Welfare Ministry Warns Budget Cuts Are 'Death Sentence' for Vulnerable Populations
Translated & summarized from Mako by baba
Israel's Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs is facing a 160 million shekel budget cut, which officials warn will cripple services for vulnerable populations. The ministry's appeal to the Finance Ministry to prevent the reduction was rejected. This cut, the first of its kind for the Welfare Ministry in across-the-board reductions, follows a previous 400 million shekel cut and comes amid rising demand for social services.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- The Welfare Ministry warned that planned budget cuts are a "death sentence" for vulnerable populations.
- The Ministry of Finance rejected the Welfare Ministry's appeal to prevent an additional 160 million shekel budget cut.
- The cuts will impact programs for at-risk youth, people with disabilities, the elderly, and survivors of violence.
- This is the first time the Welfare Ministry has been included in across-the-board budget reductions.
- Welfare Ministry officials cited increased demand for services due to the current situation.
- The Finance Ministry cited "security needs" and stated other ministries also faced cuts.
Senior officials from Israel's Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs have urgently appealed to the Ministry of Finance to prevent planned budget cuts, warning that the reductions would be a "death sentence" for vulnerable populations. Their request was denied, leaving the Welfare Ministry facing an additional 5% cut, totaling 160 million shekels, which is earmarked for programs supporting at-risk youth, individuals with disabilities, the elderly, and women who are survivors of violence. This new reduction follows an earlier cut of approximately 400 million shekels from the ministry's budget.
For the first time, the Welfare Ministry is included in the across-the-board budget cuts, a departure from the usual practice of exempting social welfare programs to protect needy populations. The Ministry of Finance is reportedly considering these cuts to address "security needs," but has not provided specific details about the concrete requirements necessitating these reductions across government ministries.
Welfare Ministry officials are sounding the alarm about the severe impact on their ability to provide professional services, especially during a time of dramatically increased demand for social assistance due to the current situation. "We are left with no ability to provide a professional response," a senior ministry official told N12, adding that the cuts effectively doom all programs designed to assist citizens in need.
Sources within the Finance Ministry stated that other government ministries also sought to avoid cuts to their essential budgets, leading to the decision for equal, across-the-board reductions. These sources also indicated that they had warned that significant budget increases for the defense establishment would come at the expense of the general citizenry.
