With Congress eager to adjourn for the year, we’ve been a little unsure of what they would actually take up this week. The bad news is that they have decided to punt the budget and will most likely pass an underfunded continuing resolution that will keep the government operating until February 15th of next year, but will force cuts to a number of important programs. Some Senators are still trying to get extra funds included in the continuing resolution, but with little time remaining, an agreement is extremely unlikely and most advocates are already focusing on strategy for next year.

The GOOD news is that members of Congress have apparently reached an agreement on legislation that will extend the Transitional Medicaid Program (TMA) (it allows families moving off welfare and into work to temporarily keep Medicaid health coverage for six to twelve months), help address the shortfall that some states are facing in the Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), and fix some of the problems with the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) (the reconciliation budget cuts passed earlier this year) related to children in foster care. The tricky part remains getting this agreement to the floor in the VERY limited time that is left this year. This is where YOU can help by telling your Senators and Representative that they MUST pass this legislation before leaving for the year!

          ACTION NEEDED:         

Call both of your Senators and your Representative starting TODAY and ask them to protect health coverage for the most vulnerable among us, including foster care youth, low-income children, and working families. Tell them to PASS the bill to extend the Transitional Medical Assistance (TMA) program for families moving off welfare into the workforce; fix the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) funding shortages so that 530,000 low-income children are not left without health cover; and continue Medicaid protection for foster care youth!

To find your Senators and Representative's phone numbers, visit our action website and under the "Find Your Legislators" heading, enter your zip code. You will get a list of legislators--click on their names to be taken to a page with contact information.

          ADVENT REFLECTIONS AVAILABLE         

Some of you may have already received the reflections through your agency or community via fax, but for those who haven't received them yet, the 2-page document is available for download by clicking here. We hope these will provide a little spiritual nourishment during this holy season and help reground us for our coming advocacy work together in the new year!