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Congress is continuing to work on the budget next week.

Will it place First Things First?

Your call can do two things:

• Increase funding so that poor and vulnerable people, young and old, are more likely to have health care, food, housing, and other services.
• Prevent attacks on these services.

Your silence will do two things, too:

• Forfeit a real chance to provide more help to people in need.
• Allow those who would deny that help to win another round.

Please call.

800-459-1887, toll-free
Friday, March 16, Monday, March 19, Tuesday, March 20.

Step 1: Call 1-800-459-1887 and ask the Capitol Switchboard operator to connect you to your member of Congress' office. (If you don't know your Representative's or Senators' names click here)

Step 2: Make 3 calls - one to your Representative and two to your Senators. Deliver this message to the staffer that answers the phone: Please put First Things First and work to pass a budget resolution that includes a significant spending increase for pressing needs that have been neglected for years, such as (Mention examples that mean the most to you, such as, housing, child care, services for senior citizens, education, Head Start, Food Stamps, children's health coverage, child support collections…). Our nation needs these investments - we don't need billions in tax cuts for the wealthy.

Why your calls make so much difference:

• The Senate Budget Committee just approved a budget resolution that makes some progress, but not enough, in placing First Things First. It adds about $7 billion over this year's spending, taking inflation into account. Within a $2.9 trillion budget, that's not enough. We must regain lost ground - 150,000 fewer children with child care help; Food Stamps worth only $1 per meal; 150,000 fewer rental vouchers; services stripped from Head Start - meeting these and other critical needs must be a national priority. The Senate Committee did some good things, too - for example, they made a commitment to cover eligible children through the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). For more information about what the Senate Budget Committee did.
  
  
• The budget goes to the Senate floor next Tuesday. Your calls to senators will help to beat damaging amendments and to support good ones.

Starting on Wednesday, the House Budget Committee will work on its budget resolution. There is a genuine chance for the House to include more funds for human needs - but if members don't hear from constituents, they won't.

For talking points about:
Children and Youth Issues
Workers' Issues
Education Issues
Housing and Nutrition Issues

The toll-free number is provided courtesy of the American Friends Service Committee. AFSC welcomes groups to circulate and use the toll-free number in support of non-partisan budget goals and without linking the alert to a website soliciting donations or actions which may be used to support partisan lobbying or work.

PDF: Many of the documents we link to in CHN emails are in PDF format. If you are not able to read PDF documents, please contact swamhoff@chn.org and we will try to get you the same information in an alternative format.