Members of Congress return this week for about a month of pre-election legislative activity and a number of important issues could come up.  Senator Frist has indicated that he plans on trying to revisit the troubling “trifecta” bill that links a minimum wage increase to deep cuts in the estate tax, the House leaders are again talking about how to address immigration, and a number of harmful budget process “reforms” could come up in both chambers.  Many of these actions will be taken with an eye toward the November election, so it’s important that we remind our elected leaders that we are paying attention to what they are and aren’t doing!

 

          NEW CENSUS DATA SHOW LITTLE IMPROVEMENT         

 

Last week the Census Bureau released its annual reports on health insurance, income, and poverty in the United States.  The data showed that while poverty did not increase, some 37 million Americans continue to live in poverty and many of those have fallen into even deeper poverty.  In addition, the number of people without health insurance increased to nearly 47 million and the number of uninsured children increased for the first time since 1998.  The reports also revealed that real wages for both men and women declined for the second and third years, respectively.  All of this confirms what a lot of people “on the ground” have been sensing—that current economic growth is not benefiting those most in need and stronger leadership is needed to address persistent poverty and the growing health care crisis.  But, unfortunately, that isn’t what is currently on the congressional agenda (see above).  While the Census data have gotten some media coverage, they haven’t filtered much into the broader political dialogue very much—and this is where you come in. We need elected officials to know that people care about the Census numbers and how Congress responds—with courage and vision or with a continuation of the policies of budget and tax cutting that have fueled the growing inequality in our nation.

 

ACTION NEEDED

 

Look for articles in your local newspaper about the Census data, economic news, or the upcoming elections and write a letter to the editor demanding leadership from our elected leaders in addressing poverty and inequality.  A number of different articles can provide an opening for your letter, but the focus should be on getting Congress to demonstrate better priorities (no more budget cuts, etc). A sample letter can be found on here for you to edit and send. Check out our Advocacy Handbook for more tips on writing a good letter to the editor.

 

For more info about the Census Data and links to analyses of the data, click here.

 

          ACTION ON IMMIGRATION?         

 

There have been conflicting news reports about whether or not Congress is going to act on immigration legislation before the November election.  Over the August recess, House committees held a number of immigration hearings intended to promote opposition to the comprehensive immigration bill passed by the Senate, but these seem to have had little impact on the overall debate.  Reports also surfaced over the recess about a possible compromise plan that would involve a phase-in of the Senate bill’s legalization provisions only AFTER certain border security/enforcement measures were in place.  However, such plans lack the bipartisan support needed to pass and are opposed by most immigrant advocacy groups because they fail to address our immigration problem holistically.  The most recent news is that House leaders may try to attach some border security measures to other legislation, but avoid consideration of a broader immigration reform bill.

 

The National Advocacy Center and many other advocacy groups continue to believe that the only effective and workable approach to immigration reform and that it would be better for Congress to continue working to hammer out a comprehensive bill than to pass enforcement-only measures just to have something “on the books” before the election.  A number of pro-immigrant events have been planned for the next several days to remind our leaders and the country that this debate has millions of human faces and stories. One of these events may be happening in your community, but, if not, you can show your support by sending another letter to your Senators and Representatives in support of comprehensive immigration reform that is fair and recognizes the valuable contributions that newcomers make to our nation and communities.

 

          ACTION NEEDED         

 

1) Check for events in your community

 

2) Write to your Senators and Representative and urge them not to abandon comprehensive immigration reform. A NEW sample letter is available at our action website for you to edit and send.

 

3) Participate in the “We Are America” picture postcard campaign in support of comprehensive immigration reform. This campaign especially designed to encourage the involvement of immigrant communities. More details are available here.