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Independent Living News & Policy from the National Council on Independent Living

September 15 & 16: National Call-In Days Urging Congress to Raise Harmful Spending Caps

Those who attended NCIL’s 2015 Annual Conference may remember Housing Subcommittee Chair Brian Peters asking advocates to talk to legislators about Sequestration. He talked about how it has hurt many programs that people with disabilities rely on, including housing, and how the effect will be cumulative with more and more cuts until 2021.

A man hold up a Fair Housing Sign at the My Medicaid Matters RallyNCIL is sharing the Action Alert for National Call-in Days to raise the spending caps. Please see below for details.

On September 15 and16, between 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Eastern, people from across the country will call their members of Congress and deliver a simple, unified message: raise the sequester caps and fully fund housing programs. Please join this effort to support critical housing programs by marking your calendar and following the instructions below on the designated days.

Background

The Budget Control Act of 2011’s spending caps have led to devastating cuts to critical housing programs. Additional “sequester” caps for fiscal year 2016 would bring more deep cuts for HUD and Rural Housing Services programs. These call-in days are being coordinated by Caps Hurt Communities, an advocacy campaign to build a movement of individuals and organizations committed to bringing an end to federal sequester caps. To learn more about the impact of the sequester caps on housing programs, please visit: nlihc.org/issues/budget.

Take Action

On September 15 and 16, between 9am-5pm (ET), please take a few moments to call your members of Congress. To do so, dial the Congressional switchboard at 877-210-5351 and ask to speak with your legislator. Ideally, you can make three calls – one to each of your Senators, and one to your Representative. Tell the receptionist in your legislator’s office how important affordable housing is to your community and leave this simple message:

“It’s time to pass a housing budget that works for our communities. Please raise the sequester caps and fully fund housing programs.”

Contact your elected officials

Thank You for Your Support!