To ensure that all Americans have equal protection under the law, in 1974 Congress created a legal aid program to ensure that all Americans have access to civil legal assistance when they need it. Nearly one in five Americans – 61.8 million people – are eligible for legal aid when they need legal help. But the Trump Budget takes aim at legal aid, by eliminating funding for a program that provides legal services to 1.9 million people each year. The Legal Services Corporation funds lawyers who represent homeowners facing illegal foreclosures, help secure housing for veterans, protect seniors from scams, stop illegal harassment by debt collectors, deliver legal services to rural areas, protect victims of domestic abuse, and help disaster survivors. We can’t let Trump deny justice to Americans who can’t afford legal assistance. Tell Trump and Congress: don’t deny justice for all. Fund legal aid. Read more: http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/heads_of_over_150_law_firms_warn_trump_administration_against_defunding_leg Letter of Support from Conference of Chief Justices and the Conference of State Court Administrators, Legal Services Corporation: America's Partner for Equal Justice, 02/28/2017, http://www.lsc.gov/media-center/blog/2017/02/28/letter-suport-conference-chief-justices-and-conference-state-court http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/trump_budget_eliminates_funding_for_legal_services_corp

We believe that a government should care for the safety and well-being of its citizens. The logic behind Trumpcare is the opposite of that. As you know, it will kill public healthcare in America, and that means goodbye to almost universally loved programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. There may be funders that back the ideology that Trumpcare embraces, but no one who votes for this bill will survive long in office. So consider this your warning, by all of us, the undersigned...

The Trump Budget slashes and burns crucial programs that help fight eviction and homelessness, and aid the rural and urban poor. The budget proposes a 13 percent cut in funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The National Low Income Housing estimates that these cuts will put more than 200,000 seniors, families, and people with disabilities at immediate risk of evictions and homelessness. This cannot stand. Tell Congress to reject the Trump Budget. The Trump budget: * Eliminates a $3 billion program (the Community Development Block Grant) that provides funding for public facilities improvements like parks, health-care and child-care facilities, and disaster relief; helps struggling homeowners stay in their homes; and allows rural communities to repair crumbling housing stock. * Totally eliminates the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, which coordinates the federal response to homelessness. One of this council’s goals is to end veteran homelessness. * Eliminates NeighborWorks America, which supports neighborhood organizations that develop and maintain affordable housing. Read more: * 10 Ways President Trump’s Agenda Will Harm His Supporters in Rural and Small-Town America, Center for American Progress, https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/poverty/news/2017/03/16/428315/10-ways-president-trumps-agenda-will-harm-supporters-rural-small-town-america/ * Denise Lu, Trump federal budget 2018: Massive cuts to the arts, science and the poor, The Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/trump-federal-budget-2018-massive-cuts-to-the-arts-science-and-the-poor/2017/03/15/0a0a0094-09a1-11e7-a15f-a58d4a988474_story.html * Diane Yentel on President Trump’s Budget Request, National Low Income Housing Coalition, http://nlihc.org/press/releases/7613.

“Budgets are moral documents. Federal funding should reflect the priorities and the values of the majority of the American people.” Mike Pence, of all people, said that in 2009 — he became Donald Trump’s vice president. But the proposal for next year’s federal budget the Trump just released would slash funding for the agencies that protect our health and safety, our workplaces and wallets, our environment and our economy. Trump’s budget would absolutely destroy many of the programs that help our nation’s poor, elderly and rural citizens while simultaneously perpetuating tens of billions in corporate welfare and subsidies. Here are just a few examples of programs that will simply be GONE under Trump’s proposed budget: - Meals on Wheels — the massively popular and essential program that millions of America’s homebound seniors rely on so they don’t go hungry. - Federal support for the incredibly popular Habitat for Humanity program. - A federal program that helps poor and rural people insulate their homes so they don’t freeze to death. - The agency that funds legal aid programs throughout the country so that poor people who are facing wrongful eviction, custody disputes, child support or domestic violence can get the help they need. - A Treasury Department program that provides loans and other financial services to some of the most distressed communities in our country. And, Trump’s plan jacks up military spending by more than $50 billion, even admitting that “this increase alone exceeds the entire defense budget of most countries.” Sign this petition right now to urge Congress to reject Trump’s cruel, immoral and un-American budget.

I don't believe that President Trump should be allowed the honor of placing a person on the Supreme Court while flauntingly disregarding the norms and established precedent of the previous Office holders. The Senate must demand he adhere to our minimum expectations. He must not be allowed to trample the Presidential norms. What will he trample next.

As local planning processes happen across the City, we need a City-wide strategy to prevent displacement. City agencies that hold land should explicitly put these priorities in their Requests for Proposals.

In the United States, it’s not about what you look like or where you come from that makes you American - we are all equal. But Donald Trump doesn’t agree and has declared war on immigrants and wants taxpayers to foot the bill. If you think Trump’s current immigration policies are already bad, just imagine what he will do if he gets billions more from Congress. Taxpayer money would be used to build his costly and unnecessary southern border wall. Another $1.2 billion would be spent on immigration enforcement agents and detention beds to detain and deport millions of hard-working immigrants As Americans, we cannot allow Donald Trump to replace our most cherished values with his xenophobic agenda. Republicans will need 60 votes to pass any funding bill - and there are only 42 Republicans in the Senate - so Democrats have the power to be the resistance to the Trump agenda. You can help keep immigrant families together and save American tax dollars by blocking Donald Trump’s border wall and deportation force -- but you have to act now. Congress can defund Trump’s mass deportation plan, but they're not going to do it without a strong public outcry from Americans like you. Take a stand now and sign this petition telling Congress to block funding for Trump’s deportation force.

Breitbart 'News' is corrupting American news cycles and misleading a broad portion of the American public.

The big payment processing companies - Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover - are processing funds for some of the vilest white supremacist groups. White supremacist hubs like Stormfront are able to easily receive funding because these companies are allowing them to. And thanks to transaction fees, these companies are making money every time someone donates to one these hate groups. Some of the groups receiving money from Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover are responsible for numerous hate crimes, murders, and the radicalization of terrorists Dylann Roof, Timothy McVeigh, and Wade Michael Page. These companies have cut off other hate groups in the past, it’s time for them to step up and cut off all white supremacist groups from their financial resources.

NY lawmakers agree on pay raise for caregivers March 15, 2017 04:58 AM ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - The New York state Senate and Assembly are in agreement on a plan to increase funding for the care of the developmentally disabled. The Republican-led Senate and Democratic-controlled Assembly both included $45 million in additional funding in their chamber's proposed state budgets. The money would support pay raises for the direct support professionals who care for people with developmental disabilities. Low pay has created high turnover and staffing shortages. Harvey Weisenberg, a former lawmaker and father of a disabled son, says some caregivers are so poorly paid they're choosing to work fast-food jobs instead. Now supporters must convince Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who did not include the money in his own state budget proposal. A vote on the budget is expected by April 1.

Starting in the fall of 2017, SRHS seniors who have met the graduation requirements cannot have a "home period" (taking one period off). The district claims it is due to a new law; however, the lawmaker disputes that and the California Dept. of Education says there is no law that bans a "home period." Many districts (including Poway) have "home periods," which allow students to hold part-time jobs/internships, volunteer, and/or play sports and still maintain good grades. This makes them more well-rounded, which is what high-level colleges are looking for. This is in the best interest of children. Thank you!

Kathleen Dumais, a Montgomery County Delegate, is uncertain about supporting critical provisions in the MD TRUST Act that would ban programs like 287(g), stop local detention centers from enforcing civil immigration law, and protect the privacy of all Marylanders. We need your help to encourage her to support MD TRUST Act including all the critical provisions listed above. Support Maryland's immigrant communities and sign the petition. The MD TRUST ACT would prohibit law enforcement agencies from collaborating with ICE on civil immigration enforcement, and prohibit the contribution of state or local resources to a federal effort to register people on the basis of protected classes including religion and national origin.