SACRAMENTO – The California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN) commends the Legislature for rejecting proposed cuts to health and human services funding, including: In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program for undocumented immigrants, the Indian Health Program and the Future of Public Health funding. Cuts to these programs could have had devastating impacts on California’s communities of color and the state’s most vulnerable, by setting back progress on work to reduce deep disparities . Despite a budget deficit, the Governor should not be looking to balance the state’s budget on the backs of the poor.
“We commend state leaders for finding alternative solutions to address California’s significant budget deficit, rather than balancing the budget on cuts to programs that serve low income communities and families,” CPEHN Managing Policy Director Ronald Coleman Baeza said.
Cuts to the IHSS program for undocumented immigrants would have singled out a population simply because of their immigration status, an unprecedented move for Governor Newsom. It also would have devastated immigrant families, exposing them to deportation as a public charge and driving them deeper into poverty as a result of lost financial support for family caregivers. “It was indefensible for Governor Newsom to propose cutting In-Home Support Services for California residents for no other reason but their immigration status and the legislature rightly rejected this discriminatory cut”, says Ronald Coleman Baeza.
The Indian Health Program has been a crucial tool to establish targeted resources for health care to Indigenous communities across the state of California. With resources from the Indian Health Program, communities have been able to access support services in health facilities in a culturally appropriate manner. Cutting this program would have created even wider health disparities within the state’s Indigenous communities.
Lastly, CPEHN commends the legislature for rejecting a $300 million cut to public health which would have impacted both local and state infrastructure and workforce.
These budget cuts would have deepened health disparities amongst the state’s poorest and neediest residents, while interrupting the collaboration between public health departments and community partners. The Future of Public Health Funding must remain in place to ensure public health departments can continue building strong relationships with community members to continue our collective work to reduce long standing disparities.
The Legislature must pass a balanced budget on or before Saturday, June 15 and the Governor will have until June 27 to sign this budget.
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