PathWays PA Policy Blog

Last week, President Trump released his plans for the 2019 federal budget. It includes cuts to SNAP, Medicaid, and energy assistance along with the elimination of funding for public broadcasting and loan forgiveness for students who enter public service. Here's a more in-depth look at some items: Healthcare: The budget cuts Medicaid and subsidies for the health insurance marketplace by $763 billion over 10 years. It also embraces the Graham-Cassidy proposal to eliminate the ACA and replace it with a block grant to states. The block grants would be less than what states receive currently to assist families with healthcare, leaving them with additional, unfunded costs. Housing: Under this budget, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) would see a cut of $8.8 billion . Rental assistance programs are among those that would see cuts, while LIHEAP would be completely eliminated . Nutrition: Perhaps the most talked about cuts so far are those made to nutrition progra...

From the NY Times  http://nyti.ms/2nIUEtp President Trump's budget plan released this morning shows sharp changes in spending compared to previous federal budgets, including the elimination of many programs for low-income people such as the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) , the Legal Services Corporation , and Community Services Block Grants . Other programs to be eliminated include the Corporation for National and Community Service , which runs AmeriCorps and other community service programs, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting ,  and more than 50 programs in the EPA . You can read a full list via  The Washington Post . Meanwhile, the  Department of Veterans Affairs , the  Department of Homeland Security , and the  Department of Defense  are all seeing increases in their budgets under the new plan. The full budget blueprint is available here . So what's next? Congress will begin holding hearings on the President's budg...

The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is scheduled to reopen November 2, 2015. LIHEAP is a cash grant sent directly to utility companies to help low-income households pay heating bills. You can apply for LIHEAP online , using a paper form , or at your local County Assistance Office (CAO) . There is also a LIHEAP hotline available Monday through Friday (individuals with hearing impairments may call the TDD number at 1-800-451-5886). A Crisis program will also open in Fall 2015 to provide additional money to families in an emergency who are at risk of losing their heat. Emergencies include: Broken/leaking heating equipment that must be fixed or replaced Lack of fuel Shut-off of the main or second heating source Potential of being without fuel (less than 15 day supply) or of having utilities shut off within 60 days. To apply for a crisis grant in most counties, you should contact your local county assistance office. However, residents of Luzerne and Wyoming C...

According to Dr. Heidi Hartmann, President of the Institute for Women's Policy Research in Washington, it's likely to be women and kids who suffer first if sequestration   is implemented. Here's what she had to say when interviewed on the Equal Time With Martha Burk radio show. There are many, many things [that would be cut]. The Maternal and Child Health block grant, Title X Family Planning, the Child Care and Development block grant that supports Head Start, child support enforcement. Food stamps are cut to some extent, and other food supplements like school breakfast and lunch programs. There's unemployment insurance, Pell education grants, housing assistance, home energy assistance. We could go on and on.

PathWays PA Newsletter   JOIN OUR MAILING LIST JOIN OUR ONLINE COMMUNITY IN THIS NEWSLETTER Release of the 2012-2013 Standard LIHEAP Application Online Human Trafficking Bill Sent to Governor Shared-Work Program comes to PA FREE Business Workshop Lost GA-PA Cares for ALL SURVEY SIGN-UP Human Trafficking Webinar LITERACY COALITION EVENT JOIN PATHWAYS PA TO CELEBRATE OUR 34TH ANNIVERSARY!. ADULT EDUCATION CLASSES IN THE NEWS October 11, 2012 - PathWaysPA releases 2012-2012 Self-Sufficiency Report "Overlooked and Undercounted"   October 17, 2012 Study: 1 in 4 Pennsylvania households struggle to make ends meet  Read More    October 18, 2012 25 percent of Pa. households below poverty standard Read More   PURCHASE ITEMS FROM THE PATHWAYS PA ART SHOW These items and more are available for sale, with all proceeds benefiting PathWays PA! For more information and to make your purchase, visit...

Members of Congress will face some big choices in the coming months. The upcoming round of negotiations will include decisions on: whether tax cuts for wealthy hosueholds will be allowed to expire; whether to halt across-the-board budget cuts scheduled to hit programs such as affordable housing and early childhood education in January; and whether to continue key expansions in the earned income and child tax credits that lifted 1.6 million people in working families out of poverty in 2011. The Coalition on Human Needs  composed a letter to Congress that details the consequences of congressional inaction . According to the letter, if Congress fails to stop across-the-board cuts: 750,000 fewer infants, toddlers, and moms will get critical nutrition assistance. More than 460,000 adults and youth will lose employment and training services, including 51,000 veterans. 734,000 households will lose access to home heating and cooling assistance. 1.8 million fewer low-income schoolch...

Federal Updates SUPER COMMITTEE FAILS TO REACH A COMPROMISE; AUTOMATIC SPENDING CUTS TRIGGERED The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, also known as the Super Committee in Congress, failed to address the necessary amount of cuts to reduce the federal deficit, triggering automatic $1.3 trillion cuts set to begin in 2013. Many of the disagreements came over reticence on tax increases and cuts to social safety net programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Half the cuts to come will be from defense programs, while certain federal programs – including Medicaid, Social Security and SNAP (Food stamps) – will initially be insulated from such cuts. However, other domestic spending programs may be in danger of losing funding. To learn more about what some national groups are saying regarding the Super Committee, please visit the following links: Super Committee Unable to Reach Deal : National Skills Coalition Super Committee Cannot Leap O...

Federal Updates LIHEAP / SNAP JOINT VENTURE ON SUPER COMMITTEE TABLE OF CUTS . (News has come out this weekend suggesting that the Super Committee may have hit an impasse. However, until such news is definite, we must continue to reach out to them in support of programs that families rely on to stay secure throughout the year. The Super Committee is coming close to their deadline. Many proposals are being floated, including one that would limit states’ ability to coordinate the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and SNAP benefits (food stamps). This “Heat and Eat” program allows many states, including Pennsylvania , to coordinate SNAP and LIHEAP in recognition of the fact that too many struggling Americans face an impossible choice between paying for food or paying for energy. But Heat and Eat programs are under the threat of a $4 billion cut – meaning that many households will be left making tough choices in the coming winter months. As the Supe...

Federal Updates Quilting to Help Ensure Pennsylvanians are Covered Right now in Congress members of a Super Committee are working to reduce the federal deficit by $1.2 trillion.  Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey is one of the lawmakers on this Super Committee. Help urge Senator Toomey to stand up for Pennsylvanians byjoining the Keep Pennsylvanians Covered quilting campaign. Before the November 23 deadline, the group will present Senator Toomey with a quilt crafted by volunteers.  Share your message to be featured on a patch! Email Athena to have your health care message included. Also be sure to check out the Virtual Quilt . Hover your cursor over or click on one of the panels in the quilt to the right to read a message in support of preserving health care for Pennsylvania families. Pennsylvania Updates LIHEAP NOW OPEN FOR APPLICATIONS The Low Income Heating Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is the energy assistance program that helps thousands...

HARRISBURG, Pa., March 14, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Governor Tom Corbett's administration today announced that Pennsylvania's Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, will be extended more than two weeks, giving eligible households extra time to seek help paying their winter heating bills. The federally funded LIHEAP program, which began accepting applications last November, was originally set to end March 31, but the commonwealth's efficient management of the program has enabled it to be extended through April 15. "We have had a difficult winter amidst a difficult economy, and programs like LIHEAP have helped Pennsylvania's most vulnerable households endure both," Gov. Corbett said. "By providing this extension, we will be able to help even more Pennsylvanians provide a basic necessity for their families." LIHEAP, administered through the Department of Public Welfare, provides cash grants to help low-income households pay f...