League Joins Letter Opposing Trump Administration's Rescissions Package

Group Letter Opposing the Trump Administration’s Rescissions (Funding Cuts) Package (sent to all House and Senate offices)
May 22, 2018

Dear Representative/Senator:

The undersigned 151 national organizations strongly urge you to reject the $15.3 billion rescissions package proposed by the Trump Administration as well as other rescissions messages that may be subsequently offered. These cuts would violate the agreement enacted in the Bipartisan Budget Act, by eliminating funds that make fairer levels of domestic appropriations possible, so that unmet needs in public health, education, job training, housing, and other essential areas may be addressed.

The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is targeted for nearly half the cuts in the rescissions package. Nearly $2 billion of the rescinded funds could reduce CHIP’s capacity to respond if enrollment unexpectedly rises, as in the aftermath of a disaster, large layoffs due to plant closures, or an overall economic slowdown. Congress just enacted a long-overdue 10-year reauthorization of CHIP; it should not undermine that bipartisan agreement either by tampering with CHIP in this package. Another $5 billion would renege on the two-year Bipartisan Budget Act agreement, which in part counted on the availability of unspent CHIP funds to pay for needed increases in other services of importance to children and families.

The rescissions package also includes an $800 million cut to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, a program which according to the Congressional Budget Office will save $3 for every $1 spent between 2017 and 2026. It makes no sense to end such a cost-effective investment. Nor does it make sense to describe this package of cuts as putting “…our Nation on a sustainable fiscal path” when the recently enacted tax cuts, mainly for the wealthy and corporations, impose a $2 trillion cost.

Congress made important progress in the FY 2018 Omnibus appropriations bill because its bipartisan agreement allowed for increases in child care, opioid treatment, and other services. Congress should now turn its attention to building on this progress in FY 2019. Reneging on the hard-won bipartisan agreements now will make further gains extremely difficult. With the limited number of legislative days before you, please do not be distracted by undoing past progress.

We cannot emphasize enough that basic needs programs have lost ground after years of reductions, making it extremely important that you do not undermine the agreement to start to reverse these downward trends. Adult and youth job training has been cut nearly 15 percent since FY 2010, adjusted for inflation. If we are serious about helping people to get good jobs, we must undo these cuts. Many other services need rebuilding, such as home heating and cooling assistance (cut nearly 38 percent since FY 2010), juvenile justice programs (cut more than 40 percent), maternal and child health programs (cut 14 percent), and special education funding (cut between 7-11 percent since FY 2010). In an analysis of more than 180 human needs programs, the Coalition on Human Needs found that nearly 70 percent are still at lower levels than in FY 2010.

Please reject this rescissions package, and turn instead to your real responsibility: to provide adequate resources to address the unmet needs for education and training, child care, housing, health care, and other essential services.

Sincerely,

Action on Smoking and Health ADAP Advocacy Association
Advance CTE
African American Health Alliance
AFSCME
AIDS United
Allied Progress
American Association of People with Disabilities
American Association on Health and Disability
American Federation of Teachers
Americans for Democratic Action (ADA)
Asian Americans Advancing Justice - AAJC
Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges
Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs
Autism Society of America
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Bend the Arc Jewish Action
CAEAR Coalition
Campaign for Youth Justice
Center for Community Change Action
Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO)
Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)
Center for Popular Democracy Action
Center for Public Representation
Ceres Policy Research
Child Care Aware of America
Child Welfare League of America
Children's Defense Fund
Children's Leadership Council
Children’s Advocacy Institute
Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation
Coalition for Health Funding
Coalition for Juvenile Justice
Coalition on Human Needs
Community Access National Network (CANN)
Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, US Provinces
Council on Social Work Education
Disciples Center for Public Witness
Dominican Sisters Conference
Dominican Sisters of Peace
Ecumenical Poverty Initiative
Equal Rights Advocates
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Every Child Matters
Faith in Public Life
Families USA
Family Focused Treatment Association
Food & Water Watch
Food Research & Action Center (FRAC)
Forum for Youth Investment
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Friends of the Earth - US
Girls Inc.
Grounded Solutions Network
Health Care for America Now
Healthy Teen Network
HEAR US Inc.
Hispanic Federation
HIV Medicine Association
Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters, USA-JPIC
Housing Works, Inc.
International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, UAW
Justice in Aging
Lakeshore Foundation
Leadership Conference of Women Religious
League of Women Voters of the United States
LIFT
Main Street Alliance
Mom2Mom Global
MomsRising
NAACP
NARAL Pro-Choice America
National Action Network
National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
National Alliance of HUD Tenants
National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities
National Association of Counsel for Children
National Association of Regional Councils
National Association of Social Workers
National Association of State Head Injury Administrators
National Association for Bilingual Education
National Black Justice Coalition
National Coalition for the Homeless
National Coalition of STD Directors
National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low income clients)
National Council of Jewish Women
National Crittenton
National Disability Institute
National Domestic Workers Alliance
National Education Association
National Employment Law Project
National Employment Lawyers Association
National Housing Trust
National Indian Education Association
National Juvenile Justice Network
National Low Income Housing Coalition
National Network for Youth
National Network to End Domestic Violence
National Organization for Women
National Urban League
National WIC Association
National Women's Health Network
National Women's Law Center
New Progressive Alliance
North American Passionists, JPIC
People Demanding Action
People For the American Way
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Poligon Education Fund
Provincial Council Clerics of St. Viator (Viatorians)
Public Advocacy for Kids
Public Citizen
Rachel Carson Council
Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Coalition
Raising Women's Voices for the Health Care We Need
RESULTS
Ryan White Medical Providers Coalition
Safer Foundation
School Social Work Association of America
Service Employees International Union
Sinsinawa Dominicans
Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Western Province Leadership
Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Sisters of Mercy South Central Community
SocioEnergetics Foundation
Somerset Development Company
SparkAction
StoptheDrugWar.org
Strategies for Youth, Inc.
Students for Sensible Drug Policy
The Arc of the United States
The Children’s Partnership
The John Leary Organization
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
The United Methodist Church - General Board of Church and Society
Transportation Learning Center
Treatment Action Group
Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance
UnidosUS
United Church of Christ
United Methodist Women
Voices for Progress
W. Haywood Burns Institute
WildWest Institute
Woodhull Freedom Foundation
Woodstock Institute
Workplace Fairness
Young Invincibles
Youth Service America
YWCA USA
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