John,

Members of Congress are currently in negotiations over the final FY2024 funding bills, which will have major consequences for essential programs such as housing, WIC, and treatment for substance use disorder.

Two stopgap funding bills will expire in early March. Last month, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer agreed to topline budget numbers.¹ Now both chambers of Congress must come together to negotiate specific funding levels for key human needs programs―and which programs could see cuts.

The three critical programs that CHN and our allies are watching:

• Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC): If Congress keeps WIC funding at its current level, the program would need to reduce participation by about 2 million young children and pregnant and postpartum adults nationwide by September, which would disproportionately impact Black and Hispanic families.² But, Congress is considering adding another $1 billion to WIC, which would provide the full funding needed to avoid turning eligible participants away. We must keep the pressure on Congress to add this funding.

• Housing Vouchers: In 2022, 12.1 million renters were paying more than half their income on rent and utilities. Of renters with incomes below $30,000, 65% were paying more than half of their income on rent and utilities. Housing unaffordability is leading to a big leap in homelessness: In January 2023, there were 653,100 homeless people, up 71,000 over the previous year.³ The current funding increases being proposed by the House and Senate aren’t enough. The Housing Vouchers program will need an additional $1.4 billion above the House funding proposal and $962 million more than the Senate’s. If funding remains flat, 190,000 fewer families will receive vouchers than in FY2023.⁴

• State Opioid Response (SOR) Grant Program: This critical program provides funding for opioid use disorder treatment, evidence-based harm reduction services, overdose prevention measures like naloxone, and recovery support services in all States and territories. Since 2018, the SOR grant program has provided treatment services to over 1.2 million people. The Biden administration has requested $1.55 billion in additional funding to counter fentanyl. Both House and Senate proposals are far below what the administration says is needed at a time when drug overdose fatalities continue to rise.^5,6

Send a direct message to Congress, telling them to invest in human needs programs, not cut funding during this challenging time for millions of families.

Millions of struggling people and communities across the country need our federal government to step up and provide relief now. Your voice can make a difference.

Thank you for all you do,

Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, Coalition on Human Needs

¹ Congress agrees on how much to spend — but not on how to spend it
² About 2 Million Parents and Young Children Could Be Turned Away From WIC by September Without Full Funding
³ America’s Rental Housing 2024, Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University
⁴ Added Funding Needed to Prevent Harmful Cuts to Housing Vouchers and Other Rental Assistance Programs in 2024  
⁵ FACT SHEET: White House Calls on Congress to Support Critical Domestic Needs
⁶ Provisional Drug Overdose Death Counts