Washington, D.C. – Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSSNCA) is gravely concerned about the impact of the budget reconciliation package on Americans who are already struggling to make ends meet and new neighbors rebuilding their lives after escaping violence and persecution.
“The budget bill signed into law this Fourth of July deeply undermines core American values,” said LSSNCA CEO Kristyn Peck. “It dramatically restructures the U.S. economy, slashing programs that provide health care and put food on the table for the most vulnerable. This bill erodes a vital social safety net, while significantly increasing the budget for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),” she said.
The budget reconciliation package:
- Cuts Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for millions of people, including refugees and asylees.
- Undermines protections for unaccompanied immigrant children, prolonging their release from government custody, and implementing a $5,000 minimum sponsorship fee for children to be united with a parent or family member.
- Implements new or increases fees for humanitarian immigration applications, including asylum, humanitarian parole, special immigrant juvenile status, and work permits.
- Allocates unprecedented funding levels for immigration enforcement, detention, and deportation efforts, making ICE the largest U.S. federal law enforcement agency, and larger than the budgets of most of the world’s militaries.
“Many of the families, children, and individuals that LSSNCA serves will be kicked off programs that provide health care and food assistance,” said Peck. “At a moment of historical global displacement, our nation should be offering humane, practical solutions that uphold people’s dignity and right to safety.”
“The increased investment in immigration detention contradicts evidence that community-based alternatives to detention, accompanied by case management and legal services for persons lawfully pursuing their asylum cases, are more cost-effective and yield better results,” she said. “The net effect is a punitive approach that shifts our immigration system away from one that centers protection and family unity in favor of a pay-to-play system.”
As a result of this bill, the work of community-based organizations to advance health and well-being for children and families is more vital than ever. LSSNCA urges its community to support our mission and to speak up to your elected officials about the impact of this bill on your neighbors.
