Once again, the Trump Administration and Congress are headed towards the brink. In September, services we need may come to a screeching halt unless new funding levels and the federal government’s authority to borrow are renewed. Since Congress will be leaving for August recess in a few weeks, these vital funding conversations are happening this week! Congress must act soon to agree on spending levels and to raise the limits on federal borrowing (the “debt ceiling”).
And the time to speak out is NOW!
What we need: The Senate must agree to funding levels for next year that match or raise the levels already passed by the House. This includes funding for programs like education, housing, WIC and other nutrition, child care, an accurate census, public health and safety, and much more. The House levels protect and/or expand a wide range of vital services.
What we don’t need: Another manufactured, unprecedented crisis. If the federal government cannot borrow because it hits the debt ceiling, federal payments will stop, hurting families and doing gruesome damage to our economy. If new funding is not agreed to in time, there will be another government shutdown. Congress and the Trump Administration can avert these dual crises by acting this month and doing the job we sent them to Washington to do. If they don’t act now and let us slide closer to the brink, it is far more likely that funding will be cut – that’s what Trump wants – as Congress scrambles to avoid another shutdown and economic meltdown.
On Monday, July 22nd, please join in a National Call-in Day.
Call 1-888-668-8919 and tell your Senator:
“Before you leave for recess, please enact a 2-year budget deal to match or raise House levels to fund services all American families need like childcare, housing, and healthcare, and to prevent an economic crisis by raising the debt ceiling."
If Congress does not agree to lift funding levels, there will be automatic cuts next year (known as the sequester). Instead of much-needed progress in funding child care, opioid treatment, education, etc., there will be painful cuts, about 10 percent below this year’s funding. Our families, children, seniors, and communities of color will be the deepest hurt and most impacted. Thankfully, the House has set spending levels high enough to make some real progress; that’s why we’re asking the Senate and the Trump Administration to agree to at least the House levels. Trump has previously called for deep cuts; the Senate has not yet acted on funding for next year. And we’re calling for a two-year budget deal to prevent another crisis smack in the middle of the 2020 election campaigns.
Many thanks for your efforts, and for our friends at the Coalition on Human Needs and MomsRising for making the toll-free number available!
More on Disaster Relief
Last month, a disaster aid package was passed that provides $19.1 billion for disaster recovery for communities impacted by disasters in 2017, 2018, and 2019. To address long-term rebuilding needs, the bill provides $2.431 billion in Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding, including $304 million to help Puerto Rico meet FEMA match requirements.
Now, thanks to the advocacy of the NLIHC-led Disaster Housing
Recovery Coalition, the House Financial Services Committee voted this week to advance H.R. 3702, the "Reforming Disaster Recovery Act of 2019," with strong bi-partisan support. A similar bill is expected to be introduced in the Senate.
The final bill includes many critical
reforms to help ensure that the federal government’s
long-term disaster recovery program – Community Development Block Grant –
Disaster Recovery grants (CDBG-DR) – better serve the lowest-income survivors and their
communities. If enacted, the bill would help target CDBG-DR resources to
survivors with the greatest needs, ensure greater data transparency and
oversight, protect civil rights and fair housing, and encourage mitigation and
resiliency.
For more details on the Reforming
Disaster Recovery Act, check out the DHRC’s factsheet
and NLIHC’s press
release.
To help build on this success, we’re asking all DHRC
members to call their Representatives and urge them to sponsor H.R. 3702.
