On September 23rd, 2022, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) released a new paper highlighting the success of the Expanded Child Tax Credit in reducing childhood poverty and the need for Congress to come to a bipartisan agreement to extend this important policy. The paper notes that, "the expansion helped lower child poverty
With the end of the fiscal year quickly approaching, Congress will need to take action to keep the government from shutting down on October 1st. At this time, the Four Corners (the four top Appropriators in the House and Senate) have not come to an agreement on the top-line numbers necessary to start budget proceedings,
Major child welfare legislation that is up for reauthorization this year is still pending, with negotiations continuing among the committee staff and leadership. The House has passed the Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), but the Senate HELP committee continues to negotiate its version of the CAPTA Reauthorization bill. Both the House and
On Tuesday, August 16, 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, marking a significant win for his administration that meets several of his campaign promises. As previously reported, this spending bill was negotiated primarily between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) and focuses on climate change, healthcare,
On Sunday, August 7th, 2022, the Senate passed its historic spending bill that will address climate change, healthcare, and taxes on a strictly party-line vote, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the final vote to break the 50-50 tie. This reconciliation package was negotiated primarily between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Joe
On Wednesday, July 27th, 2022, Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced that they had reached a deal on a budget reconciliation package, two weeks after negotiations on climate change fell apart. The news came as a surprise to many colleagues, as the two Senators met in secret to discuss the details and
On Thursday, July 28th, 2022, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) released the twelve Senate Appropriations bills. These bills spend nearly $1.7 trillion for fiscal year 2023 and represent the priorities and stances of the Senate Democrats; appropriators still have not reached an agreement on top-line spending numbers, and Republican leaders have indicated that
The Senate continues to work on a slimmed-down budget reconciliation package that would extend ACA subsidies for two years and allow Medicare to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription drug costs on certain drugs. Senate leadership expects to vote on the package before the August recess.
On June 21, 2022, the Nonprofit Organization Adoptees for Justice held a Story Circle to bring awareness to the experiences of adoptees living without citizenship. They elevated the voices of two adoptees who live in the United States and two who were deported. Joe, Jang, Daniel, and Emily were all able to share their stories
On Wednesday, June 15th, Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-ID), Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) and Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) released a discussion draft for youth mental health care policies. This discussion draft follows a Request for Information (RFI) in the fall of 2021 and four subsequent committee hearings. The
