A letter was sent to members of Congress yesterday from 164 national organizations, including NASW, asking that Medicaid be excluded from potential budget cuts, currently under consideration in the fiscal cliff negotiations. The signers also argued against proposals to restructure Medicaid, such as converting it to a block grant program. The letter to Congress emphasized the value and efficiency of the program and stressed that cuts would put women, seniors, children, communities of color, and people with disabilities at special risk. The letter also emphasized that cuts to Medicaid mean cuts to actual delivery of health care and more financial hardship for struggling families and burdened state budgets.

Juneteenth 2025: Honoring the Past, Confronting Today’s Civil Rights Challenges
By Mel Wilson, NASW Senior Policy Advisor Juneteenth, now a federal holiday, recognizes the day in 1865 when the last remaining enslaved people in Galveston, Texas were set free by Union troops—two whole years after the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves...