[Editor’s note: This post was originally published on the Tax Justice Blog, a project of Citizens for Tax Justice and the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy, on Dec. 4. For additional information on the tax extenders bill, see CHN’s recent post, “Congress Almost Serves Up a Turkey of a…
Archives: Voices
Head Smacker: House Extremists Waste Precious Time on Bill to Harm Millions of Immigrants
In his prime-time address announcing his executive action on immigration, President Obama challenged Congress – particularly those who oppose his action – to “pass a bill.” Today, the House took up that challenge. Unfortunately, they didn’t vote on the comprehensive immigration bill the Senate passed with strong bipartisan support well…
Fact of the Week: Cash Assistance Programs Help Children, Even into Adulthood
As I was getting ready for work one day last month, I heard a story on NPR that caught my attention. It caught the attention of my boss, Deborah Weinstein, too, and we talked about it shortly after we both arrived at work that morning. The story involved NPR’s Shankar…
Congress Almost Serves Up a Turkey of a Tax Bill…But President Obama Gives it the Bird
While many of us were getting ready for guests or to travel to family, reports surfaced that Senate Majority Leader Reid and some of his colleagues were working out a deal with House tax-writers to extend about $450 billion in tax cuts that would otherwise expire at the end of…
Fact of the Week: Child Homelessness at Historic High in U.S.
Imagine an elementary school classroom with roughly 30 kids in it, seated at their desks. Pick out and focus on one kid until you can see his or her face. Now imagine that kid is homeless. And not just that kid, but a kid just like him or her in…
10 Things We’re Thankful For This Thanksgiving
The grocery stores were crowded this weekend as people picked up all of the fixings for their upcoming Thanksgiving meal. Soon the roads and airports will be packed with travelers going near and far to see family and friends. In this time of bounty, we are mindful of course of the…
President Obama Acts to Right Wrongs That Affront Our Ideals
Look at 10-year-old Stephanie Pucheta’s face on the video, sad but determined to tell her family’s story. She describes the day her father was put in jail and then deported, putting a stop to his helping her with her homework and playing with her in the park. Her mother is…
One Reaction to the President’s Executive Action
[Editor’s note: In August, CHN organized a conference call with the Obama Administration and several people who provide services to immigrants around the country. With the President’s action last night, we asked the on-the-ground experts who participated in the call to share their reactions. One response is below.] The word that struck…
The President’s Action on Immigration: What it Does, Why we Support it, and What’s Still Left to Do
For far too long, millions of undocumented immigrants who work hard and contribute to our economy and their communities have lived in fear. Fear of being discovered. Fear of being separated from their families and their homes. Fear of not being able to work and provide for their families. Thankfully,…
How Many Working Families are Dependent on Food Banks in the US?
This post was originally published on Oxfam America’s The Politics of Poverty blog on November 18. Americans are going back to work. US employment numbers are in and we should be glad. A job means a wage, and that means people can cover the essentials: rent, heat, clothes, medicine – and…
Building Local Momentum for National Change
Virgil Pack works three jobs in the restaurant industry in order to support his two children. He spoke about his 60-plus hours of work each week, with no sick leave and no benefits, at an event releasing the 2014 Poverty and Inequality Indicators Report. Two of his jobs pay only…
Say What?
“Determined not to shut down the government again, Republican leaders think short-term measures could be the best way to address both the ire within their caucus and their desire to show the American people they can govern.” (from Congressional Republicans Consider Using Short-term Funding Bill to Pressure Obama, Robert Costa, Washington…