Recent Federal YTC Wins!

In late September, the United States Congress passed and the President signed a “continuing resolution” (CR) which included several BIG federal wins for You’re the Cure advocates.

A continuing resolution is a piece of legislation that Congress uses when the end of the fiscal year is approaching and they cannot come to an agreement on an appropriations bill. CR’s typically fund the government and programs at the same level as the previous year for a predetermined amount of time.

Thanks to the combined voices of YTC advocates like you, this year’s CR included some great wins in two key issues for heart and stroke advocates across the country. YTC advocates were incredibly vocal throughout 2019-2020, sending thousands of emails and making thousands of calls to their legislators about the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), which funds active transportation initiatives, as well as in the areas of child nutrition and food security due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Please read below for a brief list of these wins, but if you want to know more, and get involved in the next push in 2021, please don’t hesitate to reach out to [email protected].

Active Transportation (TAP):

• TAP received a one-year extension, ensuring the program did not expire and federal funds can continue to go to states for programs such as Safe Routes to School and walking, biking, and rolling infrastructure.
• TAP will receive $850 million in this fiscal year! While not the big increase TAP would have received under a regular reauthorization, Congress saw the importance of ensuring TAP continued at current funding levels.
• Your voices helped make this win possible.
• However, this funding only lasts until September and YTC advocates will need to continue to be engaged and remain vocal so we can enact multi-year legislation when the new Congress sits in early 2021.

Child Nutrition and Food Security Covid-19 Relief:

• The CR provided a much needed $8 billion boost for food security and nutrition programs!
• Pandemic-EBT funding was extended through FY 2021. P-EBT was created in response to school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic and provides families money on an EBT card to purchase food to replace the school meals.
• The CR expanded P-EBT to cover children in schools that have not closed but with a reduction in hours due to the pandemic, to include children in certain childcare programs, and to U.S. territories that were previously ineligible for P-EBT.
• The CR extended waivers from the Families First Act for both child nutrition, which makes it easier for school meal programs to continue feeding children, and for SNAP, which helps states ensure that families can keep putting food on the table.