Joint Statement from CCANO and Clover

“Catholic Charities and Clover NOLA Urge Congress to Reject Cuts That Threaten Louisiana’s Most Vulnerable”

For well over a century, Catholic Charities and Clover NOLA (formerly Kingsley House) have stood shoulder to shoulder with Southeast Louisiana’s children, families, and seniors—offering care, education, and hope. Today, we are sounding the alarm: federal budget cuts currently under consideration threaten to dismantle the very programs that form the backbone of Louisiana’s life-saving social safety net.

Programs like Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Energy Assistance, Head Start and Early Head Start, and Adult Day Care. These services and resources are not luxuries—they are lifelines. They ensure that over 2 million Louisianans have access to basic necessities like food, health care, early childhood growth and development, and dignity in aging.

These life changing programs work. They help lift highly vulnerable individuals and families out of poverty, support and strengthen local economies, and build a healthier, more resilient Louisiana. Gutting them would unravel decades of progress and betray the values of basic human decency and kindness we hold dear.

As the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops so aptly put it, “the final budget reconciliation package should provide relief to low-income families and should not place additional burdens on those who are struggling.”

We urge Senators Cassidy and Kennedy, and all of Louisiana’s leaders, to reject these harmful cuts. Please stand with us. Stand with our children, our seniors, our veterans, and our working families. The future of Louisiana depends on it.

Cynthia T. Hayes, M. Ed., L.P.C.

President & CEO, Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans

Keith H. Liederman, Ph.D.

CEO, Clover NOLA 

✉️ CONTINUED ACTION: CONTACT LOUISIANA'S DELEGATION

Please also reach out directly to Louisiana’s Members of Congress to express your support for Head Start. Personalized outreach can have a powerful impact — and your voice matters. 

About Clover

Established in 1896, Clover's mission is to educate children, strengthen families, and build community.

Clover (formerly known as Kingsley House) envisions a city and region where all young children are ready to succeed, and all citizens are healthy and economically stable. Recognizing that vulnerable families are at risk of being caught in an intractable cycle of poverty, we are committed to ensuring that individuals and families have the supports necessary to be successful at all stages of life. To accomplish our goals, we join forces with dedicated community partners and collectively work with families to fuel economic growth and social change in our city, state, and region.

Clover New Orleans | clovernola.org