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John,
For 40 years the Coalition on Human Needs has been at the forefront of advocating for robust policies that directly improve the lives of children and families living on the margins.
While this year’s end-of-year spending bill included great investments in early childhood education and health care priorities, it fell woefully short in other areas -- namely, the exclusion of the expanded Child Tax Credit.
Due to political gridlock -- and Mitch McConnell refusing to even consider its extension -- the Child Tax Credit expansion that cut child poverty by almost half and was transformative for families and communities wasn’t included in the bill, and now 19 million children will lose some or all of today’s smaller credit because their parents make too little money to qualify.
Next year we’ll have a divided Congress and it’ll make it much more difficult to get human needs policies passed. But, we will still have leverage because, thanks to you, Democrats rejected corporate tax breaks in the year-end spending bill.
When Congress returns, we must make sure that they hold firm on no corporate tax giveaways without passing an expanded CTC for children and families. We refuse to give up the fight!
We will not give up on children and families who are suffering due to lack of investment by our government. Chip in $5 to fuel our work for the new year and new Congress!
If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your secure donation will go through immediately:
Thank you for everything you do,
Nicolai Haddal
Field and Events Manager, Coalition on Human Needs
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John,
The Senate Appropriations Committee has released details of the FY 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Bill and, while we didn’t get everything we wanted for vulnerable communities, there were some wins that are great achievements and should be celebrated this holiday season. A few of our wins are:
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An increase in both the Medicaid federal funding and federal matching rate for Puerto Rico
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A year of uninterrupted Medicaid coverage for children, preventing loss of health care because of bureaucratic hurdles
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Summer food benefits for children who qualify for free school meals
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A 30 percent increase in affordable child care funding (to $8 billion) and $12 billion for Head Start
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$3.6 billion for Homeless Assistance Grants, and new Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers to support over 11,700 additional low-income households
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$5 billion for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to help families address the rising cost of heat and cooling
At the same time, we must call out Mitch the Grinch who reportedly refused to negotiate a plan that would include an expanded Child Tax Credit. We cannot overstate the significance of the expanded, monthly CTC: child poverty was cut by almost half last year. Not extending the Child Tax Credit will have disastrous outcomes that will reverberate for generations.
Time after time, Mitch the Grinch has taken public pleasure in cutting funding for critical domestic spending programs.
All hope is not lost. We plan on coming back stronger than ever in 2023 to keep fighting for the expanded Child Tax Credit and to protect and increase funding for critically needed programs. Just look at this statement from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) at our 40th anniversary dinner earlier this year:
"CHN continues to be a force of the dignity of every person, bringing together new and battle tested activists alike. You have mobilized a united front in the fight for justice and equity."
We’re not giving up and neither should you. With your year end contribution of $5, we can continue our vital fight for programs that benefit the least among us. Please, pitch in today!
If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your secure donation will go through immediately:
There will be new challenges in the new year, but we know with supporters like you standing right along with us, there’s nothing we can’t tackle.
Thank you for all you do to support vulnerable communities,
Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, Coalition on Human Needs
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