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Welcome to
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Thanks! June 19,
2006 This week Congress plans to consider two pieces of legislation that could drastically change how the federal budget is determined – and put essential programs that help our nation’s most vulnerable citizens at risk.
The House will consider a line-item veto – H.R. 4890, sponsored by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) – that’s much like the Senate version we told you about back in May. While a line-item veto would be a desirable tool, allowing the president to cut pork from appropriations bills, this version allows the president to recommend cuts to entitlement programs such as Medicaid, food stamps and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), as well as suspend expenditures on these programs for up to 90 days without the approval of Congress.
The Senate Budget Committee is scheduled to take action on S. 3521, which, among other things, involves setting up “sunset commissions.” These commissions would consist of appointed persons who would operate without public input or congressional oversight and would have the authority to recommend funding cuts for many federal programs. Congress would have only an up or down vote on recommendations from the commissions. The House may take up similar legislation as well.
While both of these measures are intended to reduce the federal deficit by putting entitlement programs on the chopping block, neither calls for the scrutiny of tax cuts, past, present or future. Such legislation will only guarantee that the gap between the very wealthy and the very poor widens.
What You
Can Do
Ending Child Poverty: Lessons Learned
In 1999, the United Kingdom made a commitment to reduce child poverty. Since then, it’s dropped by 17 percent. How did they do it? Better yet, how can we do it too? That was the subject of the recent panel discussion, “Ending Child Poverty: The United Kingdom’s Commitment, the United States’ Challenge,” during which John Hutton, the UK Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, talked about strategies for success.
Perhaps the overarching strategy is to empower families through work. This means raising the minimum wage, giving working families tax credits, having a safety net for those who lose their jobs, and increasing public investment in health care, childcare and housing. You can watch
video of the panel at the Center for American Progress’ website (you
will need QuickTime MPEG-4, which you can link to from here): http://www.americanprogress.org/site/apps/nl/content3.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=593305&ct=2583281 More Grist for the Immigrant Debate
One thing became immediately apparent when we released our report on the tax contributions made by undocumented immigrants: it is a volatile issue and many people are unwilling to look at the data if it doesn’t fit their preconceived notions. Fortunately, when it comes to looking at the contributions (tax and otherwise) undocumented immigrants make, NM Voices for Children does not stand alone.
Today’s New York Times contains a story titled “Here Illegally, Working Hard and Paying Taxes.” The well-researched piece further dispels prevalent myths about undocumented immigrants. “In contrast to the typical image of an illegal immigrant — paid in cash, working under the table for small-scale labor contractors on a California farm or a suburban construction site — a majority now work for mainstream companies, not fly-by-night operators, and are hired and paid like any other American worker,” the story states. You can read
the whole story at the New York Times’ website (which may require
free registration): http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/19/business/19illegals.html?th&emc=th Race Matters Task Force
Join us on Wednesday, July 12, 2006 at 2:30 p.m. to discuss the recommendations that resulted from the RACE MATTERS conference and how to take those recommendations forward. Visit http://www.nmvoices.org/racematters.htm for more information and to register.
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