John,

Last week, we held a webinar to train hundreds of folks on how to use the Census Bureau data on poverty, income, and health insurance to advocate for human needs. Those new findings were released yesterday, and we wanted to help advocates be ready to use them.

We know Congress and the President have made policy choices that, if left unchanged, will sharply cut funding and benefits for basic needs programs. So it’s especially important to show how earlier policy improvements helped reduce poverty and the number of people without health insurance—and build on that vision to ensure that people can meet their basic needs and thrive.

The new Census data show that the huge, impending Big Brutal cuts will do significant damage to our communities.

Take a look at our First Look fact sheet, which shows the impact of basic needs programs and the inequities we must address in the months and years ahead. Here’s just one example of news we need to use: from 2023 to 2024, more than 3.2 million people lost Medicaid, many because they couldn’t manage red tape requirements to prove their continuing eligibility. These findings are a stark warning that the hundreds of billions of dollars in Medicaid cuts just enacted will result in more red tape that will drive millions more out of Medicaid.

CHN is empowering our national partners and everyday people to fight back against draconian cuts that hurt millions. We’re working alongside our allies in Congress to demand policies that support low-income families and strengthen our communities. None of this is possible without your support.

Donate $5 today to power and expand these advocacy efforts to defend vulnerable people from draconian cuts.

The year before the Child Tax Credit was expanded, 7.2 million children lived in poverty. In 2021, the one year when the CTC expansion was in place, the number of poor children plunged to 3.8 million—a nearly 50% reduction.¹ But after Congress let the expanded Child Tax Credit expire, and allowed a reduction in SNAP benefits as well, child poverty shot back up, year after year.  

With cuts to SNAP, Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act looming, we are on the cusp of an explosion of inequity. At the same time, jobs are being lost and prices for food and housing remain high. The Big Brutal Law will make all of this far worse for millions of people.

Together, we’re fighting back against policies that hurt vulnerable communities. And we need you with us in this fight.

Donate $5 today to power our advocacy—including our activism, trainings, and research—which are critical to demanding lawmakers side with the people, not millionaires, billionaires, and corporations.

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Thank you for all you do,

Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, Coalition on Human Needs

P.S. Take a look at our First Look facts about poverty, income, and health insurance, showing more detail from the new Census Bureau report.

¹ 2024 Poverty Rates in Historical Perspective