only 305 days away. Reducing poverty and expanding opportunity for all Americans should be a key issue during the campaign season. So you can bet we’ll be watching with interest this Saturday, January 9th, when at least seven Republican…