NYS Organizations Call on Congress to Oppose Federal Budget Cuts to Critical Programs

 

New York, NY – On May 10, 2018, the New York Federal Budget Response Team submitted the following letter on behalf of 75 service providers and advocacy organizations (listed below) asking members of Congress to fully fund and defend critical programs from budget cuts. 

 

Dear New York State Congressmember:

 

We, the undersigned organizations representing New York’s social services sector, write to express our strong opposition to the partisan Farm Bill, put forth by President Trump and Congressional Republicans, that would end or reduce food assistance for a substantial number of low-income New Yorkers, including children in working families.

 

Moreover, even though the President’s budget was largely rejected, we are deeply concerned about the flawed policy proposals contained within, many of which have been echoed by Speaker Ryan and other congressional leaders under the banner of so-called “welfare reform” and now “workforce development.” Make no mistake, these are code words for making cuts to Medicaid, housing, and other programs that, when full funded, strengthen the economy, improve the quality of life for all New Yorkers, and demonstrate how we as a State value opportunity and dignity.

 

They seek every opportunity to make deep cuts to services that support low- and middle-income families, children, older adults, and people with disabilities, predictably citing the soaring federal deficit exacerbated by the outlandish $1.9 trillion in tax cuts – 80% of which will flow to the top 1%.

 

In New York, 840,000 children are lifted above the poverty line each year by safety net programs; 597,000 residents were lifted out of poverty by the earned income tax credit and child tax credit from 2011 - 2013; 576,000 low-income households rely on federal rental assistance; 2,968,000 residents received SNAP in FY 2016; and hundreds of thousands more rely on investments in job training, education, and other social services. More information on the programs included in non-defense discretionary is available here.

 

We call on the New York congressional delegation to fully fund these programs and defend them from budget cuts, ensuring that everyone has access to the services they need to live healthy and productive lives.

 

The Federal Tax and Budget Response Team is a state-based coalition whose steering committee includes FPWA, Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New York, Fiscal Policy Institute, Human Services Council of New York, United Neighborhood Houses, and more. Last year’s effort saw more than 100 New York organizations sign on to urge Congress to reject budget cuts.

 

Source: Mercury