#HandsOff Health Care And Other Stories….

A broad coalition of national organizations, including the Center for American Progress, Indivisible, the Coalition on Human Needs, the National Low Income Housing Coalition, and over a dozen more, is spearheading a campaign to oppose cuts to federal programs that fund human needs, health care, education, and other essential domestic programs. HandsOff.org is collecting stories from those who benefit from the programs the President and the Republican-led Congress aim to cut, in order to raise awareness about the devastating impact on real people that would occur. Anyone can share their story on the website or participate in their social media campaign. SEVCA took the opportunity to get involved in the social media campaign at the recent Community in Action event.

Trump’s budget proposal for FY18 would make severe cuts to SNAP (food stamps), Medicaid, housing, and education (including Pell grants for low-income students), eliminate LIHEAP (fuel assistance), and the list goes on and on. The proposal disproportionately attacks programs that help individuals and families with low incomes, which account for only 29% of non-defense spending but would bear 60% of the proposed non-defense cuts (according to an analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities).

In other news, after an initial set-back in the House’s attempt to repeal Obamacare, the House succeeded in passing a bill that was in many respects worse than their first attempt, and would cause an estimated 23 million people to lose their health coverage. The Senate could take up the health care bill as early as this month. An excellent summary of these and other stories, as well as recommendations for taking action, can be found on the Voices for Human Needs blog.