Action deadline: June 21, 2019 –
Scroogy McScroogeface never gets tired of thinking of ways to make the poor more miserable, more hungry, or just plain poorer. The latest from the Administration That Decency Forgot: changing the way the poverty line – which is used to determine who qualifies for benefits like food aid, health care, Head Start, and more – is adjusted annually for inflation. Need we say, the change would not be more generous to those in need. In fact, it looks like over time, millions of people could lose benefits they need to survive. Analysts say the proposed change is economically unjustifiable. We say it’s rotten through and through.
What you can do:
You have until Friday June 21, 2019 to submit comments. You have several options:
- Submit your comments online on the Office of Management and Budget’s website form. Note that on this website you do NOT have to provide your name or contact info, so if you want to talk about something personal anonymously, you can do that. You also have the option to submit a comment for someone else – you can tell the story of someone who needed government benefits to live, for example.
- You can also use this form on the Federal Register website to submit comments. Note that this doesn’t appear to offer the option of anonymity.
- You can fax comments to Nancy Potok, Chief Statistician, Office of Management and Budget, 202-395-7245.
- You can email comments to Statistical_Directives@omb.eop.gov with the subject line “Directive No. 14”
For more info and ideas about what to say, here’s a good, straightforward summary of what the proposal does and the problems with it. If you want lots more information, the Coalition for Human Needs offers a general comment guide and extensive background information, comment guides and further resources.
