October 28,
2005
Call on Congress to Stop Raids on Low-Income Programs
Issue
The. U.S. Congress is moving ahead with
$37-50 billion in cuts from programs that assist low-income
individuals including Medicaid, Food Stamps, foster care, SSI
for the disabled, child support enforcement, and TANF. Incredibly,
these cuts are being taken at the same time that Congress is preparing a $70+
billion tax cut bill that will primarily benefit high-income individuals. This
action is completely unacceptable to social workers and the clients they serve.
Action Needed
Contact your Members of Congress and tell them to oppose budget
cuts in low-income programs and tax cut give a ways to taxpayers
who do not need them. Use a pre-drafted letter on the NASW
Web site to contact your Members of Congress http://63.66.87.48/cweb4/index.cfm?orgcode=NASW
What to Say
As a social worker, I have witnessed with grief and frustration
the loss of life, preventable illness, and human suffering
that result from natural disasters, poverty, and discrimination
as well as from the ordinary life difficulties that can devastate
individuals, families, and communities. I urge you to not finance
more tax cuts for the wealthy on the backs of our nation’s
most vulnerable citizens. Please oppose cuts in federal programs
such as Medicaid, food stamps, educational loans, and child
welfare. Now is not the time to sap revenues for essential
federal programs through more misguided tax cuts for high-income
individuals.
Background
Within the next few days the full House and Senate will consider
cuts to Medicaid, Food Stamps, foster care, student loans,
child support, SSI, and TANF. Incredibly, GOP congressional
leaders are using hurricane relief funding as an excuse to
cut basic human needs programs while giving far larger tax
cuts to the wealthy taxpayers. The GOP budget
will actually INCREASE the deficit by over $20 billion due
to the unnecessary tax cuts, while simultaneously cutting key
human needs spending including:
- Poor children in foster care: Would cut
$600 million over 5 years for abused and neglected children
by undermining the ability of grandparents and other family
members to care for children who need their support
- SSI for elders or people with disabilities: Would
cut $730 million over 5 years by making poor seniors or people
with disabilities wait longer for Supplemental Security Income
(SSI) payments they are owed
- Children owed child support: Would
cut $5 billion for child support enforcement over 5 years
reducing the amount of child support collected by $8 billion
over 5 years and $24 billion over 10 years
- TANF and Child Care: Would cut
the original inadequate $1 billion in child care funding
to$500 million, while increasing TANF
work hours and participation rates, estimated to cost states
over $6 billion to implement
- Food Stamps: Would cut $1.4 billion over
5 years by further limiting access to Food Stamps for TANF
recipients, legal immigrants, and low-income, able-bodied
adults without dependents
- Medicaid Cuts: The Senate
and House have many differences over changes in the program,
but both propose billions in cuts in services.
- Student loans: Would
cut $14.5 billion over 5 years by changing the interest rate
structure for consolidated loans and reducing lender subsidies,
the costs of which are likely to be passed on to student
borrowers
|
About
NASW