Congress: Vote no on bill that would hurt food aid for low-income families

This week the House will vote on a bill with big implications for needy families. The measure, a version of the farm bill by Frank Lucas (R-OK) and Collin Peterson (D-MN), would kick 2 to 3 million people off food…

Congress skirmishes over unemployment benefits

Partisan bickering over unemployment benefits and the payroll tax cut continued last week. At stake are nearly 2 million people whose benefits would be cut off in January if extended unemployment benefits are not renewed this year.

Both long-term unemployment…

Troubled state budgets may fail children

The outlook for the budgets of most state governments is looking grim, according to a story today in the Washington Post. State budgets not only are collecting less revenue during the recession, but also face rising demand for services…

Hunger in Kentucky

“Kentucky is not going to make an economic recovery any time soon,” our member there reports, and the effects can be seen in food aid numbers. Today Kentucky Youth Advocates shared new food stamps data which shows that as parents…

School back in session, but states cutting funding

School is back in session nationwide, but students are having to make do with less. That’s because most states have made steep cuts in their education budgets. This is the preliminary finding of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities,…

Alabama planning education cuts after BP refuses $148M state claim

Following the BP oil spill, the state of Alabama filed a claim for $148 million in lost revenue.  But the Montgomery Advertiser reports that BP will not honor the claim, and the result could be a very large…

One in five American children lives in poverty

New Census data released today shows that the poverty rate rose sharply last year, hitting a 15-year high.  Now one in every seven Americans lives in poverty, defined as earning less than $21,954 for a family of four.  The worst…

In philanthropy cuts, it’s the most vulnerable who suffer

In times of economic uncertainty, philanthropic giving often takes a hit.  Nonprofit advocacy and community organizing groups are particularly struggling in the wake of the Great Recession, and it’s the vulnerable people those groups serve who will ultimately suffer from…

Study: almost a third of kids lost coverage when their parents lost job

Among children whose parents suffered a job loss from 2000-2004, almost a third lost their health care coverage, according to a new study from the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. And in children from low-income families, almost half lost insurance coverage.…