Overview: Both the Senate and the House have pledged to work toward passing the five-year farm bill during this Congress. However, sharp differences remain in their respective funding scenarios, particularly in relation to the SNAP program.
Rural broadband: CCUSA joined in a letter with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Catholic Health Association urging Congress to move swiftly to secure continued funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program, by enacting H.R. 6929/S. 3565, the "Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act of 2024," and by providing funding through the regular or supplemental appropriations processes.
Earmarks: Remember that Congress is accepting Community Project Funding requests, commonly known as earmarks. Earmarks are a funding request for a non-governmental entity to carry out a specific project; for example, a Catholic Charities agency may be provided funds for a substance abuse treatment program. Billions of dollars are still available. You should contact your member of Congress for more information on how to apply for an earmark, or please reach out to the CCUSA government relations team if you need assistance. Find your elected officials.
Please also read an Important Note Regarding Requesting Earmarks from ArentFox Schiff, the law firm CCUSA engages for assistance with relationships on the Hill.
More on earmarks: CCUSA signed a Leadership 18 letter to House leadership and the House Appropriations Committee asking them to reconsider their decision to make nonprofits ineligible for Community Project Funding (CPF) through the Department of Housing and Urban Development's FY2025 appropriations process (the Senate does not hinder nonprofits from applying for CPF funds) . The funding supports essential services to tens of millions of community members served by Leadership 18's member organizations.
Child Tax Credit: Along with other Christian communities, CCUSA signed a Circle of Protection letter to Senate leadership urging them to approve the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act, already passed by the House. The bill would expand the Child Tax Credit and lift 400,000 children out of poverty and improve the lives of an additional 3 million children. CCUSA has an active action alert concerning the CTC that individuals may send to their senators.
Economy: In the week ending April 27, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial unemployment claims was 208,000, unchanged from the previous week's revised level. The 4-week moving average was 210,000, a decrease of 3,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 213,250 to 213,500.
According to the White House, the "U.S. labor market added 175,000 jobs in April...with over 60% of private-sector industries adding jobs. The unemployment rate ticked up slightly to 3.9% --it went from 3.83% to 3.86%--and the labor force participation rate held steady at 62.7%."
Convening on homelessness: Attend one of CCUSA's regional convenings on homelessness, which will be co-hosted by local Catholic Charities agencies. The convenings are part of a three-year federal advocacy initiative to empower Catholic Charities agencies and others to advocate for national legislation and policies to prevent homelessness. At the convenings, representatives from the government, Catholic Charities agencies, and other faith-based organizations share challenges, ideas, solutions, and models of best practices for addressing homelessness. Information gathered from the convenings will be used to produce a white paper and prepare for a national summit on preventing homelessness. Registration is open for Dallas, Texas (May 7-8); Philadelphia, Pa. (June 5-6); Providence, RI (June 24-25); and Phoenix, Ariz. (Oct. 24-25). There is no cost to register, but space is limited. Also, a limited number of stipends for travel costs are available to Catholic Charities agency staff members.