18/02/2009

Key U.S. Jewish groups praise Obama's economic stimulus plan

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1065110.html

Key Jewish American organizations on Tuesday praised President Barack Obama's stimulus plan as crucial for their charitable and social causes.

Obama signed into law Tuesday one of the most costly pieces of legislation in U.S. history - a $787 billion program to breathe life into the country's failing economy.

"During good economic times and not, the Jewish federation system provides social services such as food, shelter and healthcare to the most vulnerable in our society," said William C. Daroff, vice president for public policy and director of United Jewish Communities' Washington office. "As the recession has worsened, the demand for social services has increased at the same time that the supply of resources to fund those services has been taxed to the limit."

"The legislation signed into law today by President Obama will hopefully not only shorten the duration of the economic recession, but will also blunt its impact on those who have been devastatingly impacted by providing needed funds to social service agencies."

Obama's plan "is a significant step toward achieving America's economic recovery," said Ira Forman, the head of the National Jewish Democratic Council. "This landmark law recognizes the importance of putting our country back on a long-term path to prosperity."

"The enhanced funding for Medicaid includes $87 billion to help states shore-up federal funding for individuals and families requesting health and long-term care aid," Daroff said. "UJC is a chief proponent of this provision and has led advocacy efforts among the faith-based community for an increased federal commitment for Medicaid. Without passage of this funding, Jewish social service and health institutions would have lost more than $1 billion in funding."