by Joan Entmacher, Vice President for Family Economic Security,
and Emily J. Martin, Vice President,
National Women's Law Center
Congress is trying to use a bucket to stop a flood ― and it’s not working.
Over 15 million Americans are still unemployed, and nearly half have been out of work for six months or more. States have already cut health care, education, child care, domestic violence shelters, and other vital services ― and deeper cuts and major layoffs of teachers and others who provide these services are looming. At the same time, additional federal support for struggling families and states provided by the Recovery Act, including extended unemployment insurance benefits, COBRA subsidies for health insurance coverage, additional federal support for Medicaid and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families ― will soon run out.
While the economy is beginning to add jobs, it will take years to recover the millions of jobs that have been lost. Families and states have exhausted any reserves they had. Yet, Congress is stalling as the economic picture for state and local governments is worsening.
Tell Members of Congress to stop standing by while states are drowning!
Currently, Congress is considering a bill that would:
- Continue extended unemployment insurance benefits and COBRA subsidies, which will run out in weeks, to the end of 2010.
- Provide six months of additional Medicaid funding to states to protect health care services for women and their families and ease the pressure on state budgets.
- Extend the TANF emergency fund for a year to enable states to continue to create jobs and provide emergency assistance to the increased numbers of poor women and children.
These measures could be included in a bill to extend some expiring tax cuts, mostly for businesses, and to prevent cuts to physician reimbursement under Medicare. But some conservative members of Congress are objecting to including this emergency assistance in that bill.
Tell Congress to act immediately to provide help for families and states to get through this economic crisis!