Keeping Food on the Table for American Families in Need
Last night, I was proud to vote against an extreme Republican bill that takes food out of the mouths of children and seniors, increases the risk of food-borne illnesses, undercuts common sense financial regulations, and protects Wall Street speculators who are driving up gas prices.
The Republican Department of Agriculture funding bill makes drastic cuts to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children–commonly known as WIC–by $650 million, forcing them to turn away up to 350,000 low-income women and young children next year. Economists estimate that every $1 invested in WIC saves between $1.77 and $3.13 in health care costs in the first 60 days after an infant’s birth by reducing the instance of low-birth-weight babies and improving child immunization rates.
The bill also cuts the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), which provides critical assistance to low income seniors, by $37.5 million. Over 11,000 seniors in San Francisco currently depend on the CSFP and an estimated additional 2,000 seniors in San Francisco are eligible for the program, but are already not being served because of insufficient funding.
It is unthinkable that a nation committed to the future would say we cannot afford to feed our most vulnerable. The cost of these programs is significant—but very small compared to the tax breaks to the oil industry, or the cost of tax breaks to the wealthiest few—and a small price to pay for the health and the strength of our country as we go into the future.
Congresswoman Pelosi and HHS Secretary Seblius participate in roundtable discussion at San Francisco General Hospital.
Touring San Francisco General Hospital with HHS Secretary Sebelius
Last weekend, I toured San Francisco General Hospital with Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and joined hospital officials, doctors, nurses, patients, and other key health care advocates to highlight the Partnership for Patients. Launched on April 12, 2011, the partnership will help save 60,000 lives by stopping millions of preventable injuries and complications in patient care over the next three years and has the potential to save up to $35 billion, including up to $10 billion for Medicare. Over the next ten years, it could reduce costs to Medicare by approximately $50 billion and result in billions more in Medicaid savings. The partnership is supported by a $1 billion investment made possible by the Affordable Care Act.
Expanding the Rights of our LGBT Families
The Obama administration announced new state guidelines last week to allow for increased protections for same-sex couples under Medicaid. These new guidelines grant states the option to afford partners in same-sex relationships protections previously only given to straight couples when one partner is receiving long-term care under Medicaid.
This is a significant step in the right direction, but inequalities under federal government programs will continue to persist until Congress has the votes to repeal the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act. Please be assured I will continue to fight for equality in our law and our society.
Casework on Your Corner
Recently, my office was able to help a San Francisco high school student who required assistance with a passport issue in order to participate on an upcoming class trip to Mexico. Within a day we were able to correct a mistake that had him listed as a 50 year-old on a State Department Watch List and he was able to enjoy his trip with the rest of his classmates.
If you have a problem with a federal agency or obtaining your federal benefits, you can learn more about how my office can be of assistance to you at my website or by calling my office at 415.556.4862.
Please feel free to forward this information to your family and friends. To learn more about these efforts, to express your views, or to sign up for email updates, please visit my website. I am also on Twitter at http://twitter.com/NancyPelosi.
