John,

We’ve gotten a first glance of the cuts that could end up in the House fiscal year 2024 budget proposal and it’s worse than we could have imagined.

The extremist, right-wing faction that held up the Speaker of the House vote for four days in January are now pushing for drastic cuts to human needs programs in a supposed effort to “reduce the deficit.” You know what reduces the deficit? Increasing taxes on the wealthiest Americans, which is exactly what President Biden’s fiscal year 2024 budget does.

When people show you who they are, believe them. At a time of high inflation, stagnant wages, and skyrocketing housing costs, the first two things the right-wing did in the House this session was to rescind the $80 billion investment to the Internal Revenue Service -- to modernize technology and crack down on wealthy tax cheats -- and introduce legislation that would abolish the IRS entirely and institute a 30% consumption tax.

The extremists in Congress have no problem protecting their ultra-wealthy donors at the expense of poor families losing access to housing, nutrition, and health care.

We’re not giving up without a fight. We know that investments into programs such as housing, early childhood education, and expanding Medicaid are popular with the American public. Chip in $5 today to help us beat back these attacks on human needs programs.

In the wealthiest country on earth, it’s shameful to have millions of people go hungry or not have adequate housing.

Thank you for all you do,

Nicolai Haddal
Field and Events Manager, Coalition on Human Needs

-- DEBORAH'S EMAIL --

John,

It’s been a week since President Biden released his fiscal year 2024 budget that proposes historic investments in housing, medical care, and nutrition programs -- and right-wing extremists in Congress are determined to see those investments cut from the final budget.

While the proposed budget from the House likely won’t be available until May, House leadership has publicly stated they won’t propose cuts to Social Security or Medicare (if you believe them), or the defense budget -- which means that other human needs programs are not just slated for deep cuts; they’d be headed for extinction. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that if the House tries to get rid of the deficit while renewing the Trump tax cuts and exempting Social Security, Medicare, VA medical care, and the Pentagon from cuts, everything else except interest on the debt would have to be eliminated entirely. We have to expose this recklessness, and show how much damage would be caused by cuts even well under 100 percent.¹

We cannot allow an extremist faction in the House to derail billions of dollars of needed investments in programs that help people secure food, housing, and medicine. Donate $5 to fund our fight to pass the Biden budget and invest in vital human needs programs.

House leadership is reportedly working off of a budget outline created by Russell T. Vought, the budget director under former President Donald Trump. The outline proposes draconian cuts such as a 43% reduction for housing programs -- including phasing out the Section 8 rental voucher program entirely, eliminating the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansions -- which would affect 40 states, cut $3.4 billion in migration and refugee assistance, and add red tape barriers for SNAP and Medicaid recipients, requiring them to document work hours. Most non-disabled people who receive SNAP benefits work, but many will be tripped up in the paperwork and will lose help.^2,3

Instead of investments in our future, paid for by raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans, as President Biden’s budget would do, the right-wing is proposing massive cuts that would be economically devastating to millions of people -- many of whom are still struggling due to the COVID pandemic.

President Biden’s proposed budget shows us what a robust economy can look like when the wealthy and corporations pay their fair share and we invest in families and communities. There’s enough prosperity to go around.

We cannot allow a handful of far-right extremists to hold our national budget hostage and inflict pain and suffering onto the American public. Rush a donation of $5 today so we can fight back against these cruel cuts.

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Thank you for all you do to support human needs programs,

Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, Coalition on Human Needs

¹ Spending Reductions That Would Balance the Budget in 2033
² House G.O.P. Prepares to Slash Federal Programs in Coming Budget Showdown
³ About a Third of Families Who Received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Benefits Had Two or More People Working