Conference Call on President Obama’s FY 2011 Budget Request
Please join Rev. Larry Snyder, President of Catholic Charities USA, for a discussion on President Obama’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 budget request to Congress.
The call will include:
- Highlights of President Obama’s budget blueprint for FY2011 as it relates to the families Catholic Charities agencies serve;
- Comprehensive overview of the proposed spending for critical human services, housing, and labor programs;
- An overview of the annual budget and appropriations process and why it is so important to your programs;
- An opportunity to ask questions and dialogue with your colleagues; and
- Information on ways to engage your congressional delegation to ensure that programs are appropriately funded during these hard economic times.
Date: Thursday, February 4, 2010
Time: 3:00 pm EST
Call-in Number: 888-632-5060
Participant Code: 922-1598
The federal budget is moral document that outlines the priorities of the nation.
For more information, please contact Lucreda Cobbs, Senior Director of Advocacy and Civic Engagement, lcobbs@catholiccharitiesusa.org.
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President Obama Outlines Agenda in State of the Union Address
On January 27, President Barack Obama delivered his first official State of the Union address. During his speech, the President listed many topics including jobs, energy, healthcare and education among others as challenges confronting the nation.
Rev. Larry Snyder, President of Catholic Charities USA, responded to the State of the Union saying, “We support the need for further measures to help the economy with the caveat that these measures address the challenges faced by the neediest among us.” Rev. Snyder said, “We need the Administration and Congress committed to ensuring that those living on the margins are not left behind as our nation recovers from this brutal recession. While the President’s potential increase of funds available for early childhood education is a positive sign of this Administration’s dedication to the nation’s children, we would stress the needs many families have for increased help with access to food, shelter and other essential services.”
Catholic Charities USA also released its quarterly snapshot survey data, showing that life-sustaining needs are still in high demand.
For more information, please contact Ryan Smith, Policy Analyst at rsmith@catholiccharitiesusa.org.
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CCUSA Releases 4th quarter Snapshot Survey Data
Forty-seven Catholic Charities agencies responded to Catholic Charities USA’s fourth quarter snapshot survey. The survey reveals a huge need across the country for life-sustaining emergency services – food, shelter, and warmth. Requests continue to increase from the working poor and families, many who are coming to Catholic Charities for the first time and as a last resort. Of the 47 agencies responding to the survey, 83 percent reported an increase in the working poor seeking assistance, 70 percent reported an increase in families seeking assistance, 57 percent reported an increase in the homeless seeking assistance, and 51 percent reported an increase in the middle class seeking assistance. Specifically, these are unemployed parents, two-income families struggling to make ends meet, pregnant women and teens, homeless with nowhere to turn, former donors to Catholic Charities organizations now in need of help, and repeat clients with deeper needs and greater barriers to self-sufficiency.
As requests for help increase, resources diminish. Local agencies, on the frontlines of the economic recession, are forced to do more with less and make dramatic changes to their operations. Some agencies are showing their creativity – making greater fundraising efforts, using more volunteers, and sharing resources with community service providers. But other agencies are forced to make heartbreaking changes – cutting programs, scaling down operations, redeploying and laying off staff, and turning people away.
CCUSA remains more committed than ever to addressing the challenges of hunger, housing, economic security, education/job training, and health as it begins its 2010 Centennial year.
For more information, please contact Roger Conner, Senior Director of Communications at rconner@catholiccharitiesusa.org.
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CCUSA President Meets with White House Officials
On January 25, Rev. Larry Snyder, President of Catholic Charities USA, met with senior Obama Administration officials, including those from the National Economic Council and the Office of Public Engagement to discuss job creation. Rev. Snyder joined other faith-based leaders to discuss the urgent need for job creation. Catholic Charities USA shared with the Administration the work of our agencies and urged investments in education and training not only for job creation, but also training for positions such as those in health care. Catholic Charities USA advocates for a national public policy response including providing a safety net for displaced workers, investing in new job creation initiatives, investing in sector specific training, starting new investments in community and transitional jobs, investing in a long term plan to improve the nation’s workforce, reform of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), engaging disconnected youth, work support and wrap around services, and reform of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
Rev. Snyder also shared examples of the way the Catholic Charities network is responding to unemployment in their own communities.
For more information, please contact Catholic Charities USA’s Social Policy staff at socialpolicy@catholiccharitiesusa.org.
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White House Announces Plans to Assist the Middle Class
On January 25, senior Obama Administration officials unveiled a set of proposals aimed at easing the economic burden on middle class families. The initiative is the result of recommendations made by the Middle Class Task Force, comprised of top-level Administration officials and chaired by Vice President Joe Biden. According to the White House, the proposals came from the Task Force meetings and are aimed at helping middle class families afford soaring child care costs, care for their aging relatives, cope with the challenge of saving for retirement, and pay for their children’s college tuition.
As mentioned in the State of the Union address, President Obama is calling on Congress to:
- Expand the child and dependent care tax credit which would nearly double the credit for families making less than $85,000 a year. In addition, all families making less than $115,000 a year would receive an increase in their child tax credit.
- Increase child care funding by $1.6 billion—according to the press release, this is the largest one-year increase in 20 years and would provide child care for 235,000 children.
- Limit federal loan payments to 10 percent of a person’s income.
- Require employers to offer employees the option of enrolling in a direct-deposit Individual Retirement Account.
- Expand tax credits to match retirement savings and provide new safeguards to protect retirement savings.
In addition, the proposals would provide support to middle-class families caring for aging relatives by providing $102.5 million for the Caregiver Initiative; $52.5 million in additional funding for respite care, training, counseling and referral services; and an additional $50 million for programs that provide assistance with transportation, adult day care, and in-home services.
While the Administration has submitted its recommendations, it is now up to congressional leaders to advance the initiative through the legislative process. Catholic Charities USA will keep you updated on new developments.
For more information, please contact Lucreda Cobbs, Senior Director of Advocacy and Civic Engagement, lcobbs@catholiccharitiesusa.org.
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Senate Leadership Indicates Immigration Reform Still a Priority
On January 28, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) reportedly reiterated the U.S. Senate’s commitment to take up immigration reform. This comes one day after President Obama, during his State of the Union address, urged congress to “continue the work of fixing our broken immigration system,” and “to secure our borders, enforce our laws and ensure that everyone who plays by the rules can contribute to our economy and enrich our nation.”
As previously reported, Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security, postponed plans to introduce an immigration proposal last fall due to the health care debate. However, the Congressional Quarterly reports that Senator Schumer, who is leading the effort to draft a bill, said “We are making good progress.” In addition, he indicated a need for the legislation to be bipartisan and that he is collaborating with Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on a comprehensive solution to immigration reform.
Catholic Charities USA in collaboration with the USCCB Justice for Immigrants campaign continues to push for comprehensive immigration reform. Please look for updates in future editions of Washington Weekly.
For more information, please contact Lucreda Cobbs, Senior Director of Advocacy and Civic Engagement, lcobbs@catholiccharitiesusa.org.
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Senate Moves Forward on Jobs Creation Package
Last week, Senate leaders announced their intentions to introduce several bills to promote job growth. These announcements came after President Obama called on Congress to quickly pass legislation to create more jobs. The President outlined a set of proposals in his State of the Union address to improve the sluggish job market. Among the proposals was a plan to provide tax incentives to small businesses to hire new workers. Businesses will receive a $5,000 tax credit for every net new employee they hire in 2010. The total amount of the credit will be capped at $500,000 per firm to ensure that the majority of the benefit goes to small businesses. According to Congressional Quarterly, Senate leaders are planning to introduce a number of bills that will focus on both short term and long term job growth. Details on these proposals or potential funding sources were not released.
Advocates for low-income families continue to urge Congress to provide a safety net for dislocated workers by extending unemployment benefits. This idea received additional support on Thursday from Douglas Elmendorf, Director of the Congressional Budget Office, during his testimony before the Senate Budget Committee. Mr. Elmendorf suggested that providing payment to unemployed workers continues to be a viable policy for strengthening the economy and creating jobs. He also expressed support for a tax incentive to employers as an effective way to quickly create jobs.
For more information, please contact Desmond Brown, Sr. Director of Government Relations at dbrown@catholiccharitiesusa.org.
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Administration Issues New Rule on Mental Health Parity
On January 29, the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and the Treasury jointly issued new rules requiring parity in treatment of mental health and substance abuse disorders. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) advisory, the new rules prohibit group health insurance plans—typically offered by employers—from restricting access to care by limiting benefits and requiring higher patient costs than those that apply to general medical or surgical benefits. The new rules implement the Paul Wellstone Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA) which requires that any group health plan that includes mental health and substance abuse disorder benefits along with standard medical and surgical coverage must treat them equally in terms of out-of-pocket cost, benefit limits, and practices such as prior authorization and utilization review.
The new rules on the MHPAEA, effective July 1, 2010, apply to employers with 50 or more employees that offer mental health or substance abuse disorder benefits as part of their group health plan.
Comments on the interim final rule can be made up to 90 days and should be emailed to the federal rulemaking portal at http://www.regulations.gov/.
For more information, please contact Desmond Brown, Sr. Director of Government Relations at dbrown@catholiccharitiesusa.org.
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Join our Online Forum to Reduce Poverty
Catholic Charities USA created an online forum to generate 21st century solutions to poverty using 21st century technologies. There is only one rule -- Think Big. We start this discussion with two questions that are vital to our fight against poverty. You will help us shape the discussion and frame the debate.
For more information, please contact Monica Maggiano at bigideas@catholiccharitiesusa.org.
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Join Us at a Catholic Charities Centennial Leadership Summit
In its Centennial year of 2010, Catholic Charities USA is convening Centennial Leadership Summits across the country. The summits will provide an opportunity for everyone—civic leaders, elected officials, philanthropists, service providers, and interested citizens— to take part in a conversation that will identify ways to reduce poverty by 50 percent by the year 2020.
Save the date and plan to join us for one of the upcoming summits in your area!
The latest summit occurred in San Jose, CA on Thursday, January 28. Please join us for a one-day interactive forum where together we will work to find solutions to poverty in America.
If you are interested in staying informed about these events, please fill out the event interest form.
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Support Catholic Relief Services’ Efforts in Haiti
Rev. Larry Snyder, President of Catholic Charities USA, extends heartfelt prayers and concerns to all of the individuals and families so tragically impacted by this disaster. Catholic Charities USA encourages support of Catholic Relief Services, the Church’s agency for international response, as well as other agencies who are immediately responding to this tragedy, and stands ready to assist their efforts.
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