The House Ways and Means Human Resources Subcommittee held a hearing, “Jobs and Opportunity: Legislative Options to Address the Jobs Gap,” with the purpose to unveil a TANF reauthorization. The reauthorization of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) was a Republican bill but in some respects was not as conservative as some had projected.
The Administration has sent up their package of rescissions totaling approximately $15 billion. The proposal, which must be acted on by appropriations committees to become effective, largely targets funds that have not yet spent. The biggest piece is CHIP reserve funds of approximately $7 billion. The funds are there in reserve in part to offset
The Child Welfare League of America has joined onto opposition to H.R. 2, an agriculture reauthorization bill that extends nutrition programs including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program. The letter CWLA has signed onto urges Members of Congress to vote no. The letter was written jointly by First Focus and the Children’s Leadership Council.
David Hansell, Commissioner, Administration for Children Services, New York City opened the CWLA Conference in the first plenary session on Thursday, April 26. Mr. Hansell focused on the recent advancements New York City has made over the past twenty years in child welfare with foster care caseloads at one time exceeding more than 50,000 children
Senator Todd Young (R-IN) wrapped up the Wednesday presentation with some brief remarks on his recent work and future priorities in the Senate. Senator Young was a prime sponsor of legislation that was included in the Family First Act, the National Electronic Interstate Compact Enterprise (NEICE). A bill intended to speed up cross-state placements of
Ben Carson, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, On Wednesday, April 25 was offering up what may be one of the first Administration responses to the President’s earlier proclamation on “welfare reform.” Carson’s initiative would raise subsidies to 35 percent of income from the current 30 percent. He also is seeking to get rid of
A new study released through the Journal of Social Work estimates the cost of U.S. child poverty totals more than $1 trillion a year. The research, Estimating the Economic Cost of Childhood Poverty in the United States, indicates that these costs are concentrated around loss of economic productivity, increased crime and health care costs, and
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has updated its deficit projections to conclude that deficits will rise to over $800 billion for this year (ending September 30) to a trillion dollars next year increasing to $1.5 trillion by 2028. The analysis was delayed from January due to Congress’s passage of the December tax package and the
The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) has released a report, Our Kids, Our Future: Solutions to Child Poverty in the U.S that provides a collection of over 20 papers that provide recommendations to significantly reduce child poverty and improve child well-being. CPAG is made up of more than two dozen national organizations including the Child
Congress returns this week, but the longest work periods are over for the 115th Congress, making it less likely anything of significance will pass between now and the election. Both houses will take a week off at the start of May, with the Memorial Day and July 4th breaks cutting into the rest of summer
