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Andrea Kovach, the Shriver Center’s senior attorney for healthcare justice, spoke to Stateline about penalties that states like Illinois may face for providing Medicaid to a small category of immigrants with temporary status. Illinois is one of 40 states that offers Medicaid to “humanitarian parolees,” people who are temporarily allowed into the United States due to a humanitarian need or because they pose a significant public benefit to the country.

Shriver Center President and CEO Audra Wilson spoke about the new state budget and how it falls short of protecting Illinois residents with low income from expected federal spending cuts. Wilson said the state missed an important opportunity to fund supports for vulnerable communities through progressive revenue solutions.

Stephanie Altman, director of healthcare justice and senior director of policy, was quoted in a KFF Health News story about the Republicans’ “Big Beautiful Bill.” The legislation would gut Medicaid reimbursements to blue states like Illinois that insure undocumented people. Stephanie said it’s a clear indication of Trump and the Republicans’ “hostility against immigrants.”

Jeremy Rosen, the Shriver Center’s director of economic justice, told DeKalb, Illinois-based Northern Public Radio that Gov. Pritzker needs to address the potentially-devastating federal cuts to safety net programs like Medicaid. The Shriver Center, along with the Illinois Revenue Alliance, wants to tax billionaires and corporations to fund health coverage for immigrant adults and offset expected federal cuts.

The federal budget reconciliation bill passed in the House today and is on its way to be signed by the president. It’s the worst attack on our nation’s social safety net since “welfare reform,” the sweeping budget cuts and eligibility restrictions enacted in 1996.

The Shriver Center is proud to announce it will share office space with coalition partners Women Employed. Starting in December, the staff of Women Employed (WE) will join us at 67 East Madison Street, Suite 2000, in downtown Chicago. The move allows both organizations to spend less on overhead costs and invest more in programmatic work.

Today the Shriver Center on Poverty Law released its 2023 annual report, Changing Rules. Changing Lives. This year’s report highlights the organization’s continued commitment to end systemic inequities and push for policies that bring justice and opportunity to everyone.

The Shriver Center on Poverty Law today announced 25 Fellows for its 2024 Racial Justice Institute (RJI). Now in its 11th year, the innovative leadership development program brings together anti-poverty advocates from around the country to learn new tools to advance racial equity.  

This one-day event marks the 60th year of the war on poverty. That national commitment led to the Shriver Center on Poverty Law’s formation under Sargent Shriver.

The federal budget reconciliation bill passed in the House today and is on its way to be signed by the president. It’s the worst attack on our nation’s social safety net since “welfare reform,” the sweeping budget cuts and eligibility restrictions enacted in 1996.

In the face of a deeply polarized nation, this election has brought profound emotions and urgent questions about how each of us is seen and valued. For many of us who identify as people of color, immigrants, members of the LGBTQ+ community, or allies in the fight for justice, this moment can feel jarring. But it is also a call to action and an opportunity.

Statement from Audra Wilson, President and CEO of the Shriver Center on Poverty Law