In a piece for the Center for American Progress, Sophia Kerby warns of the impact the budget cuts will have on vulnerable communities.
1. Deep cuts to long-term unemployment benefits will disproportionately affect people of color. Extended federal unemployment benefits remain vulnerable under sequestration, and the long-term unemployed — those out of work and searching for a new job for at least six months — could lose almost 10 percent of their weekly jobless benefits if the sequester cuts go into effect next week …
2. Workforce development programs that are vital to communities of color such as YouthBuild and Job Corps face significant cuts. YouthBuild, a program connecting low-income youth to education and training, could be cut by about 8 percent under sequestration. Coupled with previous federal appropriation cuts in fiscal year 2011 by 37 percent, the program could see about one-third of its federal funding cut between fiscal year 2010 and fiscal year 2013 …
7. Federal education funding cuts will disproportionately hurt students of color. If the sequester goes into effect, nearly $3 billion would be cut in education alone, including cuts to financial aid for college students and to programs for our most vulnerable youth — English language learners and those attending high-poverty, struggling schools — impacting 9.3 million students. Such cuts will affect key programs that receive federally funded grants such as Education for Homeless Children and Youth and federal work study …
Read Sophia Kerby's entire piece at the Center for American Progress.
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