The U.S. House of Representatives just passed a budget reconciliation package that will gut public safety net programs, including SNAP and Medicaid, to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy. Feeding New York State is alarmed by the passage of this bill, which will be disastrous for millions of New Yorkers who rely on these programs for vital food and healthcare assistance.
The budget will cut more than $1 trillion from essential safety net programs over the next 10 years. This would include $295 billion in cuts to SNAP, leading to an estimated 3 million Americans losing their SNAP benefits—with millions more facing benefit reductions. The budget also includes $700 billion in cuts to Medicaid, which would throw 7.6 million Americans off Medicaid.
The bill aims to make these cuts through gimmicks such as expanding work requirements for SNAP and Medicaid eligibility. It shifts the cost of paying for SNAP onto states and restricts future adjustments to the Thrifty Food Plan. An expansion of “work requirements” will collide with the root cause of poverty—structural unemployment. This will merely add additional bureaucratic hoops for families to jump through as they struggle to make ends meet. States will not be able to afford the proposed cost shifts, which will force them to choose between cutting SNAP or other important state investments. This provision is aimed squarely at States that take care of their residents. And any rollback to the Thrifty Food Plan will limit future increases to SNAP benefits just as inflation and food prices continue to rise. All of these changes will cause families to run out of food more quickly and force American families into greater dependence on the charitable food network.
What is the purpose of this bill? The cuts to SNAP and Medicaid are directly funding tax cuts for the richest, redistributing the hard-earned money of ordinary Americans to line the pockets of the billionaires. In the land of the free, this is a shameful act.
We at Feeding New York State sound the alarm. Although this appalling bill has passed the House, the Senate has not yet considered it. All of us must come together to push back against this bill to protect our fellow New Yorkers. We urge everyone to call or email their House Representatives; let your representative know how you feel about their vote. We also encourage everyone to contact their Senators and demand they vote no on budget reconciliation.
The road ahead is hard, but now is not the time to lose hope. Now is the time to act. Call today. Together, we can end hunger in New York.
