Congress Averts Government Shutdown; More Work to Do to Support Families

On January 19, 2024, Congress passed legislation to fund government operations through the beginning of March. The resulting deal extends funding for appropriated programs, including housing, nutrition, transportation and other programs, until March 1, 2024, and Labor, Health and Human Services, education, gender-based violence programs, and more to March 8, 2024.  The legislation passed the House by a vote of 314 to 108 and the Senate by a vote of 77 to 18. This continuing resolution paves the way for Congress to continue work on appropriations for Fiscal Year 2024, which fund vital programs and services for women and girls nationwide.

In response, YWCA USA CEO Margaret Mitchell issued the following statement:

“Thankfully, Congress has reached a bipartisan agreement to, once again, pass a continuing resolution that averts a shutdown and keeps the federal government open.

Federal government shutdowns pause access to critical services provided by nonprofits like local YWCA associations across the country and the communities we serve, inflicting far-reaching and devastating impacts on direct service providers, including YWCA local associations across the country and the communities we serve.  For YWCA, the largest network of domestic violence and sexual violence service providers in the United States and a major provider of child care and emergency and transitional housing in communities across the country, a shutdown threatens programs funded by the federal government on which women, children, and families rely for critical, life-saving assistance in their moments of greatest need.

While we applaud this important step, we must still note the glaring absence of funding to stabilize the child care sector in these new agreements. As budget negotiations move forward, including around the supplemental funding request, we once again call on Congress to include critical funding to support child care services in the wake of the now discontinued American Rescue Plan Act funds.  

We are pleased to see that, in addition to reaching a temporary funding solution, Congress is now considering a bipartisan proposal to expand the Child Tax Credit (CTC) negotiated by Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden and House Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith. The proposal would benefit roughly 1 in 3 Black and Latino children and takes an important first step towards ensuring that the CTC does what it is intended to do: reduce child poverty, which impacts families and children of color disproportionately. The CTC also supports access to child care for lower-income families. Research has consistently shown that in addition to helping families cover the basics to make ends meet, parents have also relied on expanded CTC funds to help pay for child care, which remains financially out of reach for many.

We will continue working to ensure Congress meets its responsibilities to pass a federal budget that supports our nation’s most marginalized communities — many of which the YWCA network serves.“