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March 22, 2024 The FY 2025 budget needs edition. As we write this, Congress is limping along toward what we hope will be final passage of the FY 2024 appropriations bills. Because Congress is almost six months late in completing this process (the FY 2024 year began on October 1, 2023), human needs advocates are preparing to pivot quickly to 2025 spending. Already, President Biden has released his proposed FY 2025 budget. House Republicans unveiled their own budget resolution. In an upcoming webinar, scheduled for Thursday, April 4, the Coalition on Human Needs and experts from other groups will delve into these competing visions. As we look back on FY 2024 and prepare for FY 2025, we know there is much unfinished business. One can barely list out all of the important human needs programs that cry out for additional investment. They include addressing our child care crisis, additional funding for home- and community-based services, paid family and medical leave, energy assistance, access for affordable broadband, more help for nutrition assistance, expanding health care coverage, and addressing the nation’s chronic shortage of affordable housing – just to name a few. We also know that we must continue the push for an expanded Child Tax Credit, the single most effective means we have to sharply reduce child poverty. A bipartisan expansion bill has passed the House – talks are ongoing in the Senate and a Day of Action to push Senators is planned for Tuesday, April 2. |
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16 million 5.8 million |
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The bipartisan Child Tax Credit expansion, which overwhelmingly passed the House earlier this year but is stuck in the Senate, would expand the CTC for 16 million children in families with low incomes – including 5.8 million children under the age of 6 in its first year. The measure would bring these families up to or closer to the full $2,000-per-child credit that families with higher incomes receive. Retweet this. |
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39% 37% 34% |
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The expanded CTC would overwhelmingly help families of color whose parents disproportionately find themselves in low-paid work due to ongoing discrimination and other structural barriers. Among children under the age of 6, 39% of Black children would benefit, along with 37% of Latino children and 34% of American Indian or Alaska Native children. This compares with 16% of White children and 15% of Asian children. Retweet this. |
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25% |
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Just over 25% of the private sector workforce in the U.S. has access to paid family leave. The rest have unpaid family leave or no leave at all. Retweet this. |
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$21.5 billion |
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The amount of wages workers and families lose every year due to a lack of paid family and medical leave. Retweet this. |
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70 |
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This week more than 70 businesses and nonprofits shut their doors for one day to protest the failure of Congress to pass paid family and medical leave for working people. During this day of protest, employers provided paid leave for their workers. Retweet this. |
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For the full report, click here.
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