Excited to join @staciberger.bsky.social, Adam Gordon @fairsharehousing.bsky.social, Bob Kim @edlawcenter.bsky.social & Jesselly De La Cruz Latino Action Foundation Network on Oct. 15 for 4th Crossroads NJ Conversation to discuss solutions for New Jersey’s housing, land use, & education challenges.

As ⁦‪@kevinlindamood.bsky.social‬⁩ from ⁦‪Baltimore Health Care for the Homeless and ⁦‪@nhchc.bsky.social‬⁩ says in this article. “By helping people get and keep housing, we improved their health and reduced public costs. THESE SERVICES SAVE LIVES.”

Understanding government effectiveness starts with collecting the data. Hard not to see this as the Administration anticipating that they will want to hide the impact of their policy actions from the public. Congress must act to protect government accountability.

Passing appropriations bills or a CR with no promise that ‘a deal is a deal’ ignores reality. Reality is how helping people and carrying out the basic functions of gov’t are getting tougher as more & more harm is caused by executive actions that should lie with Congress.

Black unemployment rates are the canary in the coal mine and Black women are feeling the negatives of what’s likely coming first. My @centeronbudget.bsky.social colleague @gbenga-ajilore.bsky.social explains.

Happy #NationalDogDay! Love my Lily!

According to @calbudgetcenter.org the costs of criminalizing homelessness include: • Jail: $300 per person/day ($109,000 for a year) • ER visits: $2,000–$3,500 per visit • Encampment sweeps: $1,200+ per action, not including clean-up or legal costs.

Alex Visotzky @naehomelessness.bsky.social explains: No one wants to see encampments. They are a sign that we have not succeeded in connecting folks to housing & services. But there’s a human-centered, trauma-informed way to approach moving folks back into housing. www.pbs.org/newshour/nat...

Right! Police action and forceable moving people from parks DOESN’T solve homelessness. It only hurts people who need help paying the rent and a health system that works. And now stressing a community’s resources who does things the right way.

“SNAP is irreplaceable.” @hsph.harvard.edu

You can't just 'claim' power. The Constitution is clear. Congress holds the power of the purse. No Admin should be able to just say, nope, I'd rather do it this way.

Important article by @jesswash.bsky.social @theintercept.com explaining yet another Trump policy designed to hurt, rather than help people with low incomes.

“Hawaii Democratic state Sen. Ronald Kouchi - “Who’s going to be blamed when people are left out, when people are hungry and they lose out on educational opportunities?” People well be hurt for a lifetime due to the cuts in Medicaid by Republicans. missouriindependent.com/2025/08/15/s...

A President who wanted to solve homelessness would draw a straight line between this news & more unhoused people. Then they would find ways to increase rental assistance, stabilize rent costs & increase supply. That would be solution oriented. www.redfin.com/news/rental-...

This picture captures my anger. We must fight this disregard for people’s humanity simply b/c they are poor. We need to help people afford basic needs, not jail them. housingnothandcuffs.org/2025/08/14/h...

A month ago the President & Republicans in Congress gave wealthy people tax cuts while cutting access to food & healthcare. Next on their agenda, threatening people with fines, jail & detention centers who simply need help paying rent and a services system resourced enough to provide healthcare.

States & localities are being responsive to people’s struggle to afford rent. These papers show the progress they are making and the example they are setting for the federal gov’t. Solutions to homelessness & housing affordability exist and need larger scale investment.

This is a must read! My colleague @gbenga-ajilore.bsky.social breaks down how actions of this administration and Congress are causing intentional harm to Black households and how the nation is weaker for it.

Want help understanding the #JobsReport and the implications for the overall economy? Check out this video and post from my @centeronbudget.bsky.social colleague @gbenga_ajilore

The Senate Banking Committee did a good thing yesterday by passing The ROAD to Housing Act. It has some good pieces and makes some positive improvements. Energizing all of us to keep up the good work to make housing affordable for all. x.com/willpfischer...

It’s important to look at any funding bill in its entirety. Funding homeless services is good but not fully paying for the programs that end homelessness like public housing & rental assistance is very short sided & not solutions oriented. This is why the public is frustrated. x.com/willpfischer...

We do know what works & the new Exec Order not just allowing but incentivizing communities to actively harm people ISN’T IT! Helping people pay rent & giving them access to support services ends homelessness. We must protect people and join the fight against this inhumanity.

Several House Republicans held their noses and voted yes on their version of OBBB. They hoped the Senate would make it better. NOPE! Here is a sampling of ways Senate Republicans actually made it worse.

This bill takes health coverage & food assistance away from families so that the country 'can afford' tax cuts to the wealthy. Oh but wait! This bill also adds trillions to the debt. No logic, just cruelty. Outrageous and it should be rejected by the House.

TSen. Scott amendment effectively repeals Medicaid expansion in only a few years. New analysis here: www.cbpp.org/research/med...

It only takes a little math to dissect what the One Big Beautiful Bill is all about - Securing tax cuts for wealthy people on the backs of people who will have their health coverage and food assistance taken away.

Every major bill language release is happening under the cover of night. Tracks since the bill is so unpopular. Are Senators really going to set millions of families backwards by taking health coverage & food asst away from them? Is that why they got into politics? Really?

This ⁦‪@cnn.com‬⁩ story shows that families understand #OBBB - “I’m worried that the red tape is going to affect our Medicaid because of just the oversight burdens and that as a result, I’m going to lose my daughter because she’s lost coverage before.” www.cnn.com/2025/06/26/p...

Truly Don’t Matter….seriously the math isn’t mathing. #OBBB People living in rural areas will be hurt and face life threatening lack of access to health care if this ridiculousness doesn’t stop.

Why rush #OBBB when there isn’t a crisis? Because it is EXTREMELY unpopular & you want to pass it before anyone pays attention. Those of us paying attention must stay vigilant.

The Parliamentarian ruled 2 of the most harmful #SNAP cuts in the Senate Republican bill violate the Byrd rule, including an unprecedented cost-shift to states that could end SNAP entirely in parts of the U.S. www.agriculture.senate.gov/newsroom/rep...

And remember that this is not happening in isolation. There are other costs OBBB shifts to states like those caused by some of the Medicaid and ACA marketplace changes. States will have to make tough choices & people who need help the most will suffer. www.cbpp.org/research/sta...

Senators who are worried about how the reconciliation bills’ health care cuts will impact rural providers should not be swayed by reports that a “rural hospital stabilization fund” could be added to the bill. That’s a weak band aid, not a cure. www.politico.com/live-updates...

As @sharonparrott.bsky.social says regarding some in Congress incorrectly believing that revenue isn't part of the federal deficit equation & repeatedly passing poorly designed tax cuts tilted toward the wealthy. "If we keep believing the lie, we'll keep making the same mistake over and over".

Both the House and Senate reconciliation bills would needlessly destabilize millions of families by making it harder to afford health care and food. All for the purpose of giving the most wealthy people and corporations tax cuts. Shameful!

Want to help people engage in the workforce? -Expand CTC & EITC -Help them meet basic needs: food, housing, health -Fund training -Lift earnings & asset limits in SSI -Support collective bargaining rights Don't create red tape-laden req's that undermine stability & don't help people maintain jobs.

Dr. Jim O’Connell is an amazing human & a role model to me. I’m sure he wishes this country had come together to work him out of a job. #endhomelessness @nhchc.bsky.social Boston doctor celebrates 40 years serving the community at Health Care for the Homeless whdh.com/news/boston-... via @7NEWS

The budget reconciliation bill undermines support for low and middle income families. This has big negative ramifications for many Black families, often disproportionately compared to other groups.

Thank you @realsambee.bsky.social & @tcolicchio.bsky.social for highlighting the #SNAP cuts in the House Republican reconciliation bill & cruelty of taking food assistance away from millions of families. Tax cuts for wealthy people on the backs of families with low incomes is reprehensible.

Next week Congress comes back to DC and attention shifts to the Senate on the budget reconciliation bill. Keep these handy as quick reminders of what is at stake. And remember all of this harm is in service of giving wealthy people and corporations tax cuts.

“Dreams are how you know where you want to go and life is how you get there.” Kermit The Frog ❤️ If you need a smile today, watch Kermit’s speech. www.youtube.com/live/twafGSm...

The #SNAP cuts in the House Ag bill would hurt millions of people. It could be particularly devastating for families, retailers and others in rural America.

House GOP are saying that the SNAP program has gone unchecked. WRONG! USDA publishes state error rates. That’s literally the definition of checking the program. States find errors & correct them. Recipients pay back mistakes. Funds aren’t wasted. www.cbpp.org/research/hea...

Watching the House Ag Committee mark up and the way House Republicans are throwing around who “deserves” food and who doesn’t is disgusting. The average SNAP benefit is about $6 a day. If that’s what is making sure you have food on the table, you definitely “deserve” help.

We can’t afford to help families eat? And we think some people don’t “deserve” food? Why? Oh, right! We have to give wealthy people and corporations tax cuts instead. Silly me. Totally shameful!

Taking health coverage from millions of people is extremely misguided. People largely understand this because these proposals are also very unpopular. All of this harm is in service of giving wealthy people tax cuts.

Attacking programs as "woke" when, in reality, those programs are proven to be launching pads to success undermines the ability of all of us to thrive. We have to actively correct inequitable policies that are obstacles to success for far too many. Doing so makes the U.S. stronger.

As Jim Parrott & I say, we need more housing but many people also need rental assistance because their incomes are too low to afford the lowest rent. Leaving them behind leads to costly #evictions & sometimes life threatening #homelessness. @urbaninstitute.bsky.social @centeronbudget.bsky.social

This @washingtonpost op-ed by @chefjoseandres explains the importance of food assistance, especially in rural communities. As he says - “Doing good can be good politics. One of the reasons government exists is to take care of our forgotten neighbors who need a helping hand.”

People with low incomes need support to build for their future. The budget proposal, threats to social security and these reported cuts will undermine millions of families’ ability to have housing, pay for food, and afford other basic needs.