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Protect Key Nutrition and Health Programs in Deficit Reduction
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Ensure that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps), Medicaid, and child health and nutrition programs are protected from cuts or restructuring in deficit reduction.
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Oppose any cuts to the SNAP, Medicaid, and other nutrition and health programs in deficit reduction and/or the final Farm Bill.
Support a bipartisan, balanced approach to deficit reduction that includes revenues and protects critical investments in fighting hunger.
Download our 2013 Nutrition Request Sheet.
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The Senate passed its Farm Bill (S.954) on June 10 with a bipartisan vote of 66 to 27. It includes $4.1 billion in cuts to SNAP. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced an amendment to restore the SNAP cuts during debate but it was defeated.Amendments to deepen the cuts were also defeated.
The House Agriculture Committee passed the House Farm Bill (H.R.1947) on May 15. It includes almost $21 billion in cuts over 10 years to SNAP, which could force 2 million people off the program. The full House is expected to take up the bill in mid-June.
The current extension of the Farm Bill expires in September 2013. SNAP benefits are already scheduled to decrease in November 2013 as the temporary benefit increase under the Recovery Act expires.
For more details, updates, and actions you can take to protect SNAP, see our Recent Developments in Nutrition and Health Policies page.
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Using Tax Policy to Create Opportunities to Move from Poverty to Prosperity
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Ensure that low-income Americans continue to have access to vital income supports such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and working to enact asset building strategies, including the Family Financial Security Credit (FFSC).
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Protect the EITC and CTC from cuts or changes in deficit reduction efforts and work to make recent improvements to the tax credits permanent.
Imbed asset building policies such as the FFSC in tax reform legislation.
Support a bipartisan, balanced approach to deficit reduction that includes revenues.
Download our 2013 Tax Policy Request Sheet.
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The House budget proposal threatens EITC and CTC, while the Senate budget makes the recent EITC and CTC improvements permanent. House and Senate tax committee leaders have been meeting to discuss broad tax reform. Tax reform could give us the opportunity to strengthen the EITC and CTC but it also gives oppoenents the chance to scale back these provisions. Congress and the President may also reach an agreement on an overall deficit reduction framework in 2013 that could include reforms to the tax code.
For more details, updates, and actions you can take to protect the EITC and CTC, see our Recent Developments in Economic Opportunity page.
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Early Childhood Development: Smart Investments in the Early Years
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Ensure that low-income families continue to have access to quality early childhood services, in particular Head Start, Early Head Start, and child care assistance.
Note: RESULTS’ early childhood work will be on a targeted, as-needed basis in 2013.
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Fund Head Start, Early Head Start, and the Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) at the highest possible levels in FY 2014 and restore the cuts created by sequestration.
Support a bipartisan, balanced approach to deficit reduction that includes revenues and protects critical investments in early childhood.
Download our 2013 Early Childhood Request Sheet.
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Sequestration (automatic five percent cuts) began March 1. Congress passed a FY 2013 Continuing Resolution in March (Senate: 73-26; House: 318-109) that includes an additional $50 million for child care and a $33.5 million increase for Head Start (the goal was an $825 million increase for child care and a $325 million increase for Head Start.
Early learning funding for FY 2014 will not be addressed until late spring or summer of 2013 at the earliest.
For more details, updates, and actions you can take to protect Head Start and child care, see our Recent Developments in Early Childhood Development Policies page.
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Empowering Grassroots Activists: Grassroots Health and Expansion
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Work to expand our grassroots reach and impact by adding new RESULTS groups and volunteers around the country. Specifically, our goal is 31 active RESULTS U.S. Poverty groups and 190 active volunteers in 30 states by the end of 2013.
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Key action for RESULTS volunteers/allies: urge contacts to sign up for our Action Network and attend an upcoming RESULTS Introductory Call.
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We currently have 168 active U.S. Poverty volunteers in 27 groups that cover 25 states.
Our work to expand RESULTS’ reach and impact in the grassroots is an ongoing and yearlong process.
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