Social Workers Oppose Harmful Budget Cuts

NASW takes action against slicing domestic programs

WASHINGTON – With 37 million people living in poverty before the hurricanes and thousands more facing a new, disheartening reality, the National Association of Social Workers is working against the budget cuts to essential services, such as Medicaid, Food Stamps and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.  In the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, some lawmakers are calling for more than $50 billion in cuts.

NASW knows that the essential services that are on the chopping block are the very services that are needed to help the most vulnerable cope with the disasters:

• Medicaid serves as a vital lifeline for those who cannot afford quality healthcare.  It is more important today because there are thousands of families who have lost their medical assistance because of the disasters. The proposed cuts also would severely damage community mental health services just when they are sorely needed to treat both the immediate and long-term effects of devastated lives and communities.  
• Food Stamps have been issued to hundreds of thousands of hurricane survivors.  Cuts to this service will mean that those in need will be forced to survive with less.
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families has provided necessary funds to provide support for families while parents seek employment. It, too, is assistance that was necessary before and even more so after the disasters.

“It’s mind-boggling that in reaction to the cost of Katrina recovery, powerful voices in Congress are calling for such deep cuts across domestic programs,” says NASW Senior Government Relations Associate, Cynthia Woodside.  “And, that they have not stopped the plans for still more tax breaks for the wealthy.”

Social workers know that the problems of poverty and social justice are not individual problems.  They are societal problems that directly or indirectly affect each American.  Since the government has failed to address the root causes of poverty in any meaningful or comprehensive way, these vital services help ensure vulnerable people’s ability to survive and find a sense of normalcy.

NASW is encouraging members and others to call their Senators and Representatives to voice their opinions about the priorities in the budget debates.  Says NASW’s Woodside, “Social workers and other caring Americans have an opportunity to get Congress to refocus the country’s priorities. Now is the time to address the needs of all Americans, not just those in the highest income brackets.” 

For more information, please contact NASW Communications at 202-336-8228 or media@naswdc.org.

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW), in Washington, DC, is the largest membership organization of professional social workers with 150,000 members. It promotes, develops, and protects the practice of social work and social workers. NASW also seeks to enhance the well being of individuals, families, and communities through its advocacy.