Non-Profit Soapbox

In this time of taking a knife to state and federal budgets, big cuts in government funding for children are in process or on the way. In particular, many states have slashed funds for preschool and after-school programs, and Congress is considering more.

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There’s nothing funny in this cartoon by The Houston Chronicle’s Nick Anderson. As a matter of fact, after hearing ECM President Mike Petit’s recent interview on CNN about children dying from abuse and neglect, he didn’t pull any punches in depicting the issue in Texas.

If you’re wondering where your state ranks in the number of child deaths form abuse and neglect, click here.

A few weeks ago, we wrote to you about the budget the House of Representatives was voting on and passed.  We said that it would place a variety of children’s programs at risk of cuts. Last week, the House moved forward on making those specific cuts required by the budget they passed. This email focuses on the cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

The House Republicans’ proposed cuts to nutrition assistance will kick 280,000 low-income children off automatic enrollment in the Free School Lunch and Breakfast Program. Those same kids and 1.5 million other people will also lose their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly food stamp benefits) that help them afford food at home.

Ten years’ worth of these nutrition cuts could be prevented for the price of one year of tax cuts on 3,340 multimillion dollar estates that House Republicans are protecting in their budget.

Background

On April 18, the House Agriculture Committee passed a bill cutting over $33 billion from SNAP over the next decade. About one-third of these cuts ($11.5 billion) comes from putting restrictions on “categorical eligibility,” a provision that enables states to better coordinate between programs and improves access to assistance for low-income families.

By restricting this provision, the bill would kick an average of 1.8 million low-income people a year off of food aid and end automatic enrollment in free school meals for 280,000 children in struggling families.