Letter - People Power United joins coalition efforts for a budget to pass without cuts and poison pill riders
🗽A well informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.
People Power United joined other local, state, and national groups to urge Congress to pass a budget without cuts and poison pill riders. Shout out to Coalition on Human Needs for leading these efforts.
Here is the letter sent on behalf of our People Power United membership to all members of Congress:
November 13, 2023
Dear Representative/Senator:
The 260 undersigned organizations urge you to fulfill Congress’ most basic duty: to keep essential government services running. Congress must pass a bipartisan, bicameral continuing resolution (CR) including emergency funding to address urgent domestic funding needs including nutrition services such as WIC, child care, energy assistance, the substance use crisis, disaster relief, broadband access, and other critical priorities. We urge Congress to include the Administration’s domestic anomalies and supplemental requests in the next CR. It is imperative that these emergencies receive the aid needed without being subject to any caps or offsets.
We urge you to support a CR, and ultimately long-term bipartisan spending bills, free of poison pill policy riders that are harmful and/or irrelevant to the functions of government. Such a CR will ensure that federal programs continue to serve essential needs while Congress works in good faith to finish FY24 funding legislation as soon as possible to provide for a robust, stable economy and a secure nation by sufficiently supporting the vital services that help our communities thrive.
Political gamesmanship has wasted precious weeks and resources. Congress must consider and address the nation’s urgent funding needs by reaching an agreement on final FY 24 appropriations without further unnecessary delays and political games. Despite the budget levels set in the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, which in itself presents funding challenges for many programs and services on which we all rely, the House moved forward FY24 budget bills that violate the spirit of the agreement by including draconian cuts to non-defense discretionary spending, hundreds of poison pill policy riders, and significant recissions that, for example, would undermine our nation’s fight against climate change and the ability of the IRS to hold wealthy tax cheats accountable.
The Senate has passed its first bipartisan appropriations package and the Senate Appropriations Committee has completed all 12 bills on a bipartisan basis, consistent with the bipartisan spirit of the agreement negotiated by Speaker McCarthy and President Biden. Congress must pass bipartisan appropriations bills to fund a wide range of important programs and services. Examples include: assistance with housing and child care for low-income families, rural development, support for education and job training, scientific and medical research, medical care, veterans’ services, aging services, life-saving services for people with disabilities, environmental protections so we can breathe clean air and drink clean water, substance use disorder and mental health treatment, infrastructure investments including sewage treatment, public transportation systems and safe roads, flood control and navigation improvements, diplomacy, humanitarian aid and development, courts and reentry programs, public safety programs, assistance for small businesses, and many other programs to strengthen our communities.
Ultimately, we hope Congress will recognize that the funding caps are unrealistic and harmful and that in the future, the appropriations process should start from what agencies and our communities actually require, not arbitrary numbers that are untethered from the realities of what the nation needs. Federal investments make our states, counties, cities, and towns run efficiently and serve public needs. States rely on federal investments for more than one-third of their budgets, to ensure the availability of essential services to workers, retirees, people with disabilities, and families. State and local governments are already facing cliffs as significant pandemic aid ends this fiscal year while urgent needs persist. Additional discretionary cuts coupled with this cliff would be deeply harmful.
In summary, our country needs Congress to push past the chaos and focus on the basics: keeping the essential government services running and passing bipartisan funding bills that place the needs of Americans and the public interest first.
Signed,
ACA Consumer Advocacy
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
ADAP Advocacy
Advocates for Children of NJ
AFSCME
Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program
American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research
American Association of University Women
American Federation of Teachers
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)
American Indian Higher Education Consortium
American Psychological Association Services
Americans for Democratic Action (ADA)
APLA Health
Ashland County Aging Unit Inc.
Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence
Association for Gerontology and Human Development in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
Association for Prevention Teaching and Research
Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs (AFOP)
B J Enterprises CACFP
Bethel Area Food Shelf
BLM860 and GTA860
Brightpoint
Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation
Buen Vecino
California Association of Food Banks
California Center for Rural Policy
California NOW
Campaign for America's Future
Campaign for Working Families, Inc.
Campaign to Invest in America's Workforce
Caring Across Generations
CASEL
Center for Law and Social Policy
Center for Responsible Lending
Chapel of the Good Shepherd Episcopal Campus Ministry
Child Welfare League of America
Children's Action Alliance
Children's Defense Fund
Children's HealthWatch
Children's Trust Fund Alliance
Church of St Francis Xavier
Clare Foss Day Care
Coalition on Human Needs
Colorado Consumer Health Initiative
Colorado Fiscal Institute
Columbia Opportunities Inc
Communities United for Status & Protection (CUSP)
Community Access National Network
Community Action of Orleans and Genesee
Community Bridges
Community Change Action
Community Child Care Council (4C's) of Alameda County
Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces
Consortium of Social Science Associations
Corridor Community Action Network
COSSA
Covering Kids & Families of Indiana
COVID Survivors for Change
Doctors for Early Childhood
Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa Peace and Justice Office
Dominican Sisters of Sparkill
Donleigh Recovery House for Men
E Center
Early Care & Learning Council
Earthjustice
Economic Opportunity Institute
Employment & Employer Services (E&ES)
Empower Missouri
End Hunger Connecticut!
Endangered Species Coalition
Epiphany United Church of Christ
Faith Action Network - WA
Faith in New York
Family & Children's Place
Family Crisis Resource Center, Inc.
Fellowship Baptist Church of Wyandanch
FIND Food Bank
First Focus Campaign for Children
Food Bank of Central New York
Food Bank of Northern Nevada
Food Bank of Western MA
Foster Care to Success
FREE Arizona
Friends of Buckingham
Friends of the Earth
Futures Without Violence
Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger
Hawaii Children's Action Network Speaks!
Healthy Teen Network
Hocking Athens Perry Community Action
Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters, USA-JPIC
Human Rights First
Hunger Free Ameerica
Hunger Free Colorado
Hunger Free Vermont
Hunger Solutions Consulting
Impact Fund
In Reach, Inc.
Indivisible Marin
Interfaith Alliance
International Nutritional Sustainability Partners
James' Place Inc.
Jeremiah's Inn
Jewish Family Service of Colorado
Jewish Women International
Johnson Park Center (JPC)
Justice for Migrant Women
Kansas Association of Area Agencies on Aging and Disabilities
Lafayette Urban Ministry
League of Women Voters of St. Lawrence County, New York
LEAN
Legal Aid Justice Center
Long Beach Gray Panthers
Los Angeles Regional Food Bank
Louisiana Partnership for Children and Families
JustDane, Madison-area Urban Ministry
Make Hope for Development
Making A Difference Foundation
MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger
Meals on Wheels California
MECEP
MEO
Metro New York Health Care for All
MetroWest Legal Services
Mexico Food Pantry (NY)
Miami Valley Community Action Partnership
MICAH- Metropolitan Interfaith Council on Affordable Housing
MICAH South Dakota County MN
Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness
Middletown Senior Center
Mohawk Valley CAA
MomsRising
Montana Conservation Corps
MS Human Services Coalition
National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
National Alliance to End Homelessness
National Alliance to End Sexual Violence
National Association for Family Child Care
National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities
National Association of Federally Impacted Schools
National Association of Social Workers
National Center on Adoption and Permanency
National Coalition of STD Directors
National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
National Community Action Partnership
National Council of Jewish Women
National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence- Maryland Chapter
National Diaper Bank Network
National Disability Institute
National Employment Law Project
National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association
National Housing Law Project
National Immigration Law Center
National League for Nursing
National Low Income Housing Coalition
National Network to End Domestic Violence
National Organization for Women Foundation
National Urban League
Native Organizers Alliance
Navajo County Superintendent of Schools
NCWAT
Nebraska Appleseed
Neighbor to family, INC
Neighborhood Service Center, Inc,
Network Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies
New Jersey Association on Correction
New York State Public Health Association
Norfolk Raymondville Food Pantry/ Community Lunch Program for Kids
Northwest Harvest
Nourish California
Nutrition First
NYSCOC
Ohio Association of Foodbanks
Oregon Women's Rights Coalition
Oregonizers
Our Children Oregon
Oxfam America
PAI
ParentsTogether Action
Patriotic Millionaires
PbS Learning Institute, Inc.
Pennsylvania Utility Law Project
People Power United
Piedmont Habitat for Humanity Inc
Pittsburgh Food Policy Council
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Poverty Project at the Institute for Policy Studies
Prepare + Prosper
Preserve Montgomery County VA
Prevention Institute
Pro-Choice North Carolina
Project Feed
Project Hope of Gunnison Valley
Prosperity Now
Protect All Children's Environment
Public Advocacy for Kids
Public Citizen
Public Health Solutions
Public Justice Center
Red Jen Ford Health & Wellness
RESULTS Virginia
Resurrection House
Rochester NY RocACTS in Faith in Action.
S.W.A.A,
Safer Foundation
San Diego for Every Child
Save the Children
Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts
Sciencecorps
Second Harvest Food Bank Champaign Clark Logan
Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio
Secure Elections Network
Senior Care Management & Consultation
Service Employees International Union
Shared Harvest Foodbank
Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Western Province Leadership
Sisters of the Presentation, Dubuque, Iowa
South Florida Institute on Aging
St. Lawrence County Community Development Program, Inc.
St. Michael's Pantry
Survival Centers, Inc. (dba Amherst Survival Center)
SW WA RESULTS chapter
Team for WV Children
Texas Council of Administrators of Special Education
The AIDS Institute
The Energy Project by WSCAP
the Forum for Youth Investment
The Journey Forward
The National Domestic Violence Hotline
THE WOMENS RIGHTS INFORMATION CENTER
Thrive Alliance
Thriving Families California (Previously known as CAPPA)
Union Local 1659
United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries
United Way of Northern NJ
University District Food Bank
Upper West Side Action Group
Virginia Citizens Consumer Council
VALOR
Virginia Community Rights Network
Virginia Supportive Housing
Voices of Hope, Inc.
Washington Defender Association
Washington Education Association
Washington Food Coalition
Washington State Public Health Association
We All Rise
West Elmwood Housing Development Corporation
West Ohio Food Bank
WIC Association of NYS
Wind of the Spirit Immigrant Resource Center
Windham Area Interfaith Community
Women Employed
Women of Color/Global Women's Strike
Women's Rights Information Center
Young Invincibles
YWCA Rhode Island
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