Friends –
We need to speak plainly. The social safety net we’ve collectively built in this country over generations – which includes things we’ve come to count on as shared public goods including public education; health insurance programs for children, pregnant women, and families; public health programs that keep us all safe from disease; and programs to combat food and housing insecurity – is being openly dismantled by our federal government.
A longstanding and hard-won consensus about what we owe to one another has shattered. Rights are being stripped away, even as ideas that once seemed core to our country’s understanding of itself – that every person deserves dignity and should be able to access due process; that we are collectively responsible for one another; that strength is built on trust and friendship – are belittled and betrayed.
As a result, the executive and legislative branches are currently haggling over a budget that will likely make deep cuts to Medicaid, the SNAP food assistance program, and other vital supports for low-income families.
This will be devastating to our neighbors, our communities, and our city as a whole.
Nearly 4 million New York City residents receive their health insurance through Medicaid, while slightly more than 1.75 million use SNAP.
Even without the cuts the government proposes, earlier this year our partners at Robin Hood reported that NYC’s overall poverty rate had reached a record 25%, with the cost-of-living crisis having driven an additional 100,000 New Yorkers into poverty since 2024.
And that’s not all – the administration is also taking steps to destabilize and undermine the same civil society organizations, including University Settlement, whose determined advocacy built our safety net in the first place.
Last month, we were informed that a grant we and our partners at the Asian American Federation had won from the U.S. Department of Justice to fight hate crimes targeting AAPI communities was canceled due to changes in the administration’s priorities. And funding we (and 270 other organizations across NYC) are owed from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for providing eviction prevention has been frozen. Many nonprofits nationwide are seeing funding capriciously withdrawn in this way.
Furthermore, the administration’s tax plan includes provisions that would allow the Treasury Department to strip any non-profit it accuses of being a “terrorist-supporting organization” of tax-exempt status, without due process.
It’s a scary time for our communities, and for our organization, but we take heart in the knowledge that the government’s proposed cuts to the safety net are deeply unpopular – Data for Progress found that in every congressional district in the U.S., fewer than 15% of voters support cuts to Medicaid – as is the playbook the administration is clearly using, Project 2025.
And we know that even in this challenging moment, advocacy can have an impact: while the administration’s original budget proposal called for funding for Head Start to be completely eliminated, the most recent drafts don’t call for any cuts, thanks to the massive national campaign program advocates mounted.
As a member of our community, we want you to know that your vote, and your voice, have great power. Local and state governments matter more than ever, so please plan to vote in NYC’s upcoming local elections.
Please contact your Congressional representatives to let them know how to best represent your values in ongoing budget negotiations (find them here). And please speak out about the importance of protecting our country’s safety net and our civil society organizations with your friends and family, your neighbors, your elected officials, and anywhere your advocacy might make a difference.
Finally, please remember that regardless of what happens in Washington, D.C., New Yorkers will always take care of one another. Stay connected with us and we’ll share opportunities about how to support our neighbors and keep building community strength through University Settlement.