Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
BISMARCK – U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Bob Casey (D-PA) led a bipartisan group of Senators in urging U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations Chairman Patrick Leahy and Vice Chairman Richard Shelby to include funding for our nation’s diaper banks in the final fiscal year (FY) 2022 appropriations package to help better support working families.
“As you work towards a final agreement for the fiscal year (FY) 2022 appropriations bill, we urge you to include funding for our Nation’s diaper banks,” wrote the Senators. “Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, one in three families struggled to afford enough diapers to keep their children clean, dry, and healthy. The economic fall-out from the pandemic has exacerbated families’ already strained budgets and greatly increased diaper need across the country.”
Similar to a request the Senators sent last year, the letter asks for $200 million in funding through the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) to build a national grant program focused on distributing diapers to millions of families in need. The request was included in last year’s appropriations legislation passed by the House of Representatives.
Along with Senators Cramer, Duckworth, and Casey, the letter was signed by Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).
Click here to read the letter.
Background
Earlier this month, Senator Cramer joined U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) in introducing the bipartisan Diaper Inclusion in Accounts for Parental Expense Reduction (DIAPER) Act to allow diapers to be reimbursable by health spending accounts and become more accessible for families who need them.
Last year, Senator Cramer joined colleagues in introducing the End Diaper Need Act, bipartisan legislation to provide resources to assist low-income and middle-class families address their diaper needs and help ensure the health and well-being of those who rely on diapers, including infants, toddlers, medically complex children, low-income adults, and adults with disabilities.
In 2019, Senators Cramer, Chris Murphy (D-CT), Doug Jones (D-AL), and Mike Braun (R-IN) introduced a bipartisan resolution to recognize the importance of diaper banks across the country. This resolution
passed the Senate in September 2019.
