Editor’s note: The following op-ed was published Sunday in the Dubuque Telegraph Herald. I recently ran into Senator Charles Grassley in the U.S. Capitol. Senator Grassley and I have known each other for years. He refers to me as “that nun from Dubuque.” Senator Grassley and I have always had…
Archives: Voices
Meanwhile, 1012 miles away…
While the health care debate was front and center in the U.S. Senate this week, the potentially far-reaching effects of health care legislation were the center of attention 1,012 miles away – in front of a federal building in Des Moines, Iowa. A number of Iowa groups, including Main Street…
Senators, Please: Represent your people and protect their future
Editor’s note: The following statement was issued by CHN Executive Director Deborah Weinstein Thursday in response to the proposed Senate health care legislation. The Senate’s long-awaited health care repeal bill has surfaced. It is a shameful abandonment of millions of people who need health coverage. After years of promising to…
How Medicaid caps would impact seniors
Editor’s note: This piece was written by Joe Caldwell, PhD, the Director of Long-Term Services and Supports Policy at National Council on Aging. It was originally published on NCOA’s blog on June 19. The health care debate is full of buzzwords and technical jargon that can make it hard to understand…
The Next Two Weeks in the Senate are Crucial
Editor’s note: This piece was written by Jane Sheehan, Government Affairs Associate at Families USA, and was originally posted on Families USA’s blog on Thursday, June 15. Today, Tuesday, June 20 is a national call-in day to urge senators to reject their super-secret bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act…
The Secret Senate and the Threat to Medicaid
Did you think that the House-passed health care repeal bill was going nowhere in the Senate? Think again. Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX) was of the opinion in late May that “80 percent of what the House did we’re likely to do.” But the Senate leadership absolutely does not want you…
Resources from around the coalition: The health care edition
Editor’s note: The following blog post is authored by CHN intern Raquel Douglas. 3 million children without insurance. Medicaid cut by almost 50 percent. $1.2 billion in cuts to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 23 million people at risk of losing access to affordable health care coverage. Systematic…
‘This is our problem. This is our plague.’
When it comes to describing her state’s opioid crisis, Dr. Cathleen London of Milbridge, Maine does not mince words. “It’s an epidemic because it’s now killing more people than HIV. And more people than the Vietnam War,” she says. “This is an epidemic on par with the plague.” Dr. London’s…
Human Needs Report: Senate health care bill moves, FY18 budget and spending work, $15 minimum wage bill and more
CHN just released our latest edition of the Human Needs Report. Read on for articles on the Senate health care bill, budget and spending work in progress, House efforts to gut financial regulations, and a $15 minimum wage bill. Click here for the full PDF of the Human Needs Report. Senate GOP Push Their Health Care…
Budget brings an avalanche of pain
You may remember Tianna Gaines-Turner from previous blog posts. Last year, we reported on a new documentary making the rounds at Sundance and other venues throughout the country. A Hug from Paul Ryan followed the story of Tianna who, despite working two jobs just like her husband, struggles with poverty in their hometown…
‘I’m ashamed that hunger is a problem in this country and I think it’s a travesty’
Advocates for one of the nation’s most effective anti-poverty initiatives spoke out this week against proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). President Trump has proposed a cut of $193 billion over ten years to SNAP, or just over 25 percent of SNAP’s funding. SNAP serves more than…
The People’s Budget: A Roadmap for the Resistance
This week, members of Congress heard from more than 120,000 Americans who favor an alternative to the slash-cut-and-burn budget proposal put forth by President Trump and favored by some in Congress. That’s the number of people who signed a petition backing The People’s Budget: A Roadmap for the Resistance. The…