CHN just released another edition of the Human Needs Report. Read on for the latest on Congress’s work on spending bills, court rulings on President Trump’s “Public Charge” proposal, the Trump Administration’s escalation of attacks on nutrition assistance, and more.
Archives: Voices
With time running out, former Census Bureau Directors issue bipartisan call for full funding
Seven former Census Directors have penned a letter to House and Senate leaders as well as members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees urging that Congress enact the 2020 Census appropriation as soon as possible. The seven former Directors, representing both Republican and Democratic presidential administrations, warn that failure to act could result in disruptions in the preparation for, launching, and implementation of peak 2020 Census operations.
Protecting immigrant children: the last acts of a hero and civil rights icon
Hours before he died last week, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD) performed what might have been his final official act while in office. According to CNN, aides to Cummings drove from the U.S. Capitol to Baltimore so that he could sign two subpoenas related to an investigation into the Trump Administration’s policy on whether seriously ill immigrants, including immigrant children, may remain in the U.S. for medical treatment.
“Chairman Cummings felt so strongly about the children, that he was going to fight until the end,” an aide explained.
“Arbitrary and Capricious:” How – and Why – Courts are Defending Human Needs Programs Against Trump’s Relentless Attacks
It has happened more than a dozen times, and that could be a quite conservative estimate: in federal courthouse after federal courthouse, in all regions of the country, judges have ruled the Trump Administration’s actions to be “arbitrary and capricious.” At Voices for Human Needs, we wondered: why do those words keep coming up? What is the Trump Administration’s track record in the courtroom? And what does this mean for advocates of a human needs agenda?
Friday deadline: Act now to oppose HUD rule that would harm low-income and other vulnerable Americans
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently proposed a rule that would gut a long-standing civil rights protection called “disparate impact theory” under the Fair Housing Act that has offered recourse for countless people experiencing housing discrimination and segregation. On Thursday, CHN submitted comments strongly opposing the rule and calling on HUD to withdraw it. You can see CHN’s comments here.
Chairwoman Lowey, a Human Needs Champion, Deserves Our Thanks
House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) announced last week that she will not be running for reelection in 2020. Those of us who care about meeting human needs owe her a debt of gratitude for her support for essential services.
Victories abound for human needs advocates, CHN allies
Last week we reported the good news: in two different cases, advocates defeated the Trump Administration in U.S. District Court. The first decision involved the Administration’s proposed Public Charge rule, which would deny green cards or visas to immigrants if they have used certain government aid programs such as SNAP, Medicaid, or housing assistance. The second decision dealt with the Administration’s emergency declaration to spend government funds on border wall construction that Congress had refused to authorize – a federal judge ruled the Administration was out of bounds. As it turns out, those two rulings were just a part of a dizzying amount of jurisprudence that has taken place lately, including several cases that involve CHN member groups and allies. Here’s a rundown of what you may have missed.
Score Two Wins for the Rule of Law
For those who care about meeting human needs, two key court rulings were handed down Friday afternoon. First. the Trump Administration’s attempt to implement its Public Charge rule on October 15 has been blocked by a nationwide preliminary injunction. And second, a U.S. District Court in Texas blocked Trump’s border wall funding.
Why, yes – it is a Muslim ban
United by their shared desperation, they gather to tell their stories. An older woman without any other family discusses waiting for her sister. A couple, only recently reunited after two years, share their struggle. A VA doctor in Iowa – an American citizen – barely chokes out a few sentences about his wife, who is stuck in Iran, before his grief reduces him to tears. Their stories are striking and eerily similar. On Sept. 24, these migrants came before two congressional subcommittees to testify about the injustice they have experienced due to President Trump’s immigration policies.
The latest CHN Human Needs Report: Budget updates, border fights, new Census data, and more
CHN just released another edition of the Human Needs Report. Read on for the latest on Congress’s work to avoid a shutdown, immigration and border fights, new poverty and health insurance data, anti-SNAP and Medicaid proposals, and more.
Dangerous Gaps: As inequality rises, 30 percent of Americans live close to the edge and huge proportions of minorities and young children are poor
Not everyone is benefiting from economic growth. New state and local survey data from the Census Bureau show a poverty rate of 13.1 percent in 2018, down from 13.4 percent over the previous year. While the downward trend is good news, the data continue to show troubling disparities. Income inequality rose nationwide. More than 30 percent of all people in the U.S. have incomes less than twice the federal poverty line (just under $40,000 a year for a family of 3). In 24 states and Puerto Rico, at least 30 percent of people had incomes this modest – above poverty, but on the edge.
The 2019 Human Needs Hero Reception: ‘We are not going backwards.’
CHN members, supporters, friends, and activists gathered in the Gompers Room of the AFL-CIO headquarters last week for an evening of celebration, commiseration, and congratulations, even in the shadow the Trump White House just a few blocks away. This year, at the 2019 Human Needs Hero Reception, CHN honored longtime children’s and anti-poverty advocate Marian Wright Edelman and Peter Edelman, Faculty Director of the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality, and also a longtime champion in the fight against poverty. The two received CHN’s Human Needs Hero Awards.