United Way Calls on President-Elect Trump to Support Health, Education and Financial Stability

ALEXANDRIA, VA (November 9, 2016) – United Way Worldwide today is calling on President-elect Donald Trump to support and invest in initiatives related to health, education and financial stability within the first 100 days of his new administration. United Way is engaged in nearly 1,200 U.S. communities and is focused on creating community based, and community-led solutions that ensure that no one is left behind.  United Way looks forward to working with the President-elect, administration officials and members of Congress to implement the following policy recommendations:

• Strengthening the Charitable Deduction: Preserving the charitable deduction enables nonprofits to continue to fund and provide services that advance the common good. Additionally, the deduction should be expanded to non-itemizers by creating a special deduction for them or by moving the deduction “above-the-line.”
• Expanding the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit: The Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) are proven tools that support work and reduce poverty, but millions of workers are largely excluded from the credits. It’s time to strengthen the CTC for the lowest income workers and those with very young children, and expand the EITC for workers not raising children at home.
• Increasing Access to High-Quality Child Care: Expanding access for high quality child care is one of the smartest investments our country can make to support a child’s ability to succeed in both school and life. Increased funding for child care, Head Start and Early Head Start is needed for more low- and moderate-income children to access high quality child care and early education programs.
• Expanding the Children’s Health Insurance Program: Greater support is needed to fully fund the Children’s Health Insurance Program and to protect Medicaid from program changes that could reduce coverage for children. Increased federal resources are also needed for local communities to tackle the opiate epidemic.
• Enhancing 2-1-1:  2-1-1 is a referral and information helpline and website that connects people across North America to essential health and human services. While 2-1-1 reaches approximately 279 million people, millions of Americans would greatly benefit by being connected. Existing federal funds for national hotlines should shift to 2-1-1 for increased effectiveness. Further, opportunities should be identified for federal agencies to collaborate with 2-1-1 on health and human service information.
• Investing in Higher Education and Job Creation: Investments in the skills and education of America’s workers are critical to businesses, workers and the economy. Significant increases are needed for programs that ensure more Americans of all ages and conditions have access to a post-secondary credential, raise their skills and gain employment. These efforts will better enable U.S. businesses to find the skilled workers they need.

 

About United Way Worldwide

United Way fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in every community. Supported by 2.8 million volunteers, 9.8 million donors worldwide, and more than $4.7 billion raised every year, United Way is the world’s largest privately-funded nonprofit. We’re engaged in nearly 1,800 communities across more than 40 countries and territories worldwide to create sustainable solutions to the challenges facing our communities. United Way partners include global, national and local businesses, nonprofits, government, civic and faith-based organizations, along with educators, labor leaders, health providers, senior citizens, students and more. For more information about United Way, please visit UnitedWay.org. Follow us on Twitter: @UnitedWay and #LiveUnited.