Greetings!

 

The President and Congressional leaders are working right now on a deal to reduce the federal deficit.  New Hampshire advocates must weigh in to protect key children's programs, like SNAP/Food Stamps, Child Nutrition and child care. Decisions are happening now!   

Actions Needed:          

1. Call Senators Shaheen and Ayotte toll-free: 1-888-907-1485 which will connect you to the Capitol Switchboard and then ask for your Senators. 

2. Contact the White House (President Obama and Vice President Biden).  Call toll-free: 1-888-245-0215.

Message: Any deficit reduction plan must protect programs for low- and moderate income children and families and not increase poverty.  Families and children shouldn't bear the brunt of deficit reduction through cuts to critical programs like SNAP/Food Stamps, Child Nutrition, child care and Head Start.  Efforts to reduce the deficit should be balanced and include new revenues as well as spending cuts.  

Background: As you know, President Obama, Vice President Biden and a bi-partisan group of Congressional leaders are negotiating a debt-ceiling/deficit reduction plan and hope to reach an agreement in the coming weeks. At the top of the agenda is securing $4 trillion in savings from program cuts over the next 10 or 12 years.  Whether or not revenues will be part of the final plan is also in play.  Child advocates are demanding that negotiations follow a key principle included in the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform's plan (Bowles-Simpson): protect programs for low- and moderate-income families, like SNAP/Food Stamps, Child Nutrition and child care, and make sure that the deficit reduction is achieved in a way that does not increase poverty.

We encourage you to take these actions immediately and to share this alert widely among your network and contacts in order to demonstrate support for responsible long-term deficit reduction through a combination of revenue increases and spending cuts that do not harm children.