The Coalition on Human Needs just released our latest edition of the Human Needs Report, a regular newsletter on national policy affecting low-income and vulnerable populations. Read on for articles on Congress’s tax cut bill, avoiding a shutdown, disaster aid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, Dreamers, and more.

Click here for a PDF version of the Human Needs Report.

Negotiations on Final Tax Bill Hit Some Snags
House and Senate leaders were expected to release this week a merged tax bill that works out the differences in the versions previously passed by the two chambers, but the latest reports are that final votes will be delayed until the week of December 18. Differences among Republicans have not all been resolved. Advocates are fighting hard against these tax cuts, calling them a one-two-three punch inflicted on low- and middle-income Americans. READ MORE »

Congress Avoids a Shutdown – For Now – With Two-Week Stopgap
With little time to spare, Congress agreed to a two-week stopgap spending bill to avoid a government shutdown. The House passed (235-193) the bill, known as a Continuing Resolution, on Thursday, December 7, with the Senate following (81-14) later that day, just one day before the previous CR expired. The CR will provide flat funding for most government operations through December 22. The bill also provides funding to allow states to continue to run the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) through the end of the month, and extends funding for the federal flood insurance program through Dec. 22 for communities rebuilding from recent hurricanes. READ MORE »

Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and Others Wait for Needed Disaster Aid
Months after hurricanes hit Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Texas, and Florida, the need for additional funding to help these communities rebuild is still great. On Nov. 17, the Trump administration submitted a request to Congress for an additional $44 billion in aid for these areas. Many lawmakers on both sides of the aisle quickly denounced the request as being inadequate; Puerto Rico’s governor, for example, has requested an additional $94.4 billion in aid for the territory alone. READ MORE »

Children’s Health Insurance Program Gets Temporary Support, but Long-Term Funding is Needed
While Congress has yet to come to an agreement on renewing long-term funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), community health centers (CHCs), and several other health-related programs, states will have money to continue their CHIP programs through the end of December thanks to a provision of the two-week stopgap funding measure Congress passed last week. Funding for CHIP expired on September 30; officials in nearly a dozen states are either already notifying families or are preparing to notify families that CHIP health insurance coverage may end soon due to lack of federal funding. READ MORE »

Despite Bipartisan Support, DACA Deal Still in Limbo
Members of Congress and President Trump still have yet to agree upon a legislative solution for Dreamers, months after the President announced in September that he was rescinding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Advocates rallied in Washington, D.C. and across the country last week for a fix for the 122 Dreamers who are being discontinued from DACA each day – more than 10,000 so far. Advocates have been pushing to attach a DACA fix to the stopgap spending bill that will need to be passed later this month to fund the government into the next year. READ MORE »

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