Statement on Federal Budget Deal

With a budget deal reached on Monday between President Trump and congressional leaders, it is now up to Congress to fill in the details on program level spending that protects middle and low-income Americans and advances economic equity.

The budget deal eliminates the threat of deep budget cuts for fiscal years 2020 and 2021 and avoids the political brinksmanship associated with the debt ceiling for the next two years. During the “mark-up” process that will now begin, we urge lawmakers to follow the priorities established by the appropriations bill passed by the House. These priorities are outlined in a letter to New York City-area members of Congress from a coalition of human service providers, faith institutions, and policy experts. Most crucially, the House plan raises caps for two years and meaningfully invests in critical services such as education, housing, nutrition, child care, an accurate census, and more.

While the budget deal is a step in the right direction, the need to remain vigilant about ongoing threats to middle and low-income Americans is made clear by the Trump administration’s new regulatory proposal that would take food away from more than 3.1 million Americans struggling to put food on the table, prevent children from getting school meals, and make it harder for states to administer food assistance. The proposed changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), announced Tuesday, follow a pattern in which the Administration turns to administrative action when its proposals fail to get through Congress. A public comment period will be announced, and FPWA encourages its members, allies, and all concerned citizens, to take action. Check the FPWA Federal Funds Tracker regularly for updates.

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About FPWA

FPWA is an anti-poverty policy and advocacy organization committed to economic opportunity and upward mobility. Having a prominent New York presence for nearly 100 years, FPWA has long served New York City’s social service sector, providing grants to help individuals and families meet their basic needs, and advocating for fair public policies on behalf of people in need and the agencies that serve them. FPWA’s member network of 170 human-service and faith-based organizations reaches more than 1.5 million people in New York’s communities each year. Join us at: fpwa.org, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.