Editor’s note: CHN Executive Director Deborah Weinstein sent the following letter today to all Senators in advance of their votes on various immigration proposals: “The national organizations making up the Coalition on Human Needs urge you to enact legislation narrowly drawn to protect the Dreamers, those people brought to this…
Archives: Voices
Will Congress grant free rein to predatory payday lenders?
UPDATE: H.R. 3299, the bill referenced below, passed the House by a vote of 245-171 on Feb. 14. See how your representative voted here. Last month, Voices for Human Needs reported on efforts by the Trump administration to repeal an Obama-era rule aimed at curtailing the predatory practice of payday lending. Not…
Human Needs Report: Spending and budget deal, immigration, work requirements and more
CHN just released our latest edition of the Human Needs Report. Read on for the latest on Congress’s spending and budget work, immigration, work requirements, and a rule affecting tipped workers. Click here for a PDF version of the Human Needs Report. Overnight Shutdown Ends after Budget and Spending Deal is Reached…
Paid family and medical leave means a stronger nation
Editor’s note: This piece was written by Debra L. Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women & Families. It was originally published on Medium and on the National Partnership’s blog on Jan. 29. CHN joined the National Partnership and others in celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave…
When flu season and Groundhog’s Day arrive together
Punxsutawney Phil’s Nightmare On February 2, Punxsutawney Phil, as we all know, peers out of his hole and if he sees his shadow, 6 more weeks of winter. But what if he was a little feverish from flu? What if instead of his shadow, he saw a nightmarish image that…
It takes a child to raise a village
We’re all finding our way as we try to be activists, both figuring out how to propel our democracy and how to teach the spirit of activism to our children. My daughter Lauren Weinstein does a weekly comic for The Village Voice, and her depiction of taking our beloved 8-year old…
Withdraw the rule. Protect tipped workers.
Back in December, Voices for Human Needs reported on a proposal that would make workers’ tips the property of employers, which would harm an already vulnerable workforce made up mostly of women and, disproportionately, of women of color. Studies out just last month show how much damage the proposed Department…
Head Smacker: The State of the Union edition
There were so many Head Smackers in President Trump’s State of the Union address last night that it nearly left many of us at CHN with concussions. Thankfully, CHN’s members were quick to react and get the facts out there. Below is a recap of just a few of the…
The State of the Union in Perspective: Trump’s America and Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms
In 1941, Franklin Roosevelt addressed the nation to bring us together in support of a strong American presence in the world. Defeating the Axis forces in concert with our allies was essential to ensure that people all over the world could enjoy four freedoms: freedom of speech and of religion,…
How to respond to President Trump’s State of the Union
Tonight President Trump will deliver the State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress. We will be listening – both to the things he says and for the things he doesn’t say. To help you respond to the President’s speech, we are sharing with you some tools…
The President’s cynical immigration plan is anti-family and anti-community
Editor’s note: CHN Executive Director Deborah Weinstein issued the following statement Friday in response to President Trump’s immigration proposal: “President Trump’s reported plan in response to his own denial of legal status for the Dreamers is cynical, holding them hostage to extreme restrictions in immigration that must be rejected. “The…
Another blow to the Census
A dress rehearsal of the 2020 Census – officially known as the End-to-End Census Test — is scheduled to take place this spring in Providence County, Rhode Island. But in another blow to the count, a change from the 2010 Census that was recommended to increase the accuracy of the…