Rep. Velazquez. Photo-Flickr.
Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez and a state-based coalition of diverse service providers will meet Monday on the steps of City Hall in New York to denounce the proposed budget cuts by the Trump administration.
The coalition includes FPWA, Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New York, Fiscal Policy Institute, Human Services Council of New York, United Neighborhood Houses, UJA-Federation of New York, Center for New York City Affairs, the Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, The New York Immigration Coalition, Food Bank for New York City, The Met Council, New York Housing Conference, The Center for Independence of the Disabled, Metro NY Health Care for All, and more. They will call on Congress to reject disastrous cuts to food stamps, Medicaid, housing, and other social programs that strengthen the economy, improve the quality of life for all New Yorkers.
The coalition submitted a letter on behalf of nearly 80 service providers asking members of Congress to fully fund these programs and defend them from budget cuts.
“Too many in Congress are still fixated on slashing the safety net, and predictably cite the soaring federal deficit exacerbated by the outlandish $1.4 trillion in tax cuts – 80% of which will flow to the top 1%, and so far, have delivered little for workers,” the coalition says in a statement. “They seek every opportunity to make deep cuts to services that support low- and middle-income families, children, older adults, and people with disabilities.”
While the President’s budget was essentially ignored in the Congressional budget action, the policies within are aligned with Congressional efforts to respond to looming budget deficits through “welfare reform,” code words for cutting SNAP, Medicaid, housing, and other programs.
“Most pressing is the pending re-authorization of the Farm Bill and proposed SNAP cuts, which must be opposed,” the coalition says.
