Fight Cuts to the Assets for Independence Program November 9, 2011
Greetings!
Don't let Congress cut millions from the Assets for Independence Program
The Assets for Independence program faces a drastic cut: the House Appropriations HHS Subcommittee Chairman recommends a 63% cut - a drop from $23.9 million to $8.9 million.
Please CALL your members of Congress at 202.224.3121. This is the Capitol Switchboard and they can connect you to your legislators' offices.
ASK for the person who handles appropriations.
SAY: the Assets for Independence program at HHS is a proven strategy to enable low-income families to succeed as homeowners, college students or entrepreneurs. The AFI program enables economic mobility. Please follow the Senate's lead and keep AFI level funded at $24 million.
Slashing AFI by 63% is short-sighted. We invest about $400 billion a year to help American families build wealth but Congress is cutting the programs that help low-income families while leaving the vast majority of wealth subsidies provided through the tax code untouched. We need to invest in our nation's long-term growth by moving families toward economic self-reliance. The House Subcommittee has not yet acted. The $8.9 million funding level has been suggested by Chairman Rehberg. Raising your opposition to AFI cuts now can reverse them before the Subcommittee finalizes its bill. The Senate Committee on Appropriations has approved its bill and a vote in the full Senate is pending. The Senate provides $23.907 million, down slightly from $23.977 million in 2011. Since the House and Senate have yet to finalize their bills, there is time to influence the final outcome. Please ask former and current savers to contact legislators as well. Seek media attention about the impact of these cuts on your program. Raise the broader point that by only cutting programs and leaving taxes untouched, we are not asking for shared sacrifice in deficit reduction efforts. Sincerely, Action for Children North Carolina |
