In the News
For the first time in a decade, the number of hungry people on the planet is on the rise. The United Nations estimates the number of food-insecure people at 815 million in 2017—up from 777 million just two years ago.
Cities compete for people. Philadelphia is no different. According to researchers at The Reinvestment Fund in Philadelphia, approximately 48 percent of city residents, across the country, live in "middle neighborhoods." Middle neighborhoods are stable, working-class communities that generally lack outside investment, especially when compared with areas like Center City, Graduate Hospital or Northern Liberties.
This year, Washington has wasted months in an often-misguided debate over repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA). And, while this debate has raged within one political party, two important programs have been forgotten: the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) has expired and the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program was left to be slashed at the beginning of this month.
Nationally, we've pretty much got used to the routine of reaction to mass shootings. Once the shock wears off, we're grappling with a mix of heartbreak and outrage. Soon after, we've launched into a full blown debate over America's obsession with guns and, naturally, reflexed into a conversation about gun control.
It's been a long time since Rep. Dwight Evans was a freshman.
After more than three decades in the Pennsylvania House of Representative, Evans came to Congress late last year after winning a special election.
Roll Call's Heard on the Hill reporter Alex Gangitano sat down for vegan Philly cheese steaks and sweet potato fries with Democratic Rep. Dwight Evans of Pennsylvania at HipCityVeg in Chinatown, a vegan restaurant that began in Philadelphia.
Last month, I traveled to Jordan with humanitarian organization CARE to see firsthand how U.S. foreign assistance programs are saving lives and building the resilience of displaced individuals and families during one of the world's largest humanitarian crises. Currently, Jordan is home to more than 660,000 Syrian refugees, the majority of whom are women and girls and half of whom are under the age of 18.
What do countries, states and neighborhoods have in common? People. They all compete for people.
Through people, you get innovators, investors, builders, developers, thinkers. Through people, you have the building blocks of your workforce.
Our neighborhoods rely on anchors like great schools, bustling shops and small businesses, and a competitive housing stock in order to attract homebuyers and increase long-term homeownership.
Researchers at Reinvestment Fund in Philadelphia report that 48 percent of city residents in the United States live in "middle neighborhoods." These neighborhoods are generally affordable and functional, and they offer a reasonable quality of life, but many are in danger of decline.
A shrinking middle class, the suburbanization of jobs, obsolete housing styles, and dwindling homeownership rates cloud the future of these middle neighborhoods that serve as the lynchpin of success for most American cities and older suburbs.
Since 1933, the Farm Bill has been a cornerstone of American agricultural legislation.