For Immediate Release
June 22, 2024
Media Contact:
Sarah Mizes-Tan
smizes-tan@cpehn.org
510-832-1160 x 204
SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom and Legislative leaders have announced a state budget agreement which is expected to be passed by both houses of the Legislature and signed into law in the coming days. The California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN) commends the Governor on preserving benefits to undocumented immigrants through the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program, preserving the Indian Health Program and maintaining $92 million statewide and $184 million locally annually in the Future of Public Health funding.
“CPEHN is relieved to see that these critical public health and human services programs that serve undocumented and vulnerable Californians will be able to continue,” said Kiran Savage-Sangwan, Executive Director of CPEHN. “The move to cut funding for these critical programs was unconscionable and immoral and would have resulted in greater financial strain on the state in years to come. Preserving funding for public health and for services for undocumented immigrants and the state’s Indigenous communities will ensure that California is able to continue to meet its promise of serving all its residents, regardless of immigration status.”
Cuts to IHSS, the Indian Health Program and the Future of Public Health funding could have devastating impacts on California’s communities of color and historically disenfranchised communities.
The IHSS program serves over 2,600 undocumented immigrants across the state and provides critical support to families caring for loved ones with disabilities. The program allows people to be compensated for their time in caring for their family members, and the loss of this program would have resulted in both a loss of income for already vulnerable undocumented families and a loss of critical care services.
Preserving these programs in addition to the $276 million annual investment in Future of Public Health funding will have long-lasting impacts on undocumented immigrants and communities of color. The Legislature and Governor must find a way to secure stable revenue in future budgets by ensuring that the wealthiest Californians and corporations pay their fair share and not balance its state budget on the backs of the state’s most vulnerable.