by Joan Entmacher, Vice President for Family Economic Security
and Kristina Gupta, Policy Fellow
National Women’s Law Center
We observed a few days ago that the poor finally made it to page one. This week, the media continues to call attention to the ways the downturn is affecting economically vulnerable people, mostly women and children – just in time for the returning Congress to do something about it.
The Washington Post ran two excellent articles about the effects of the economic downturn. The first article talks about how states are dealing with budget shortfalls (unlike the federal government, almost all states must balance their budgets each year). Mostly, states are slashing services instead of looking for ways to raise revenue. The story highlights the effects of these cuts on the most vulnerable, including poor women in Cook County, Illinois, who no longer have access to free mammograms, and low-income Californians with AIDS who are losing access to life-saving retroviral treatments. The second article talks about the impact of rising energy prices on low-income people and the struggling middle-class. According to the article, more and more families are unable to pay their utility bills and are turning to private charities and the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) for aid. But neither private charities nor the underfunded federal program are able to meet current needs.
Not to be outdone, the New York Times ran a front page article about how difficult it has become for families to put food on the table: As Jobs Vanish and Prices Rise, Food Stamp Use Nears Record. The story also calls attention to the fact that needy mothers and babies may have to go on waiting lists for supplemental food from the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, unless Congress provides additional funding.
Congress is back and working on a final budget resolution. The budget plans approved by the House and Senate reject the deep cuts to vital services proposed in President Bush’s budget – but Congress will have to do much more to respond to urgent and growing needs.
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