In 2011, the U.S. Congress had (as usual) a hard time agreeing on a federal budget. So, in the absence of a true agreement, they decided that if they couldn’t balance the budget the following year, everyone’s taxes would automatically go up. At the same time, all federal programs—everything from child care to job training, medical services, education, worker safety, food safety—would automatically suffer funding cuts. This was the “Fiscal Cliff” you might have heard a lot about during the holidays.
Because of the postcards we sent and phone calls we made to Congress, they agreed on January 1, 2013, to only raise taxes on the rich. (Whew!)
Unfortunately, they did nothing to stop the automatic cuts to programs. If they don’t do something soon, there will be a devastating cut to the Child Care Block Grant. For California, this will mean slashing more than $19 million from the state’s child care budget, resulting in 5,172 fewer children served. Contact your organizer to get involved in fighting these cuts! Or call (213) 387-8393, ext. 303.
