Archives: Voices

Fact of the Week: Americans Want US to Give Shelter and Support to Child Refugees

A new poll by the Public Religion Research Institute sheds some light on what the U.S. public thinks about the child refugee crisis happening along the country’s southern borders. When asked what the U.S. should do about the children who are currently arriving from Central America without their parents, 70 percent…

New Q&A on the Child Refugee Crisis

There are many questions around the current child refugee crisis, including why the children are coming, what protections for them currently exist and what would happen if these protections are taken away, why additional money is needed and when it’s needed, how the public feels about the crisis, and why…

Children Fleeing Violence Need Congress to Act Now

In what has become a true humanitarian crisis, nearly 60,000 refugees, mostly unaccompanied children, have come to the U.S. this year alone. This Wednesday, July 30, the Senate is expected to vote on a bill to provide $2.7 billion in emergency funding to help improve their already desperate situation. The…

Rep. Ryan’s Poverty Plan – Reactions and Resources

Earlier today, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) appeared at an event hosted by AEI to unveil his new plan to fight poverty, “Expanding Opportunity in America.” Rep. Ryan’s plan categorizes his reforms into six different areas, a few of which we’ll discuss here. So-called “Opportunity Grants”:  First, Rep….

Head Smacker: Trying to get Chairman Ryan’s poverty plan to match up with everything he has proposed up to now, and what he might be doing tomorrow

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) gave a speech today about Expanding Opportunity in America. He talked about the need to provide individualized services to poor families, to let states try new approaches and test their outcomes, to reduce incarceration and provide services for those returning from prison, and…

Rep. Ryan’s Plan to Fight Poverty – A Preview

This Thursday, July 24, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) unveils his plan to fight poverty and expand opportunity at an event at AEI. We encourage you to watch the live stream starting at 9 a.m., and share your thoughts about what you hear in the comments section below….

Head Smacker: Congress Continues to Fund Military Equipment the Pentagon Doesn’t Want

Despite Congress’ continued insistence that critical assistance like benefits for the long-term unemployed be paid for by cutting something else, they continue to push money towards the Pentagon – whether or not the Pentagon wants the money in the first place. The Friends Committee on National Legislation pulled together some…

Celebrating Our 2014 Human Needs Hero

Today, the need for organized advocacy around the rights of low-income and vulnerable populations is more important than ever. There’s so much work to be done, and we all need a hero to motivate us to keep striving for justice. This year, CHN will be honoring Jim Weill as our Human…

A New Tool in the Fight to Raise the Minimum Wage

In coordination with the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), Oxfam America has released an indispensable tool for minimum wage and anti-poverty advocates’ tool box: an interactive map with accompanying scorecards detailing the impact a federal minimum wage increase would have on the workers in each Congressional district. But it is not…