The Serrano Report, Volume XI, #8
On Capitol Hill
Serrano Presses DHS on Deportation Policies
On Wednesday, Congressman Serrano, along with other members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), met with Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson to discuss ways to ensure deportation policies are carried out in a fair and humane manner. The CHC provided the Secretary with a series of recommendations on how to fairly limit deportations of undocumented immigrants, as well as how to make the entire removal process more just and humane.
“This was an productive meeting, and I believe Secretary Johnson and President Obama are taking our concerns seriously,” said Congressman Serrano. “House Republicans continue to delay consideration of comprehensive immigration reform, and in the meantime, families continue to get split up and individuals continue to be unfairly detained and deported. Secretary Johnson fully understands the pain that current enforcement policies bring to families. In the face of continued inaction by Congress, the CHC provided these recommendations as a way to ensure a more humane and just enforcement of our immigration laws. It is long past time for comprehensive immigration reform, but because House Republicans refuse to work with us, we need to take these common sense steps through executive action.”
Serrano is the most senior Member of the CHC. The Department of Homeland Security is planning to review their deportation reform recomendations in the coming weeks.
Serrano Denounces Damaging Republican Budget
On Thursday, Congressman Serrano voted against the harmful Republican budget plan that would hurt middle class Americans, seniors, and the most vulnerable by slashing funding for important programs and ending investment in America’s future. Unfortunately, the Republican budget resolution, sponsored by Representative Paul Ryan, passed by a vote of 219-205. The budget resolution is a document that outlines the budget priorities of the majority party in the House of Representatives. Serrano supported the Democratic alternative, which would have increased job growth, invested in America, created opportunity for more Americans to succeed, and protected the promises made to America’s seniors.
"This budget shows the extreme hard-right vision that the Republicans have for America," said Congressman Serrano. "It shows that they care only about tax breaks for the wealthy, while for the rest of us it's just cuts, cuts, cuts. It's a disturbing document, which shows an utter lack of empathy and an about-face from the normal functions of government that Americans have relied on for most of the past 75 years. I was glad to vote against it."
The Ryan proposal would:
• End the Medicare Guarantee. The Republican budget ends the Medicare guarantee – fundamentally transforming Medicare from a guaranteed benefit program into a privatized voucher program. Under this program, rather than having guaranteed coverage of benefits, seniors would receive a voucher and would need to use that voucher to purchase private insurance, or supposedly, traditional Medicare.
• Shower the wealthiest Americans with more tax cuts – averaging at least $200,000 per year for millionaires. It could also raise taxes on middle class families by at least $2,000 per year.
• Slash college student aid and support by a total of $260 billion below current policy over the next 10 years, making college less affordable for the millions of students who rely on Pell grants, federal student loans, and higher education tax credits. This includes a cut of $145 billion to Pell Grants over the next 10 years.
• Hurt infrastructure investment and jobs by gutting investment in America’s highways, railways, transit systems, and ports despite the serious need to rebuild America and put people back to work – with $52 billion in cuts in the next year alone.
• Hurt the most vulnerable by cutting food stamps by $137 billion over the next 10 years, and by cutting assistance to the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program. The proposal would also slash Medicaid by $732 billion over the next decade.
Serrano Meets With Cardinal Hayes Students
On Tuesday, Congressman Serrano met with students from Cardinal Hayes High School to talk about how Congress functions and to answer some of their tough questions. “I’m always happy to meet with students who are from the Bronx,” said Serrano. “It is a joy to see these students have an opportunity to come to our nation’s capital to learn more about the federal government. Cardinal Hayes continues to do a great job educating studentsf rom the Bronx and the rest of New York City and it was a pleasure to meet with its bright students.
Congressman Serrano with the Cardinal Hayes students
In the Bronx
Serrano Applauds Universal Pre-Kindergarten Funding
Last week, the New York State legislature passed a budget that included $300 million for pre-kindergarten expansion in New York City, and Congressman Serrano lauded Governor Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio as well as the Members of the State Senate and Assembly for their efforts on behalf of New York children.
"Access to pre-kindergarten is something that makes a proven difference in a child’s life,” said Congressman Serrano. “I am happy to see that fair access to early childhood education is an issue that is being prioritized on both the state and local level. This initiative serves as a great example of leaders coming together to make the good decisions that are ultimately beneficial for everyone.”
With hundreds of new seats planned for The Bronx in the 2014-2015 school year, Congressman Serrano also expressed his satisfaction with the prospect of fully-funded expansion.
“I am very pleased to see that this expansion plan is taking into account areas that have the highest need, and working to make sure that this is a fair, equitable process that all families and early childhood educators are involved in.”
Grant Announcement
21st Century Conservation Service Corps Program
Deadline: May 30, 2014.
The National Park Service’s Youth Development Programs Division has made funding available for collaborative projects that will offer young people and veterans access to meaningful work in the outdoors. NPS hopes to fund non-profit youth serving organizations that have the experience and expertise necessary to craft programs that will offer various employment, education, and engagement opportunities. All non-profit organizations are encouraged to apply.
Please follow this link for the full grant announcement: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=253253 . For more information about other federal grants please visit http://www.grants.gov.