STATEMENT BY YWCA USA CEO ALEJANDRA Y. CASTILLO
“We are deeply disappointed in Congress’ failure to do their jobs and fund programs that support women, families, and our communities.
“The impacts of this shutdown are broad and diverse, from the expiration of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) blatantly putting children’s health at risk, to leaving the fate of 800,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) program recipients up in the air, to shutting off Head Start and other grants and programs that infuse resources into communities where they need it most. At YWCA, we are especially concerned about the impact this will have on the communities we serve.
“Immigrants deserve immediate action on the Dream Act and women, families, and communities deserve access to the federally funded services supported by taxpayers. The reverberations of this mistake will harm millions of Americans for months after a resolution is made – but we already know that women, children and communities of color stand to lose the most.
“We call on Congress to provide permanent protections to Dreamers, reauthorize CHIP, and fund the federal government now.”
About YWCA USA
YWCA USA is on a mission to eliminate racism, empower women, stand up for social justice, help families, and strengthen communities. We are one of the oldest and largest women’s organizations in the nation, serving over 2 million women, girls, and their families.
YWCA has been at the forefront of the most pressing social movements for more than 150 years — from voting rights to civil rights, from affordable housing to pay equity, from violence prevention to health care reform. Today, we combine programming and advocacy in order to generate institutional change in three key areas: racial justice and civil rights, empowerment and economic advancement of women and girls, and health and safety of women and girls. Learn more: www.ywca.org.
