Today the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives started
debating their 2016 budget resolutions. Votes on these budgets will
determine anti-hunger policy for the rest of this year and beyond.
If passed, the proposed budget cuts could lead to devastating
increases in hunger and poverty in the U.S. and abroad. For example:
- The
House budget proposal drastically cuts SNAP (formerly the Food Stamp
Program) by at least 34 percent, the equivalent of up to 220 missed meals annually for
each SNAP participant.
- Both
budget plans would repeal the Affordable Care Act and block grant Medicaid,
making deep cuts to health coverage for low-income people.
- Lifesaving international programs
would be cut by 16 percent in the House budget. Funding for
our international humanitarian aid budget has already been cut by 22
percent – we can’t afford any further cuts.
- Sixty-nine
percent of the budget cuts in both the House and
Senate come directly from programs impacting low-income people – placing the burden on
those who are already suffering.
- Both
House and Senate budgets allow to expire critical tax
relief for the poorest workers, through the Earned Income Tax
Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC), plunging 16 million people,
including 8 million children, into deeper poverty.
- Both
budgets keep the automatics budget cuts of 2011 (called sequestration) in
place – and cut even further.
This puts programs like WIC, food aid, and poverty focused development
assistance in grave danger.
Raise your voice with thousands of faithful advocates. Call your Senators and
Representative at (800) 826-3688 in the next 24 hours. Urge them to oppose cuts
to programs that are working to end hunger and poverty in the U.S. and around
the world.
For more information on proposed budget cuts to programs
that serve the most vulnerable people, visit our
blog.
* Many thanks to Bread for the World for
use of their 800-number and permission to reprint an excerpt of their action
alert.
