Your advocacy is needed! This urgent request comes from ELCA Advocacy, ELCA World Hunger & AMMPARO. Deadline: Dec. 10
The Department of Homeland Security is proposing expanding the definition of what it means to be a “public charge,” someone the government determines could become a financial burden on society. Currently, it has involved basically receiving “cash assistance.” This proposed change would also include, for the first time, receiving the following benefits: SNAP (formerly called food stamps), housing assistance, TANF, SSI, Medicare Part D & non-emergency Medicaid. People would have to choose between maintaining or obtaining immigration status, e.g. green cards, or meeting the family’s basic needs. Regular medical checkups, consistent treatment for chronic conditions, enough nutritious food, and housing stability might be at stake.
Entries from 100,000 individuals and churches is the goal! All comments should be unique. Do not “copy & paste,” your comments will not be unique & then not be counted. A helpful resource: The Public Charge Interfaith Advocacy Toolkit: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CdY_NUzMf12mPaoW0gv2pi6nReTjWiAadE65GbXD3h4/edit
To record your individual comments or those from your congregation, visit:
www.regulations.gov, then click on “Department of Homeland Security public charge inadmissibility.” The “Comments” section is on the right. To mail in your comments, check out the Toolkit, page 6, for the specifics. Postmark must be by 12/10/2018.
