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Posted by Patrick Jendraszak
Washington Weekly is a publication of the Social Policy Department of Catholic Charities USA
and is published regularly when Congress is in session.
House Committee Sets FY 2011 Spending
Last week, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) announced proposed spending levels for the remainder of fiscal year 2011. Currently, government programs are operating on an extension known as a continuing resolution until March 4, 2011. The budget allocations released by Chairman Ryan would set overall discretionary spending at $1.055 billion with $420 billion allocated to non-discretionary programs, $43 billion below the fiscal year 2010 spending level, and defense funding at $635 billion, an $8 billion increase from the fiscal year 2010 level.
Some reports suggest that programs that provide services to the most vulnerable are at risk of being reduced. One such program is the Emergency Food and Shelter program which could be cut by as much as fifty percent. During its 27 years of operation, the program has disbursed over $3.4 billion to over 12,000 local providers in more than 2,500 counties and cities. In addition, several other programs are slated for cuts including reductions to the following:
- Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies -$30M
- Juvenile Justice -$2.3M
- Rural Development Programs -$237M
- WIC -$758M
- Job Training Programs -$2B
- Community Health Centers -$1.3B
- Maternal and Child Health Block Grants -$210M
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services -$96M
- Community Services Block Grant -$405M
- HUD Community Development Fund -$530M
For more information, please contact Lucreda Cobbs, Senior Director, Advocacy and Civic Engagement at lcobbs@catholiccharitiesusa.org.
President's Budget Proposal
Today, President Obama released his FY2012 Budget proposal. We are carefully reviewing the proposal. Please look for more detailed information in next week's Washington Weekly. For more information, please contact Lucreda Cobbs, Senior Director, Advocacy and Civic Engagement at lcobbs@catholiccharitiesusa.org
Hearing on E-Verify
On February 10, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement held a hearing on E-Verify-Preserving Jobs for American Workers. E-Verify is an electronic employment verification system that allows employers to verify an individual's eligibility to obtain employment in the U.S.
During the hearing, Rep. Smith reported that according to Pew Hispanic Center, seven million people are working in the U.S. illegally and that one effective program to help ensure jobs are reserved for citizens and legal workers is E-Verify. Other panel witnesses included: Theresa Bertucci, Associate Director, Enterprise Services Directorate U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) who explained the E-Verify process and testified to efforts made by the agency to increase accuracy and efficiency, maintain its integrity and expand use of the program; and Richard Stana, Director, Homeland Security and Justice Issues, Government Accountability Office who discussed challenges in the current e-verification system.
In addition to the panel witnesses, the Most Reverend Jose H. Gomez, Coadjutor Archbishop of Los Angeles, California and Chairman, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration submitted written testimony that included the following recommendations to Congress:
- Prioritize and pursue comprehensive immigration reform in lieu of enforcement-only measures to address the issues of unauthorized immigration in the United States; and
- De-emphasize the use of workplace raids - in which immigrants are detained and families are separated - as a measure to enforce immigration laws in the U.S. workplace.
To listen to the hearing or get full copies of the panel testimony, please visit the following link http://judiciary.house.gov/hearings/pdf/Stana02102011.pdf.
For more information, please contact Lucreda Cobbs, Sr. Director of Advocacy and Civic Engagement at lcobbs@catholiccharitiesusa.org.
USDA Oversight Hearing
On February 10, the House Agriculture Committee met to discuss its U.S. Department of Agriculture oversight plan which includes the Food and Nutrition Service. The meeting is required under House rules to fulfill the committee's oversight responsibilities of the USDA for the 112th Congress.
The plan provides suggestions for review of programs for inefficiencies and duplication could potentially have both funding and policy implications. The plan includes the following areas in which the respective committees and subcommittees plan to conduct oversight or investigation:
- Review programs for waste, fraud and abuse;
- Review food and nutrition programs including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), fruit and vegetable initiatives, the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), the Food Distribution on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) and other commodity distribution programs;
- Assess the level of participation by states in SNAP and examine state options for expanding SNAP participation;
- Review buying patterns of SNAP recipients and methods for encouraging balanced lifestyles;
- Review efforts by state SNAP administrators to modernize and streamline their programs;
- Review the Community Food Project Program to ensure cooperative grants are working;
- Review of the SNAP retailer approval process; and
- Review of the implementation of changes made to the SNAP Nutrition Education Program.
- Review programs within the 2008 Farm Bill that may be inefficient, duplicative, outdated or more appropriately administered by State or local governments for possible cuts or elimination;
To obtain a full copy of the oversight plan, please visit the following link: http://agriculture.house.gov/pdf/business-meeting/DRAFT-Oversight-Plan-112th-Congress.pdf.
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