Peter Edelman and Barbara Ehrenreich — Why welfare reform has failed

This is part of an article detailing how the current recession is affecting the poor in this country and how the 1996 welfare reform has left us unprepared to handle the crisis (see the link below to read the whole thing)

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When President Bill Clinton signed welfare reform into law, he didn’t just end welfare as we knew it. For all practical purposes, it turned out, he brought an end to cash help of any kind for families with children in much of the country. While welfare reform was long ago declared a success in some quarters, it was deeply flawed from the beginning. The recession has shown how seriously unprepared it left us for hard times…

The full article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/04/AR2009120402604.html

Fresh Bread – Dec 16

 

Fresh Bread
Update on Washington during the 111^th Congress
December 16, 2009

INSIDE WASHINGTON

• The House has set a target date of December 18 to adjourn for Christmas, returning to work in Washington in mid-January. The Senate expects to remain in session longer to work on health care overhaul; senators may conduct business the week between Christmas and New Year’s.
• The next issue of Fresh Bread will appear January 26, once both the House and Senate return.
• The Senate Foreign Relations Committee unanimously approved Dr. Rajiv Shah to be USAID Administrator by voice vote on December 8.  Shah is awaiting confirmation by the Senate as a whole before the end of the year, but time is certainly running short.

 

BREAD’S ISSUES

Foreign Assistance Reform

• An additional three Republican senators have signed on to S. 1524, the Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act of 2009, bringing the total number of cosponsors to 22.

FY10 Budget

• An omnibus appropriations bill, which combined six of the 12 federal appropriations bills, has been sent to President Obama for his signature. The final version of the bill was passed by both the House and Senate.
• Included in the omnibus is State-Foreign Operations appropriations, which includes most funding for poverty-focused development assistance. The total funding for State-Foreign Operations is $48.7 billion, approximately $3 billion below the administration’s request.
• Poverty-focused development assistance saw an increase of $1.66 billion over FY2009 levels. The funding level crossed the $20 billion mark; the 2010 appropriation is $21.96 billion. This is nearly triple the amount allotted in 2000.
• Earlier in the year, Congress finalized five other appropriations measures as separate bills. This leaves only Defense appropriations to be completed. Congressional leaders plan to attach other measures to the defense bill before bringing it to the House and Senate floors. These measures will likely include additional funding for SNAP (food stamps) and other safety net items such as extending unemployment benefits.

U.S. Hunger and Food Insecurity

• Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps) is still on the increase. In September, 37.2 million people in nearly 17 million households received SNAP benefits. The number of participants increased by almost 18 percent in the last year.
• In response to the president’s goal of ending childhood hunger by the year 2015, Bread for the World and other members of National Anti-Hunger Organizations (NAHO) developed a plan to achieve the goal. The “Roadmap to End Childhood Hunger in America by 2015” will be released December 17 in an event on Capitol Hill.

 

ACT NOW

Send a Christmas card to your members of Congress. Wish them a Merry Christmas and ask them to make hunger a top priority as they return to work in Washington in January 2010.

Points to make:

• Hunger has increased during the recession, and now nearly one in four children is food insecure. One way we could reduce childhood hunger is by helping more eligible children access child nutrition programs like school meals.

• Global hunger is on the increase, beginning to reverse decades of progress against hunger. U.S. leadership on strengthening investments in agriculture would help restore progress.

Send the Christmas cards to:

Sen. _____ U.S. Senate Washington, DC 20510

and

Rep. _____ U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515

Bread Enews for December

Bread   |  December 2009

Bread for the World is a collective Christian voice urging our nation’s decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad.

Bread is published 8 times a year for members of Bread for the World.

	Last Chance to Receive Rick Steves Europe Christmas Gift Set Support Bread for the World with a $100 donation by Tuesday, December 15 and receive three Rick Steves Europe gifts for Christmas. Donate now »
	2009 Brought Setbacks and New Opportunities Hunger is on the rise, but Congress and the administration are taking new initiatives to restore progress.
	Act Now! Send a Christmas card to your members of Congress.
	God With Us Bishop Don diXon Williams reflects on God’s presence in all circumstances.
	Introducing the 2010 Offering of Letters Hunger is rooted in poverty. Our 2010 Offering asks Congress to protect and strengthen key tax credits that make a big difference in the resources available to low-income families.
	Child Nutrition Wins in 2009 Among the wins: the Hunger-Free Communities Program receives funding; new strategies for summer food programs.
	Local Bread Events Create a “Groundswell of Hope” From Chicago to Connecticut to Alabama, Bread activists bring diverse groups together and help people visualize our issues.
	Art Simon Fellow Sees the Power of Bread from the Inside Helena Shilomboleni, originally from Namibia and a graduate of the College of the Atlantic in Maine, works on international hunger issues for Bread.
	A Just and Sustainable Recovery: Hunger 2010 Bread’s 2010 Hunger Report is now available at www.hungerreport.org. What will it take to build an economic recovery that includes everyone and creates a strong foundation for the coming decades?

  Also in This Issue:

• Graphic: Recent Tax Policies Help High-Income People Most
• New Officers and Members Welcomed to Bread’s Board
• Consider a Year-End Gift to Bread
• Holiday Gift Giving: No Shopping Mall Required

Oregon Food Bank Dec Advocacy alert

Oregon Food Bank and Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force     In this month’s Advocacy Alert you will find:       Recession “officially” ending but Oregonians get no relief     New USDA report confirms escalating hunger crisis in Oregon     Do you know a child who needs health insurance?     See the take five section to learn about ways to educate yourself about two important measures in preparation for voting in the special election on January 26, 2010.     View the latest Advocacy Alert online as well as past editions.     Sign up for the Advocacy Alert from the OFB website.

Upcoming Oregon UN Association events for December

Sunday, Dec 6, 3:00 to 5:00 pm:  A special Human Rights Day program for all ages with an international flavor will begin at 3:00 pm with refreshments, viewing displays, and socializing.  This will be followed at 3:30 by music, a video, special activities including Thai Princess Dancers, and more.  There will be speeches by Greg Hamilton, President of Northwest Religious Liberty Assoc, and Koffi Dessou, Executive Assistant, City of Portland Office of Human Relations. Come to be inspired and to show your support for organizations promoting human rights around the world.  Location is Collins Hall, First United Methodist Church, 1838 SW Jefferson St, Portland.  Admission is free.  Sponsored by UNA-USA Oregon Division and other organizations. 
 
Thursday, Dec 10, 5:00 to 8:00 pm:  Green and Fair Holiday Celebration at First United Methodist Church, 1838 SW Jefferson St, Portland.  This event is sponsored by Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (EMO) and Oregon Interfaith Power and Light (OIPL) and will feature local snacks and handicrafts from overseas.  Learn about initiatives making a difference for the Earth.
 
Monday, Dec 14, 7:30 pm:  Stones Into Schools, a presentation by Greg Mortenson, author of the bestselling book Three Cups of Tea.  Mortenson will recount his ongoing efforts to promote peace through education and literacy by establishing schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan.  His book is said to be required reading for U.S. senior military commanders, Special Forces deploying to Afghanistan, and officers in counterinsurgency training at the Pentagon. This event will be at the Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland, and tickets (probably $25 and up) will be available at the door or in advance from Ticketmaster.  More info available from Portland Arts & Lectures by calling 503-227-2583.

Oregon Food Bank Action Alert on After School Meal Program

The Afterschool Meal Program provides federal funding for meals served to children (up to age 18) at afterschool and youth development programs located in low-income areas.  Currently, only 13 states—including Oregon—are included in this important program.  This leaves afterschool programs in the remaining states without the resources to provide the nutritious food that children and teens need in order to continue learning throughout the afternoon, especially as more and more parents work longer and non-traditional hours, and children stay longer in care. 

The Afterschool Meal Program has been a huge success in Oregon.  We can make afterschool meals available in all states.  Please write or call Senators Wyden and Merkley and ask them to:

• Please co-sponsor the AFTERschool Meals Act, S. 990.
• Because more than one fifth of children in the US live in a food insecure home
• Because afterschool meals should be offered to children in all states to combat hunger and provide kids the food they need to grow and thrive

 Contact information:

 Senator Merkley

107 Russell Senate Office Building

Washington, D.C., 20510

 (202) 224-3753 

Senator Wyden

223 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

 (202) 224-5244 

CFor more information contact:

David Osborn

Public Policy Outreach Coordinator

dosborn@oregonfoodbank.org

Congressional Update 12/1

 

Fresh Bread
Update on Washington during the 111^th Congress
December 1, 2009

In this Issue

Dr. Rajiv Shah nominated for USAID administrator S. 1524 passes out of committee Nearly one in four U.S. children were food insecure in 2008

INSIDE WASHINGTON

• On November 24, the administration launched the Feed a Neighbor initiative to raise awareness of hunger and encourage Americans to get involved in reducing hunger in their communities. A volunteer toolkit can be found online.
• President Barack Obama has nominated Dr. Rajiv Shah to head the U.S. Agency for International Development. Shah, 36, is the chief scientist and Undersecretary for Research, Education, and Economics at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and has been working on the administration’s global hunger and food security initiative. Previously, he served as Director of Agricultural Development at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
• Shah’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was held today, December 1, 2009.  At Fresh Bread’s deadline, the senators had finished questioning Shah and will soon vote on his confirmation.

 

BREAD’S ISSUES

Foreign Assistance Reform

• On November 18, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed S.1524, the Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act of 2009, on a vote of 14-3. Committee chair Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) said that “momentum on foreign assistance reform is reaching a crescendo” and noted that both Congress and the administration are involved.
• Bread members continue to urge their senators to cosponsor S. 1524. The bill now has 19 cosponsors.

FY10 Budget

• The current continuing resolution funds federal government agencies whose final appropriations bills have not yet been completed through December 18.
• Because the Senate is now focused solely on health care, it is becoming more likely that the seven remaining appropriations bills will be folded into a single year-end omnibus bill rather than negotiated individually.

U.S. Hunger and Food Insecurity

• On November 16, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released annual food security data for 2008.
• More than one in seven, or 14.6 percent of U.S. households, suffered from food insecurity in 2008. The 3.5 percentage point increase from 2007 is the largest one-year increase since the USDA first began publishing data.
• The situation was worse for children: 22.5 percent of children – nearly one in four – were food insecure. This is an increase of more than 4 million children over 2007, bringing the total to 16.7 million children.
• Details and analysis of the food security data, including state-by-state household food security rates and child hunger rates, are available on our Web site’s food security page at www.bread.org/foodsecurity.

 

Child Nutrition

• On November 17, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack testified before the Senate Agriculture Committee on “Reauthorization of U.S. Child Nutrition Programs:  Opportunities to Fight Hunger and Improve Child Health.”
• Vilsack outlined the administration’s priorities for reauthorization, which include reducing barriers to participation and improving access as well as improving nutrition. Many of the proposals he described are in line with Bread’s top priorities, such as strengthening direct certification and supporting states working to end child hunger.

ACT NOW

Send a Christmas card to your members of Congress. Wish them a Merry Christmas and ask them to make hunger a top priority as they return to work in Washington in January 2010.

Points to make:

• Hungry and poor people in our country have been hit hardest by the recession and rising unemployment. Currently, one in every nine Americans participates in our national nutrition safety net program, SNAP (formerly the Food Stamp Program).
• Global hunger is on the increase, beginning to reverse decades of progress against hunger. The United States has the power to help restore progress.

Send the Christmas cards to:

Sen. _____ U.S. Senate Washington, DC 20510

or

Rep. _____ U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515

Bread for the World Open House in Portland

The Portland-Based Bread for the World Western Regional Office has moved, and we’re inviting you to come see our new digs…

Bread for the World Open House
Wednesday, December 2

4 pm – 7 pm

325 NW 21st Ave.

Portland, OR 97209 (map)

It’ll be a great chance to connect with your friendly Portland-based staff, local Bread members, local anti-hunger advocates, and anyone interested in learning more about how to make a difference to end hunger in our time.

Feel free to drop by anytime between 4 pm and 7 pm on the 2nd. We’ll be serving hors d’oeuvres and refreshments, and we’d love to see you!

Peace and Blessings,


Shawnda, Robin, Matt, and Jessie

The Portland-Based Bread for the World Staff

Bread for the World
HAVE FAITH. END HUNGER.
325 NW 21st Ave. Suite 100
Portland, OR 97209
toll-free 888-75-BREAD
direct 503-922-2182
fax 503-766-3539
www.bread.org

Key Senate Committee Passes Foreign Assistance Reform Bill

Washington, DC, November 17, 2009 –The Senate Foreign Relations Committee today  took a concrete step towards making U.S. foreign assistance more effective by passing the Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act of 2009 (S.1524).

The committee’s passage of the bill this afternoon follows last week’s nomination of Dr. Raj Shah as administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).  According to Rev. David Beckmann, president, Bread for the World, the bill will make important changes that would give the new administrator the necessary tools to lead U.S. development efforts.  

 ”Senator John Kerry and Senator Richard Lugar made a strong statement today about Congress’ commitment to elevating development as a core pillar of U.S. foreign policy – distinct from diplomacy and defense,” said Rev. Beckmann. 

“We hope that the rest of the Senate follows the committee’s lead and approves the bill, and sends it to President Obama’s desk for his signature without delay,” added Rev. Beckmann.  “We urge leaders in the Obama administration to work closely with both the Senate and the House of Representatives on these reform efforts.” 

S.1524 would establish the promotion of global development, good governance, and the reduction of poverty and hunger as U.S. policy; rebuild the policy, strategic planning, and human resources capacity at USAID; and create an independent Council on Research and Evaluation of Foreign Assistance (CORE) to evaluate the impact of all U.S. foreign aid programs.

 

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Bread for the World is a collective Christian voice urging our nation’s decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad.

Bread congressional update 10/10

Fresh Bread
Update on Washington during the 111^th Congress
November 10, 2009

In this Issue

Markup for S. 1524 postponed Bread President David Beckmann’s testimony SNAP and unemployment reach record highs

INSIDE WASHINGTON

• On November 16, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will release annual food security data. Check Bread’s Web site later that day for our analysis and the latest statistics.  
• On November 17, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will testify before the Senate Agriculture Committee during the hearing “Reauthorization of U.S. Child Nutrition Programs: Opportunities to Fight Hunger and Improve Child Health.”

BREAD’S ISSUES

Foreign Assistance Reform

• Bread members have been urging their senators to cosponsor S. 1524, the Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act of 2009.  Currently, 18 senators have signed on to the bill.
• The Senate Foreign Relations Committee was scheduled to mark up S.1524 on November 10. However, it has been postponed due to the memorial service for victims of the Ft. Hood shooting.  Committee staff hopes to reschedule the mark up for next Tuesday, November 17.
• H.R. 2139, the Initiating Foreign Assistance Reform Act of 2009, now has a total of 121 cosponsors in the House.
• A sign-on letter urging President Obama to name an administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is being circulated to the full House by Reps. Gary Ackerman (D-NY) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR).

Global Hunger and Food Security

• Bread President David Beckmann testified on October 29 at a hearing on food security before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health.
• He stressed that young children’s nutritional status should be a key way of measuring the effectiveness of the initiative. Beckmann’s full testimony is available on Bread’s Web site.

FY2010 Budget

• President Obama signed a second continuing resolution on November 6. It funds the federal government agencies whose final appropriations bills have not yet been completed through December 18.
• Seven of the 12 federal appropriations bills remain unfinished.

Child Hunger Goal

• Bread and other members of the National Anti-Hunger Organizations (NAHO) are preparing a “Roadmap to End Child Hunger.” The document outlines nine policy steps necessary to achieve the president’s goal of ending child hunger by 2015.
• In addition to calling for significant new investments in child nutrition programs in the upcoming reauthorization, the document lays out needed improvements to nutrition assistance, poverty reduction, and economic opportunity policies and programs.

FY11 Budget

• Early in February 2010, the administration will send Congress its budget request for fiscal year 2011, which begins October 1, 2010.
• Since federal agencies are already preparing the proposed budget, both the House and Senate are now circulating letters urging the administration to request a robust budget for international affairs. Sens. John Kerry (D-MA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Richard Lugar (R-IN), along with Reps. Howard Berman (D-CA) and Mark Kirk (R-IL), are leading this effort.

Economy

• In August, more than 36 million people participated in SNAP (formerly the Food Stamp Program), the ninth consecutive month of record highs. This is an increase of nearly 24 percent over the year before.
• The nation’s unemployment rate reached 10.2 percent in October, the highest level in 26 years. More than one-third of the unemployed have been without a job for more than 26 weeks.
• Out of concern for long-term unemployed people who have exhausted their unemployment insurance (UI) benefits, President Obama signed a law on November 6 to extend UI benefits.
• The bill extends benefits by 14 weeks in all states and provides an additional six weeks of benefits in high-unemployment states (those with unemployment rates above 8.5 percent).

ACT NOW

• Continue to urge your senators to cosponsor S. 1524, the Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act of 2009.
• Due to the delay in the markup of S. 1524, which had been scheduled for November 10, we have an additional week to secure Senate cosponsors.
• The bipartisan S. 1524 is an important initial step in making foreign assistance more effective. It formally states that it is U.S. policy to promote the reduction of poverty and hunger and contains provisions to revitalize and strengthen the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
• Send your letters to Senator ____, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC 20510. Or call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.
• For updated sample letters and more information on improving foreign assistance—Bread for the World’s Offering of Letters 2009—visit www.bread.org/OL2009.