Home > Take Action > Action Alert - 12/19/05

Action Needed Immediately!

Over the weekend negotiators on the budget reconciliation conference finalized the package. The bright spot in what can only be called a very bad bill is that the food stamp cuts are entirely out. But cuts in other low-income programs are very serious, and therefore the bill would most certainly increase hunger and food insecurity among low-income people. The bill, which contains nearly $40 billion in cuts over 5 years, passed the House around dawn today by a vote of 212 to 206. The Senate is expected to take up the conference report this afternoon, with a vote expected tonight or tomorrow. While calls to all Senators are very important, it is urgently important that these Senators hear from their constituents:

Chafee (RI), Coleman (MN), Collins (ME), DeWine (OH), Landrieu (LA), Nelson (NE), Smith (OR), Snowe (ME), Specter (PA), Talent (MO) and Voinovich (OH).

Please use the toll-free number: 800-426-8073. Ask to be connected to your Senators, and tell them:

• Please vote NO on the budget reconciliation conference report (S. 1932).

• It hurts low- income children, families, the elderly and disabled.

• Do not allow these one-sided sacrifices to be directed at low-income Americans while Congress is preparing to give still more tax breaks to the rich.

Talking Points:

Budget Agreement Would Increase Hunger
Through Other Cuts in Aid for the Poor

The Reconciliation bill does not include any of the harsh food stamp cuts included in the House version. We thank all of you who helped make this happen. And when you call, if the Senator played a role in stopping the food stamp cuts, you should thank him/her for that. But the bill otherwise provides little reason to celebrate. The other cuts to critical low-income assistance programs would themselves cause an increase in hunger. By shifting billions of dollars away from low-income families and straining their household budgets, these other cuts would further reduce resources available to these households for food.

Medicaid. Low-income families will have to pay more than they can afford for medical care under Medicaid and will face shrinking benefits. The bill contains nearly $29 billion in Medicaid cuts over ten years ($7 billion over five) that would directly affect low-income families by increasing their out-of-pocket health costs or reducing the services Medicaid covers. One study from Oregon showed that one-third of low-income households that were subject to increased health care costs (as a result of increases in co-payments and premiums and reductions in covered services) had to cut back on food to pay for medical costs.

Child Support. Children will be deprived of $2.9 billion over 5 years/$8.4 billion over 10 years in child support not collected because of cuts in enforcement. The bill contains deep cuts in federal funding for activities that enforce child support obligations. In recent years, states have stepped up efforts to ensure that non-custodial parents pay the child support they owe. This helps ensure that the parents caring for children can afford necessities like food, rent, clothing, child care, and health care.

TANF and Child Care. The bill imposes very expensive new work requirements on states without providing the needed funds to cover increased child care demands. According to CBO, the amount available to states would be $11 billion less over five years than what they would need to meet the work requirements and maintain their current child care programs for low-income working families. Many states would have no choice but to scale back child care slots for working poor families. Without help to cover their child care costs, many parents would have to cut back on food and other essentials. Some parents could be forced to leave work if they can not afford child care.

Suggested Talking Points

I’m calling today to urge the Senator to vote against the budget reconciliation conference agreement. While there are no food stamps cuts in the package, and we appreciate that, this bill still could lead to increased hunger in our community because of the other ways it hurts low-income people.

This bill would cut vital low-income assistance programs like Medicaid, child support and SSI. Anti-hunger groups, food banks and pantries know that families and individuals often buy less food when other parts of their budget are squeezed. This bill would strip low-income people in our community of the very basic help that they need.

Our food banks and pantries can barely keep up with the needs families have today. Vote no against the budget bill.

For additional assistance or feedback, contact evollinger@frac.org; eteller@frac.org; or ichavez@frac.org.

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