Temporary Aid to Needy Families
States are trying to prop up the child care industry. It isn’t enough.
State efforts to prop up child care might spare some providers from the worst effects of last month’s expiration of pandemic-related aid — at least temporarily. But the unraveling of a system plagued by a lack of affordability and access, low wages, staffing turnover and burnout will continue, experts say. “The basic business model of […]
US Senate Democrats ask for more specifics on SNAP changes resulting from debt deal
WASHINGTON — Democratic U.S. senators want more details about who will be affected by new work requirements for government food assistance that were a Republican demand under a deal to raise the nation’s debt ceiling. Led by Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, the lawmakers sent a letter on Monday to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack […]
U.S. House approves debt limit package, sending it to Senate days before default deadline
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House took a broadly bipartisan vote Wednesday night on the debt limit package, sending it to the U.S. Senate where lawmakers are expected to vote quickly to clear the measure. The bill would suspend the nation’s borrowing limit through Jan. 1, 2025 and set caps on discretionary spending for two years. […]
Debt limit deal hits turbulence in Congress as leaders prep for vote
WASHINGTON — Congress began moving the bipartisan debt limit package forward Tuesday, though frustrations with provisions in the bill could make for narrow passage in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate. Conservative Republicans and progressive Democrats both aired their disappointment with the agreement forged over the weekend, but only GOP lawmakers are looking to possibly […]
GOP’s desired work requirements for federal aid would kick roughly 21M from anti-poverty programs
Congressional Republicans’ efforts to slash federal spending by tying work requirements to Medicaid and SNAP would have far-reaching consequences for people with mental health issues, chronic health problems, and some people with disabilities if enacted, policy experts on anti-poverty programs say. They say the work requirements as laid out by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s “Limit, […]
U.S. House GOP plan would expand work requirements for food aid for older adults
WASHINGTON — Hundreds of thousands of low-income Americans could face higher barriers to food assistance under the U.S. House Republican plan to cut spending while temporarily lifting the debt limit, advocates say. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s Limit, Save, Grow Act proposes returning discretionary spending to fiscal 2022 levels in exchange for raising the nation’s borrowing […]
Report: Alabama’s TANF benefits 2nd lowest in nation
Benefit levels for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families in Alabama ranked 50th in the country as a percentage of the federal poverty level, according to a new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Alabama’s TANF benefit is only $215 a month for a family of three, less than half the national median […]