UPDATE: If you missed this event, you can listen to a recording of it here. We encourage you to forward this link to people in your networks, so they can hear the practical information about what we are facing, and what we have to do together.
Speakers included:

• Chris Van Hollen – Senator Elect of Maryland
• Ellen Nissenbaum – Senior Vice President, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
• Wade Henderson – President of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
• Debbie Weinstein – Executive Director, Coalition on Human Needs

(There was a technical difficulty around the 30-minute mark at the end of the Ellen Nissenbaum section, where you can hear some beeping right before we switch to the next speaker, Wade Henderson)

The speakers spelled out these critically important points:

• Basic safety net programs – Medicaid, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, SNAP, and more – are seriously threatened.

• Immigrants, including 700,000 “Dreamers” (young people who have temporary legal status under the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals program), are threatened with deportation.

• The Trump infrastructure plan is starting to look like a massive tax subsidy for private sector entities that will, for example, build a road and then own it/charge tolls on it.

• There will probably be an early effort in January to pass a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act, with its replacement to be figured out later.

• For appropriations bills (and much other legislation), 60 votes are needed in the Senate. Democrats can block those bills, so they have leverage.

• Early announcements of Trump proposed appointees are alarming. Stephen Bannon’s role in spreading racist and xenophobic outrages through Breitbart is chilling. Senator Jeff Sessions for Attorney General is similarly chilling. We will share opportunities for you to speak out.

• We must organize! We can stop some of the very bad threats, but only if we support each other, reach out to our networks nationwide, and build a sustainable force to support Congressional champions and hold members of Congress and the Trump Administration accountable.

A Call to Action:In particular, we hope you will sign and circulate a new SAVE for All letter (for local, state and national groups), and share around a petition for individuals.

To read and sign the group letter and/or individual petition, click here (you then choose the appropriate one). To just read the group letter, click here. We will collect signatures into January, to present to the new President and Congress. We need your help to sign and to get others to sign. These are really important building blocks for our advocacy efforts – to stand up for and with low-income and vulnerable people, and show the breadth of support for vital safety net programs.

So please take that first step and sign the SAVE for All letter and/or individual petition: click here.

And know that CHN is compiling important information and action steps on this Washington 2017 webpage. If you want to share material for that page, please contact Melissa Roark, mroark@chn.org and send her the link.

Human needs advocates need to come together.

We know at least some of what is coming – threats to critical services for low- and moderate-income people. Children, seniors, people with disabilities, families, immigrants, and communities of color are at risk of serious losses (let’s face it: so are all of us).  

Please join us for a special post-election Friday Advocates’ Meeting:
Friday, November 18, 10:00* – 11:00 a.m. ET (7:00 a.m. Pacific).
*note: one hour later than the our usual Friday meetings. 

By phone or computer:

Please RSVP here. We need your RSVP to so that we can send you follow up information.

To listen via your computer speakers, you can access the meeting here.

To listen via your phone, please use the call in information below.

Toll Free:
Dial In: 1 (855) 313-6827
Conference ID: 8728

If you’ve already registered to join us in person, we look forward to seeing you at CLASP, 1200 18th Street, NW., 2nd floor, Washington, DC. (Thanks, Center for Law and Social Policy.) All others, please call or log in online.

You will hear specifics from important leaders about threats and opportunities. You’ll get useful information about the new Congress and Administration. You’ll have the chance to ask questions and share information/suggestions.

Who should attend: Advocates from organizations here in Washington and around the country.

RSVP today so we can get you all the follow-up information. We also encourage you to check out our post-election blog posts here and here.