Policies That Help
Support Policies that Help Families in Poverty
Working to address poverty in America demands confronting the root causes of economic injustice — and promoting policies that help. Learn more about some major legislative policies that help people get back on their feet.
Find your Representative and ask them to support policies and legislation that help people in poverty.
The Federal Budget
The federal budget is a moral document with profound implications for the common good of our nation and world. The budget requires difficult decisions that ought to be guided by moral criteria. The nation needs to substantially reduce future deficits, but not at the expense of hungry and poor people. Programs meant to support people living in poverty can be made more effective, but not by cutting benefits that harm struggling families. Learn more about how the federal budget affects people in poverty. Read more.
The Farm Bill
The reauthorization of the Farm Bill provides an opportunity to reshape the current, broken agricultural policies to build a more just framework that better serves small and medium-sized family farms in the US., promotes good stewardship of the land, helps overcome hunger at home and abroad, and helps vulnerable farmers and their families in developing countries. Read more.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
SNAP is the first line of defense for people who do not have enough food each month. In a typical month in 2017, SNAP served more than 40 million people throughout the nation. With the purchasing power of food stamp dollars decreasing and food prices rising, vulnerable people, especially children and seniors, cannot afford to have their benefits further cut or reduced.
Criminal Justice Reform
The juvenile and criminal justice systems must operate fairly and equitably; ensure the dignity of those impacted by these systems; and address the needs of victims, the community, and those responsible for causing harm through healing, education, rehabilitation, and community support. Congress has an opportunity to advance legislation that will enact meaningful sentencing reform and support for important reentry programs. Urge your Senators and Representative to support policies that lift up human life and dignity, promote civility, community safety, and help reform people's lives harmed by crime and violence.
Predatory Banking and Payday Lending
Stagnating wages, underemployment, and rising costs of living have combined to create heavy financial stress for many Americans, especially those living in and near poverty. Families desperate for additional funds to make ends meet are ripe for exploitation by unscrupulous lenders who use a worker’s paycheck as collateral for short-term, high-interest loans. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau must protect poor and vulnerable people from predatory payday lending and other harmful financial products and practices.
Climate change and the Environment
Climate change and environmental degradation take a disproportionate toll on those living in poverty and in areas prone to natural disasters. Urge Congress to take courageous actions and develop strategies aimed at promoting an integral ecology that considers together the protection of nature, the need for equitable economic development, and the promotion of human dignity, especially that of the poor.