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You are here: Home / Archives for Senator Tammy Baldwin

Senator Tammy Baldwin

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Urges Trump Administration to Withdraw Proposal to Take Away Food Assistance from Millions of Americans

September 27, 2019 By MKE Community Journal Leave a Comment

Proposed rule would take food assistance away from more than 118,000 Wisconsinites

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, is raising serious concerns about the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) proposed rule to eliminate categorical eligibility, which would take food assistance away from millions of families currently participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

 

In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, Senator Baldwin and 14 other Senate Democrats are urging the Trump administration to withdraw the proposal, citing the negative consequences of the rule and noting that the administration has not conducted an accurate analysis of its impact on children and families.

 

“This rule is yet another example of the Trump Administration ignoring Congressional intent and proposing a self-initiated, flawed rule that will take food assistance away from millions of Americans, disproportionately affecting children, seniors and working families,” write the Senators.

 

According to analysis by Mathematica, at least 3.6 million SNAP participants will lose SNAP benefits as a result of this proposed rule, including more than 118,000 Wisconsinites.

 

In the bipartisan 2018 Farm Bill, which passed by a historic bipartisan vote and was signed into law by the President, Congress deliberately chose to exclude any changes to categorical eligibility due to the devastating impact such changes could have on families. Additionally, the Senators raised concerns that the administration failed to conduct an accurate regulatory impact assessment. In a briefing to Congressional staff, the USDA acknowledged that, at a minimum, 500,000 children would lose access to school meals; however, these impacts, among others, are not included in the required analysis.

 

“Changes to broad-based categorical eligibility have been rejected countless times by Congress, on a bipartisan basis,” write the Senators. “Further, the regulatory impact assessment is seriously flawed, ignoring key impacts, particularly on children, that have been previously recognized by this Administration in budget proposals and the Congressional Budget Office when estimating the cost of bills that would change broad-based categorical eligibility.”

 

“We urge you to immediately withdraw this proposed rule,” write the Senators.

 

The letter is also signed by Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Patty Murray (D-WA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tina Smith (D-MN), Bob Casey (D-PA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Charles Schumer (D-NY), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).

 

The full letter is available below and here. An online version of this release is available here.

 

 

Dear Secretary Perdue:

 

We write to raise serious concerns about the Administration’s recent proposed rule “Revision of Categorical Eligibility in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) (84 FR 35570).”  This rule is yet another example of the Trump Administration ignoring Congressional intent and proposing a self-initiated, flawed rule that will take food assistance away from millions of Americans, disproportionately affecting children, seniors and working families.   Changes to broad-based categorical eligibility (BBCE) have been rejected countless times by Congress, on a bipartisan basis, most recently by the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-334), which passed Congress by a historic vote of 87-13 in the Senate and by 369-47 in the House of Representatives and signed into law by President Trump. Further, the regulatory impact assessment is seriously flawed, ignoring key impacts, particularly on children, that have been previously recognized by this Administration in budget proposals and the Congressional Budget Office when estimating the cost of bills that would change broad-based categorical eligibility (BBCE).

 

The broad-based categorical eligibility option is currently being used by over 40 states in order to smooth the benefits cliff for working families, allow modest assets for emergencies and reduce the administrative and paperwork burden on individuals and state agencies. Contrary to assertions in the proposed rule, this policy is not the result of accidental expansion of state authority or variation in program implementation. Rather, BBCE is a well-established policy that has been utilized by nearly every state in the country for over two decades.

 

Both the 2014 and 2018 Farm Bills contemplated changes to BBCE, but in both cases, Congress deliberately chose to exclude any changes due to the devastating impact on families. This was evident during debate on the final bills in both the House and Senate as numerous members remarked that the “conference agreement very specifically protects SNAP’s categorical eligibility” and that their yes vote was based on the conference report excluding limitations to BBCE and other harmful House provisions. The Conference report, written by Chairman Pat Roberts, Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow, Chairman Mike Conaway and Ranking Member Collin Peterson and approved by the 369 members of the House and 87 members of the Senate was clear in its conclusions: The Conference substitute “deletes the House provision.” Thus, Congress considered, and rejected, changes to broad based categorical eligibility.

 

Not only has this Administration ignored the will of Congress by promulgating this rule, it has also abdicated its responsibility in producing an accurate regulatory impact assessment. Executive Order 13563, Executive Order 12866, and OMB Circular A-4 specifically require that “In addition to the direct benefits and costs of each alternative, the list should include any important ancillary benefits and countervailing risks…. A countervailing risk is an adverse economic, health, safety, or environmental consequence that results from a regulatory action and is not already accounted for in the direct cost of the action (e.g., adverse safety impacts from more stringent fuel-economy standards for light trucks). As with other benefits and costs, an effort should be made to quantify and monetize both ancillary benefits and countervailing risks.” Loss of school meal access is a widely recognized consequence of changes to BBCE. During debate related to the 2018 Farm Bill, CBO noted that the changes to BBCE proposed by House Republicans would result in over 265,000 children losing access to school meals. In its analysis of the President’s FY20 Budget proposal, CBO again noted that proposed BBCE changes would impact school breakfast and lunch. In presenting the details of this rule to Congressional staff, USDA admitted that, at a minimum, 500,000 children would lose access to school meals. Some students currently receiving free meals also would be switched to reduced price meals, increasing the likelihood that some students would accrue school meal debt. However, these impacts are noticeably absent from USDA’s regulatory impact analysis.

 

While the RIA is clearly lacking proper evaluation of some key impacts, we are also concerned about the detrimental impacts that USDA does acknowledge in its evaluation.  According to analysis by Mathematica, at least 3.6 million SNAP participants will lose SNAP benefits as a result of this proposed rule. Some states would see as much as 18% of its SNAP households lose access to food assistance. The proposed rule would impose new paperwork burdens on 69% of current SNAP participants and increase churn, or eligibility individuals losing and regaining benefits in a short amount of time, by 26%, creating the risk that families in need will lose access to food because of paperwork errors or barriers. As USDA’s own research notes, “churn imposes costs both to participants and to State Agencies. For States, churn increases costs by requiring States to process additional applications” and “for households, costs include the loss of benefits they otherwise would have received as well as administrative burden associated with the recertification process.” This is one example of many that highlights that the costs, both human and administrative, far outweigh any benefit USDA claims.

 

This proposed rule would also have a disproportionate impact on our most vulnerable populations, including 13% of seniors currently receiving SNAP benefits. Governors and Mayors throughout the country have weighed in in opposition to this rule because of the $2.3 billion in increased administrative costs, negative impact on local economies and very real prospects of worsening hunger in local communities.

 

Even with the current BBCE policy in place, we know that SNAP maintains a rigorous benefits determination process. SNAP also has a long history of providing state options and flexibilities to allow states to address local circumstances like high housing costs and encourage earnings and savings to help families to move beyond the cycle of poverty.

 

The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 received more votes from Congress than any other Farm Bill in history. This law represents a bipartisan consensus directing food and farm policy for the next five years. The Administration’s justification for this proposed rule is tenuous at best, and is far outweighed by the very real negative

consequences this rule would impose on American families. This proposed rule is yet another example of this Administration’s attempt to circumvent the will of Congress and advance partisan policies that hurt American families.

 

We urge you to immediately withdraw this proposed rule.

Filed Under: National News, Political Tagged With: Education, Labor and Pensions, Senate Health, Senator Tammy Baldwin

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Announces Nearly $5.2 Million in Federal Funding to Reduce Opioid Overdoses in Wisconsin

September 3, 2019 By MKE Community Journal Leave a Comment

GDJ / Pixabay

Senator Baldwin worked to secure investment in Wisconsin prevention efforts

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin today announced that $5,195,302 in federal funding was awarded to provide more resources for Wisconsin to address the opioid epidemic through enhanced prevention efforts.

“I have worked in a bipartisan way to make sure local communities in Wisconsin have the federal resources they need to support local prevention, treatment and recovery efforts,” said Senator Baldwin. “Washington needs to do more to address the opioid epidemic and a strong partnership with state and local officials is essential to an effective response. I’m confident that Governor Evers will act immediately to put these federal investments to work in Wisconsin to support our continued fight against this deadly crisis.”

The federal funding is being awarded to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (WI DHS) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Overdose to Action (OD2A) effort that focuses primarily on opioid surveillance and prevention.

OD2A is a three-year cooperative agreement that focuses on the changing nature of the opioid overdose epidemic and highlights the need for a comprehensive public health approach. These funds will support the collection of high-quality data on overdose morbidity and mortality to inform local prevention and response efforts.

As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Baldwin has been a leader in working to provide more federal funding to fight the opioid epidemic in Wisconsin. She worked to secure $475,579,000 for the CDC’s efforts to improve opioid overdose prevention and surveillance that will combat this deadly epidemic and save lives.

Filed Under: Health, Latest News Tagged With: OD2A, opioid epidemic, Senator Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin Department of Health Services

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Joins Colleagues to Help Protect People’s Personal Data Online

December 13, 2018 By MKE Community Journal Leave a Comment

geralt / Pixabay

Data Care Act will stop websites and apps from using personal data against users, protect user information from hacks and hold companies accountable for misuse

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin joined 15 of her Senate colleagues in introducing new legislation to protect people’s personal data online. The Data Care Act, led by Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI), would require websites, apps and other online providers to take responsible steps to safeguard personal information and stop the misuse of users’ data.

 

“Far too many times, we have seen online providers fail to meet their users’ expectations about how their personal data will be collected, used and protected. The current system is skewed against consumers and we have to fix it,” said Senator Baldwin. “The Data Care Act will provide clear, reasonable rules of the road on user data, and hold companies who fail to follow them accountable.”

 

“People have a basic expectation that the personal information they provide to websites and apps is well-protected and won’t be used against them. Just as doctors and lawyers are expected to protect and responsibly use the personal data they hold, online companies should be required to do the same. Our bill will help make sure that when people give online companies their information, it won’t be exploited,” said Senator Schatz.

 

Doctors, lawyers and bankers are legally required to exercise special care to protect their clients and not misuse their information. While online companies also hold personal and sensitive information about the people they serve, they are not required to protect consumers’ data. This leaves users in a vulnerable position; they are expected to understand the information they give to providers and how it is being used – an unreasonable expectation for even the most tech-savvy consumer. By establishing a fiduciary duty for online providers, Americans can trust that their online data is protected and used in a responsible way.

 

The Data Care Act establishes reasonable duties that will require providers to protect user data and will prohibit providers from using user data to their detriment:

 

•                     Duty of Care – Must reasonably secure individual identifying data and promptly inform users of data breaches that involve sensitive information;

•                     Duty of Loyalty – May not use individual identifying data in ways that harm users;

•                     Duty of Confidentiality – Must ensure that the duties of care and loyalty extend to third parties when disclosing, selling or sharing individual identifying data;

•                     Federal and State Enforcement – A violation of the duties will be treated as a violation of an FTC rule with fine authority. States may also bring civil enforcement actions, but the FTC can intervene.

•                     Rulemaking Authority – FTC is granted rulemaking authority to implement the Act.

 

“Free Press Action welcomes the important contributions the Data Care Act makes to a growing list of good ideas on privacy in the Senate. The bill shifts away from a notice and choice framework alone, where internet users bear all the responsibility and risk of protecting themselves, with few remedies for violations. Instead it moves towards putting the duty on companies and other data collectors where it belongs, to actually prevent such harmful exploitation and honor people’s rights. It also does the right thing by empowering the FTC to make rules and impose penalties, and let’s state attorneys general enforce the new protections too. We thank Senator Schatz and all the co-sponsors for putting so many ideas on the table, pushing the debate towards even more comprehensive laws,” said Sandra Fulton, Government Relations Director for Free Press Action.

 

“We commend Senator Schatz for tackling the difficult task of drafting privacy legislation that focuses on routine data processing practices instead of consumer data self-management. It signals an important shift in how Congress views consumer privacy issues and foreshadows a serious privacy debate in 2019,” said Michelle Richardson, Director of the Privacy and Data Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology.

 

“EFF thanks Senator Schatz for his leadership on protecting consumer data privacy. We generally favor legislation requiring large companies to serve as fiduciaries for their consumers’ data, and to satisfy duties of loyalty, confidentiality, and care for their users. We look forward to working with the Senator to improve his bill and to advance information fiduciary protections that will meet the needs of Internet users and adequately safeguard consumer data privacy as a part of comprehensive privacy legislation,” said India McKinney, Legislative Analyst for the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EEF).

 

In addition to Senators Baldwin and Schatz, the Data Care Act is co-sponsored by Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Patty Murray (D-WA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Ed Markey (D-MA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Doug Jones (D-AL), Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Dick Durbin (D-IL).

Filed Under: National News Tagged With: Data Care Act, privacy, Senator Tammy Baldwin

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