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Stop $600 Million in Foster Care Cuts - Action Needed Immediately

Target: U.S. House of Representatives
Sponsored by: American Humane Association

On Wednesday, February 1st, Congress will vote on the budget reconciliation bill, which may cut $600 million in foster care and other pro-family programs. These cuts include funding for programs that children and families depend on, including Medicaid, child support enforcement, and student assistance.

These children are defenseless against political whims, and this is our last opportunity to protect America's children.

Title IV-E Foster Care is a vital safety net for America's children. This financing is used for programs that ensure children receive the care they need, and to assist children who have been abused or neglected. Furthermore, programs designed to intervene before at risk children are forced to enter the foster care system will be severely impacted.

The true cost of these cuts will be in the lives of children - those who are already the most vulnerable. Those children will suffer from the lack of safe, nurturing foster care simply because relatives and others who love them can no longer afford to care for them. Those children may be separated from loved ones, important programs will be damaged, and children with special needs wonĀ’t receive appropriate treatment.

This vote will be extremely close and this is the last opportunity to tell your Representative in Congress not to desert America's children.

deadline: 1-27-2007
goal: 30,000

16,746
signatures!

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The House of Representatives has passed the budget reconciliation bill by a vote of 216 to 214. Thank you to everyone that submitted a letter to their Congressional Represenative and helped make this vote so close. Please click here for more petitions.

Dear Rep. [Your Congressional Representative],

As your constituent and as a concerned citizen, I urge you to oppose the budget reconciliation bill as long as it includes cuts to federal foster care funding. The massive cuts in the Senate-approved version of the bill are cruel and threaten the ability of our nation’s foster care system to continue to provide children with the care they need.

The bill must represent our country’s concerns and priorities regarding child safety and well-being. The current reconciliation bill contains more than $600 million in cuts to federal foster care programs. The bill would slash funding for programs that support children being cared for by grandparents and other relatives, impose inflexible eligibility requirements for federal aid that would deny aid to many children in need, and damage programs that are designed to support children in hospitals and juvenile facilities. Such provisions are short-sighted and will have disastrous consequences for children, families, and our future.

Please support our state’s and our nation’s children and families by opposing the budget reconciliation bill until the cuts to foster care funding are removed. I look forward to your leadership and action on this important issue.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]

We signed the “Stop $600 Million in Foster Care Cuts - Action Needed Immediately” petition!

# 150:

2:43 pm PST, Jan 30, Marilyn Parks, California
How many times has Bush said, "No child left behind"? Does this administration mean that, or was it just more election year rhetoric? These children, just as much as your own--or maybe even more--are the future of this country. They deserve the best you can create for them, and what you're trying to do isn't it! You are not in Washington to play games. You work for us, the American people, and this is reprehensible. If this was a company, you would be fired for not fulfilling your contracted duties!!

# 149:

2:43 pm PST, Jan 30, Richard Moore, California
Be kind to children!

# 148:

2:43 pm PST, Jan 30, William Ferguson, Connecticut

# 147:

2:43 pm PST, Jan 30, Sherry A. Wells, Michigan
I agree--No Child Left Behind! Foster parents already get inadequate funding for the children, and virtually no income for themselves as it is.

# 146:

2:43 pm PST, Jan 30, Steve Linnerooth, Minnesota

# 145:

2:43 pm PST, Jan 30, James Wheeler, Florida

# 144:

2:43 pm PST, Jan 30, Name not displayed, Oregon

# 143:

2:43 pm PST, Jan 30, Vicki Swafford, Michigan

# 142:

2:42 pm PST, Jan 30, Name not displayed, California
Congress needs to cut it's own budget! Do you know what salaries they pull in? Yea, just what the children need: LESS???

# 141:

2:42 pm PST, Jan 30, Renee Mandel, Florida

# 140:

2:42 pm PST, Jan 30, Greg Terhune, Ohio

# 139:

2:42 pm PST, Jan 30, Name not displayed, Maryland
Our great nation must be responsible for the citizens that have no power - our children. Please do not cut the foster care program.

# 138:

2:41 pm PST, Jan 30, Name not displayed, Delaware
President Bush, what happened to your promise of "NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND"? God, when is this government going to impeach and imprison you??? You REALLY are the reincarnation of Adolf Hitler!

# 137:

2:41 pm PST, Jan 30, Name not displayed, California
How much did you get for your Soul when you sold it?

# 136:

2:41 pm PST, Jan 30, Barbara Kirkpatrick, New York

# 135:

2:41 pm PST, Jan 30, J J Barrera, Texas

# 134:

2:41 pm PST, Jan 30, Diana Bonvegna, Maryland

# 133:

2:41 pm PST, Jan 30, Anthony S. Phillips, Illinois

# 132:

2:40 pm PST, Jan 30, Steven Brewer, New York

# 131:

2:40 pm PST, Jan 30, Edward R. Waxman, Pennsylvania

# 130:

2:40 pm PST, Jan 30, Lauren McDonnell, Connecticut

# 129:

2:40 pm PST, Jan 30, Connie Ballangao, Nevada
KEEP SUPPORTING AMERICA, NOT OTHER COUNTRIES. OUR KIDS AND FAMILIES SHOULD COME FIRST.

# 128:

2:39 pm PST, Jan 30, Robert Johnston, Florida
MAY GOD HAVE MERCY ON YOUR SORRY SOULS IF YOUR CHILDREN OR GRANDCHILDREN EVER GET CANCER. AND, YOU ALL CALL YOURSELVES CHRISTIANS !!! IT IS DISGUSTING

# 127:

2:39 pm PST, Jan 30, Virginia B Millar, California
This right wing administration is obscene!

# 126:

2:39 pm PST, Jan 30, Wendy Yost, New York

# 125:

2:39 pm PST, Jan 30, Sandra McConnell, California

# 124:

2:39 pm PST, Jan 30, Harold A Samuels, California

# 123:

2:38 pm PST, Jan 30, Malgorzata Schmidt, Maryland
Congress must stop the war and cut military budget.

# 122:

2:38 pm PST, Jan 30, Lois Plone, New Jersey

# 121:

2:38 pm PST, Jan 30, Del E. Domke, Washington

# 120:

2:38 pm PST, Jan 30, S. R., Montana
We need to stand up for these children! They, unfortunately, don't have parents to do that for them...it's our responsibility.

# 119:

2:38 pm PST, Jan 30, TIFFANY DOWNEY, Illinois

# 118:

2:37 pm PST, Jan 30, MaryK Geyer, Arizona

# 117:

2:37 pm PST, Jan 30, Name not displayed, Florida

# 116:

2:37 pm PST, Jan 30, Anne MacPherson, Massachusetts

# 115:

2:37 pm PST, Jan 30, James Menton, Arizona

# 114:

2:36 pm PST, Jan 30, Theodore H Voth Jr, Wisconsin
How can this Bush administration and congress, or any Republican, claim to be a defender of family values?

# 113:

2:36 pm PST, Jan 30, Dave Peterson, Illinois
NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND!!

# 112:

2:35 pm PST, Jan 30, Name not displayed, California

# 111:

2:35 pm PST, Jan 30, Loretta Zoldak, Texas

# 110:

2:35 pm PST, Jan 30, Elizabeth Conti, California

# 109:

2:35 pm PST, Jan 30, Scott Vickers, Colorado
This legislation is not only inhumane morally but also extremely stupid economically. By cutting funds for these children while they are young, you will be creating a huge new underclass of desparate and needy people who will be forced to turn to crime or to live on available (if any) welfare funding they can find. This in turn will create a much more expensive problem to solve--how to deal with this new underclass of the disenfranchised.

# 108:

2:35 pm PST, Jan 30, Allen L Roland, California
Let's get our priorities straight and replace greed with compassion.

# 107:

2:35 pm PST, Jan 30, Kenny Zimmerle, Illinois
children are the future. nuff said.

# 106:

2:35 pm PST, Jan 30, Name not displayed, Massachusetts

# 105:

2:34 pm PST, Jan 30, Barbara Fitzpatrick, Arkansas
Starving in a wealthy country is not what the Man from Galilee meant when he said, "Suffer the little children to come unto me."

# 104:

2:34 pm PST, Jan 30, Name not displayed, Michigan
Why cut funding on helping children without parents when abortion is frowned upon? Until our society values every child that is born and every child that is born is a wanted child, our society must support the children that are unwanted and forgotten.

# 103:

2:34 pm PST, Jan 30, AnneMarie Boyce, California

# 102:

2:34 pm PST, Jan 30, Nicole Minichiello, New York

# 101:

2:34 pm PST, Jan 30, Patrick De La Garza Und Senkel, Texas

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