work requirements
The looming childcare “crisis,” public benefits and their impact on the foster care system
Beth Messersmith can see the crisis coming. Come December, the federal funds for childcare will run dry. Unless state lawmakers allocate $300 million to cover the cost for the next two years, working families will suffer — which means so will North Carolina’s economy. “The childcare workforce is the workforce behind the workforce,” said Messersmith, […]
U.S. Senate sends Biden debt limit legislation ahead of Monday default deadline
WASHINGTON — The bipartisan debt limit bill is on its way to President Joe Biden after the U.S. Senate voted Thursday to clear the measure for his signature. The 63-36 vote followed several amendment votes, all of which were rejected. Biden is expected to quickly sign the package, preventing a default on the debt that […]
New work requirements for some SNAP recipients included in debt limit deal
WASHINGTON — The holiday weekend debt ceiling deal struck by President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy preserves in part new work requirements for some food stamp recipients but now with exceptions for certain populations, including veterans. The agreement released late Saturday night showed concessions from both sides — from GOP members, who wanted […]
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, […]
Congressional farm leaders split over work requirements for food aid, climate funds
WASHINGTON — Three of the four top agricultural leaders in Congress are emphasizing writing a farm bill that meets the needs of all rural Americans, but they diverge sharply over food assistance work requirements pushed by U.S. House Republicans as well as uses of Inflation Reduction Act conservation funds. Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, […]
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 […]
GOP House members advocate expansion of work requirements for federal food aid
Three North Carolina lawmakers have signed on as co-sponsors WASHINGTON — Republican South Dakota Rep. Dusty Johnson introduced a bill Tuesday aimed at expanding work requirements for federal nutrition aid, reigniting a perennial conflict over how Congress navigates both the farm bill and federal spending. “Work is the best pathway out of poverty,” Johnson, who […]
Under flawed House health bill, hundreds of thousands will remain without health care
The NC General Assembly has scheduled House Bill 655 known as NC Health Care for Working Families for a committee hearing this morning. This extremely flawed attempt at closing the coverage gap contains harmful provisions such as work reporting requirements and premiums that have been proven to be ineffective in other states. In the case […]
Evidence from Arkansas: Medicaid work requirements don’t work
Last week, Governor Cooper vetoed the General Assembly’s conference budget, pointing to harmful corporate tax cuts, a failure to fully fund the needs of teachers and their classrooms, and a failure to include Medicaid Expansion. Both the Governor and Secretary of Health and Human Services Mandy Cohen have noted that any Medicaid Expansion bill will […]
Work requirements for access to healthcare ignore a simple truth about modern employment
Proposals to require people to report on work hours in order to access Medicaid (something that’s being considered this session at the North Carolina General Assembly both for exiting program participants and as a part of GOP proposals to close the coverage gap) fly in the face of some very basic labor market realities of […]
Legislature considering changes to Medicaid that would pose a huge danger to mothers and infants
Early next week the North Carolina General Assembly is expected to release a budget that may include taking health coverage away from people who do not meet work requirements. Faced with unrealistic work hour quotas, these proposals will mean that many adults, such as new moms, will lose essential health coverage. Loss of coverage, and […]