U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services released a statement on March 7, 2022, that it will consider granting deferred action to minors awaiting green cards through their Special Immigrant Juvenile Status but who can’t obtain a visa because of existing backlogs. Deferred action would protect those immigrants from deportation and allow them to work legally. “This
In November 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) conducted the School Food Authority (SFA) Survey on Supply Chain Disruptions to better understand the impact on school nutrition programs. The survey found that 92 percent of schools reported experiencing challenges due to supply chain disruptions. The most frequently cited challenges include
On Tuesday, March 8, 2022, the White House Office of Public Engagement hosted a webinar on the one-year anniversary of the American Rescue Plan, highlighting the role of the Child Tax Credit (CTC), Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit in providing relief. During the webinar, the floor was
On Tuesday, March 1, 2020, President Biden gave his State of the Union address. CWLA agrees with many of the ambitious goals President Joe Biden highlighted in his State of the Union address. Specifically, President Biden noted that "many families pay up to $14,000 a year for childcare per child." Covid-19 only exacerbated the rising costs
On March 2, 2022, the Children’s Bureau released a new Information Memorandum (IM), Guidance for Title IV-B and IV-E Agencies When Serving LGBTQI+ Children and Youth. The IM states: “The Department of Health and Human Services and all leading national medical and pediatric associations confirm that providing gender-affirming medical care is in the best interest
Last week on Tuesday, March 1, 2022, the Senate Finance Committee moved forward on the nominations to fill the leads for the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the Administration on Children Youth and Families (ACYF). Rebecca Jones-Gaston was nominated by President Biden for the ACYF position on November 18, 2021. January Contreras was
The Biden Administration has proposed reversing the Public Charge rule that was put in place during the previous administration to deny green card applicants who receive certain government benefits. This rule has caused individuals to decline government benefits that were available to them, fearing that it will tamper with their green card eligibility. Reversing this
On Tuesday, February 22, 2022, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra, Gender Policy Council Director Jen Klein, and Deputy Assistant to the President for Economic Mobility Carmel Martin hosted a conversation with parents and their children at the White House to discuss their struggles with finding and affording childcare
Several stories of youth being maltreated by residential staff have recently been reported in the news. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a new report on February 23, 2022, after being asked to review these instances of maltreatment in federally funded residential facilities. State and local agencies are primarily responsible for addressing these concerns, but
On Thursday, February 17th, 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration announced that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking feedback from a diverse array of stakeholders on topics related to public health care access; topics include things such as enrolling in and maintaining coverage, accessing services and supports, and ensuring adequate provider payment rates,