Nearly 70 Pennsylvania organizations signed on to the letter below asking members of the Pennsylvania congressional delegation to reject inhumane cuts to vital federal government programs:
To The Pennsylvania Congressional Delegation:
President Trump’s budget features deep cuts in assistance that helps struggling families afford the basics – food on the table, a roof over their heads, and access to health care – as well as stunning cuts in a range of basic public services and investments in our nation, such as job training, K-12 education, access to college, scientific research, and economic development. At the same time, the President has called for massive tax cuts that will overwhelmingly benefit the wealthiest households and corporations.
There are troubling signs that some in Congress want to follow the President’s lead and put forward a budget plan that also calls for cuts in food assistance, health care, and other supports for struggling families; cuts in investments in public services and our productivity and economy; and tax cuts that will benefit high income Americans and create a big hole in the nation’s finances. Such a budget plan would harm Pennsylvania’s families, exacerbate our state budget deficit, and undermine our ideals.
We the undersigned Pennsylvania organizations ask you to reject these upside-down budget priorities, and put the needs of all Pennsylvania families at the top of the agenda. We call upon Pennsylvania’s representatives and senators to:
- Oppose any budget that requires any cuts in key assistance to struggling families. This includes rejecting any budget that would authorize a fast-track, reconciliation process to force cuts in programs such as Medicaid, SNAP (formerly known as food stamps), Supplemental Security Income for those with disabilities and seniors, and TANF.
- Oppose any budget that paves the way for tax cuts that will lose revenue, including tax cuts that will largely benefit the wealthy and corporations. This includes opposing any budget that would authorize a fast-track process for revenue losing tax cuts offset by reductions in essential services. Cutting food assistance or health care to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy is not only irresponsible but unjust.
- Oppose any budget that cuts investments in non-defense discretionary programs and work toward a responsible budget deal that will reduce or eliminate the harmful sequestration cuts that otherwise will take full effect in 2018. Non-defense discretionary programs support key services in Pennsylvania – from education to job training to economic development to important research conducted in our universities—that make a huge contribution to shared prosperity in our state. Congress must, as it has done in the past, come together on a bipartisan basis to ameliorate the harmful sequestration cuts before they go into effect in 2018.
Pennsylvania communities thrive when all families can put food on their table; when workers, parents, children, seniors, and people with disabilities get the health care they need; when schools are not shortchanged; when workers can get the training they need to succeed in today’s economy; and when we invest in all of our neighborhoods. We urge our Members of Congress to craft a budget that upholds the Pennsylvania idea of a commonwealth, in which we all do better by working together to address our common goals.
Sincerely,
500 Women Scientists
Act Against Hunger
Ardmore Housing for the Elderly
Bright Hope Community
Bucks County Marching Forward
Bucks County Women’s Advocacy Coalition
Calvary Baptist Church of Norristown
Catholic Social Services
Center for Coalfield Justice
Center for Hunger-Free Communities
Central Pennsylvania Action Agenda
Concerned Constituent Action Group
Consumer Health Coalition
Daily Bread Community Food Pantry
Delaware Valley Democratic Club
Education Voters of Pennsylvania
Family Services of Montgomery County
Food for Families
The Food Trust
For Pennsylvania’s Future Action Fund
Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger
Haws Avenue Food Pantry
Haws Avenue Soup Kitchen
Indivisible Berks
Indivisible Bucks County
Indivisible Center City-DA
Indivisible Mid Montco
Just Harvest
Keystone Opportunity Center
Keystone Progress
Keystone Research Center
Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania
Manna on Main Street
Meals of Hope Ministry
Mental Health Association of Northwestern Pennsylvania
Montgomery County Community Action Development Commission
Mt. Lebanon Rise Up
The Open Link
PAR (Pennsylvania Advocacy and Resources for Autism and Intellectual Disability)
PathWays PA
The PEAK Center
Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals
Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center
Pennsylvania Council of Churches
Pennsylvania Head Start Association
Pennsylvania State Education Association
Pennsylvania Together
Philabundance
Philadelphia Neighborhood Networks
Philadelphia Unemployment Project
Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers
Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities
PRO-ACT Public Policy Committee
Project HOME
Resources for Human Development
The Salvation Army Norristown Corp.
SEIU Local 668
The Share Food Program, Inc.
Shepherd’s Shelf Emergency Food Cupboard
The Social Justice Group, Springfield Township & Chestnut Hill
TriCounty Active Adult Center
Tuesdays with Toomey
Unitarian Universalist Pennsylvania Legislative Advocacy Network (UUPLAN)
Westmoreland County Food Bank, Inc.
Willow Grove Food Pantry
Women’s March Pennsylvania