Hunger and Human Needs

Outlook 2006: Congress Pursues Tax Cuts and Moves toward Slashing $40 Billion from Domestic Programs

Advocates for low-income people will have their work cut out for them in 2006, if they hope to reverse the devastating blows dealt to the nation's poor by the U.S. Congress in the last year.

At the last minute before adjourning for the holidays, Congress moved closer to passage of a budget reconciliation bill that will slash a number of crucial programs for the neediest people. [Read more]

For programmatic information on these issues, go to:

• The Presbyterian Hunger Program
• Urban Ministry
• Rural Ministry
• Child Advocacy

Quarterly Bulletins

• Implementing the Budget Reconciliation Spending
  Cuts
• House Committee Pushing Budget $9 Billion below Level Needed to Maintain Current Services
  (2nd quarter, 2006)
• Katrina Survivors in "Gut and Wait Mode"
  (March-April 2006 Washington Report)
• Congress Passes Fiscal Year 2006 Budget with Severe Cuts in Domestic Programs
  (1st quarter, 2006)
• Congress Should Defeat Budget Reconciliation
  (Joint Statement from Five Mainline Protestant Leaders)
• Say "No" to Further Budget Cuts in Domestic Programs - Stop the FY '06 Federal Budget Reconciliation Process
  (4th quarter, 2005)
• Census Bureau Reports Increase in Poverty and Uninsured Rates, Again
  (September-October 2005 Washington Report)
• Congress Stalls on Social Security Overhaul and TANF Reauthorization
  (3rd quarter, 2005)
• TANF Stalls Over Child Care Funding, While Congress Proposes Deep Cuts in Domestic Programs and Waits for Hearings on Social Security
  (2nd quarter, 2005)
• President's Budget Plan for 2006 Reduces Social Programs, While Pushing More Tax Cuts for the Affluent
  (1st quarter, 2005)
• Congress Goes Out on Recess, Leaving Unfinished Many Domestic Poverty Needs
  (4th quarter, 2004)
• Poverty, Uninsured Rates Rise
  (September-October 2004 Washington Report)
• Congress Approves Vital Nutrition Program and Extends TANF, but Takes a Pass on Other Domestic Poverty Measures
  (3rd quarter, 2004)
• Raising Up the Issue of Poverty in 2004
  (July/August Washington Report)
• Why No Senate Action on TANF?
  (2nd quarter, 2004)
• Earning Less Than the Housing Wage
  (March-April 2004 Washington Report)
• Prospects for Domestic Hunger and Poverty Legislation This Year
  (1st quarter, 2004)
• 2003 Wrap-Up
  (November-December Washington Report)
• Recent Census Bureau Report Shows Upsurge in Poverty
  (4th quarter, 2003)
• Head Start Experiment Passes House, TANF Mark Up Is Delayed, and
  the President Takes a ‘Block Grant’ Approach to the Crisis in Low-Income Housing
  (3rd quarter, 2003)
• Prospects for Hungery, Health, and Energy Issues this Fall
  (September/October 2003 Washington Report)
• Domestic Poverty Legislative Updates: Workforce Investment Act, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, and Child Nutrition Programs
  (2nd quarter, 2003)
• Support Child Nutrition Programs
  (March/April Washington Report)
• The FY 2004 Federal Budget
  (January/February Washington Report 2003)
• President's Tax and Budget Plan for 2004 Undermines Social Programs and Seeks to Downsize the Federal Income Base
  (1st quarter, 2003)

Bulletin Archive

Actions

• Call Your Rep This Week: Last Chance to Stop Budget Cuts
  (Action Alert – January 24, 2006)
• Last Chance to Stop Budget Cuts and TANF Changes
  (Action Alert – January 10, 2006)
• Budget Passes Senate, but Will Go Back to the House for Final Approval in January
  (Action Alert – December 21, 2005)
• Last Chance to Save Vital Services
  (Action Alert – December 19, 2005)
• Urge Your Senators Not to Support the Budget Reconciliation Spending Reduction Conference Report
  (Action Alert – December 19, 2005)
• Save Vital Programs
  (Action Alert – November 30, 2005)
• Tell Congress: No Budget Cuts in Human Needs Program
  (Action Alert – November 11, 2005)
• Do Not Go Forward with Budget Cuts for Vital Human Needs Program
  (Action Alert – November 8, 2005)
• Stop Human Needs Budget Cuts!
  (Action Alert - November 2, 2005)
• Urge Congress to Increase Federal Minimum Wage
  (Action Alert - October 18, 2005)
• Tell Congress: Stop Federal Budget Cuts to the Hungry and Uninsured
  (Action Alert - August 30, 2005)
• Tell Congress to Protect Food Stamps
  (Action Alert - July 22, 2005)
• Keep Fundamental Structure and Intent of Social Security
  (Action Alert - June 22, 2005)
• Urge Congress to Increase Federal Minimum Wage
  (Action Alert - May 19, 2005)
• Thank You for Helping to Reduce the Size of Budget Cuts
  (Action Alert - April 29, 2005)
• Stop the Cuts in Domestic Programs. Call-In Day Tues April 12
  (Action Alert - April 9, 2005)
• Make Poverty an Issue This Election Year
  (Action Alert - August 31, 2004)
  
• Senate Finance Committee to Begin Work on Reauthorizing TANF
  (Action Alert - July 8, 2003)
• TANF Extended Through End of Year
  (Action Alert - October 9, 2002)
• Strengthen TANF Now
  (Action Alert - May 8, 2002)
• Stimulus Bills Stall: Push the White House and Senate to Jumpstart the Economy
  (Action Alert - November 28, 2001)
• Coalition Pushes Economic Stimulus Plan
  (Action Alert - July 15, 1999)
• Support an Increase in the Federal Minimum Wage
  (Action Alert - August 14, 2001)
• Special Action Alert on Congressional Allocations to Housing Programs
  (Action Alert - May 19, 2000)
• Medicare Voucher Program
  (Action Alert - July 15, 1999)
• Hurricane Relief Package Stalled in Congress
  (Action Alert - April 8, 1999)
• Debt Relief Is Key to Hope for Impoverished Countries
  (Action Alert - March 19, 1999)

• Don't Cut Essential Safety Net Programs
  (Sign-on letter - December 13, 2005)
• Stop Anti-Advocacy Language Directed at Nonprofits
  (Sign-on letter - November 18, 2005)
• Reduce Hunger and Poverty in the 2006 Federal Budget
  (Sign-on letter - November 8, 2005)
  
• Thank You for Signing the Living Wage Letter
  (Sign-on letter - November 7, 2005)
  
• Support Homeless Assistance Grants
  (Sign-on letter - November 7, 2005)
  
• Preserve Section 8
  (Sign-on letter - November 2, 2005)
  
• Oppose Cuts in Food Stamps
  (Sign-on letter - October 26, 2005)
  
• Thank You for Protecting the Food Stamp Program
  (Sign-on letter - October 20, 2005)
  
• Oppose Voter Restrictions in GSE Bill
  (Sign-on letter - October 19, 2005)
• Post-Katrina, the Federal Government Must Secure the Basics
  (Sign-on letter – October 6, 2005)
• Federal Budget and Tax Policies Should Be Viewed through Moral Lens
  (Sign-on letter – July 25, 2005)
• Co-sponsor S 1120/HR 2717 to Create Innovating Local Solutions to Hunger
  (Sign-on letter – July 19, 2005)
• Support Section 8 Funding
  (Sign-on letter – June 29, 2005)
• Consider Religious Priorities in the ’06 HHS Bill
  (Sign-on letter – June 30, 2005)
• Let Justice Roll Budget
  (Sign-on letter – April 13, 2005)
• Tell Congress Not to Cut Food Stamps
  (Sign-on letter – April 7, 2005)
• Don't Let Caps Negatively Impact WIC
• (Sign-on letter — March 3, 2005)
• Don’t Let 2006 Budget Undermine Nutrition and Farm Programs
  (Sign-on letter — February 3, 2005)
• Thank Members for Supporting Federal Nutrition Programs
  (Sign-on letter — January 31, 2005)
• Fund Federal Hunger Programs
  (Sign-on letter — October 6, 2004)
• Expand TANF
  (Sign-on letter — September 28, 2004)
• Letter to Sen. Kerry on Census Report
  (Sign-on letter — September 8, 2004)
• Troubling Census Bureau Report on Poverty
  (Sign-on letter — September 8, 2004)
• Insure Maximum Federal Resources for Housing and Community Development
  (Sign-on letter — September 3, 2004)
• Thank You for Your Work for Child Nutrition Reauthorization
  (Sign-on letter — May 18, 2004)
• Support Increase in the Minimum Wage to $7.00 an Hour
  (Sign-on letter — May 27, 2004)
• Thank You for Supporting Child Care Funding by Voting for the Snowe-Dodd Amendment
  (Sign-on letter — May 4, 2004)
• Protect Programs for the Poor in the FY05 Conference Report
  (Sign-on letter — April 29, 2004)
• Don’t Cut Funding for U.S. Nutrition and Commodity Programs
  (Sign-on letter — April 19, 2004)
• Support Full Funding for Section 8
  (Sign-on letter — March 31, 2004)
• Oppose Cuts in the Section 8 Voucher Program
  (Sign-on letter — March 22, 2004)
• Don't Cut Domestic Spending to Pay for Defense Increases
  (Sign-on letter — March 8, 2004)
• Stop Huge Tax Cuts for Wealthy
  (Sign-on letter — March 3, 2004)
• Support Snowe-Dodd Amendment on TANF
  (Sign-on letter — February 10, 2004)
• Reauthorize TANF and Reduce Poverty
  (Sign-on letter — January 26, 2004)
• Eliminate Childhood Hunger
  (Sign-on letter — December 2, 2003)
• Strengthen TANF Program
  (Sign-on letter — November 17, 2003)
• Fund the Section 8 Voucher Program
  (Sign-on letter — October 21, 2003)
• Restore Funding to Social Services Block Grant
  (Sign-on letter — October 14, 2003)
• Agricultural Trade Must Support Human Rights
  (Sign-on letter — September 7, 2003)
• Fully Funded the Section 8 Voucher Program
  (Sign-on letter — July 25, 2003)
• Reauthorize TANF
  (Sign-on letter — July 23, 2003)
• Improve Child Nutrition Programs
  Sign-on letter — July 18, 2003)
• Assist Low-Income Families and Children
  (Sign-on letter — June 9, 2003)
• Include Funding for Immigrants in TANF
  (Sign-on letter — May 21, 2003)
• Support WIA Bill to Help People with Limited English
  (Sign-on letter — April 23, 2003)
• Support U.N. — led Relief and Reconstruction in Iraq
  (Sign-on letter — April 2, 2003)
• Help States with Temporary Medicaid Funding
  (Sign-on letter — February 6, 2003)
• Appropriate Funding for Delinquency Prevention
  (Sign-on letter — January 31, 2003)
• Budget for Low-Income Families
  (Sign-on letter — December 23, 2002)
• Child Nutrition Forum
  (Sign-on letter — December 12, 2002)
• Act Promptly on TANF
  (Sign-on letter — October 17, 2002)
• Support Relief for the Unemployed
  (Sign-on letter — October 8, 2002)
• Expand Education and Training within TANF
  (Sign-on letter — October 1, 2002)
• Support Senate Finance Committee Version of TANF
  (Sign-on letter — September 4, 2002)
• Increase the Minimum Wage
  (Sign-on letter — August 30, 2002)
• A Call to Poverty Reduction in the Context of TANF
  (Sign-on letter — April 11, 2002)
• Education Appropriations Conference
  (Sign-on letter — December 5, 2000)

Other Publications

• Outlook for 2005
• Outlook for 2004
• Outlook for 2003
• Outlook for 2002

The Domestic Human Needs Working Group, an ecumenical gathering of advocates working on domestic poverty issues, has developed a statement of principles for reforming Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). [Read more]