Congress has been directed to cut $880 billion from the Health and Human Services budget and another $230 billion from the Department of Agriculture budget over the next 10 years. Exactly how these cuts will be determined is up for debate, yet signals indicate SNAP, administered by the Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Medicaid, under Health and Human services (HHS), are main targets for cuts or program changes. In order to pay for those cuts, some Congressional members want to take money from public benefit programs – taking money from working class families to give to the rich.
If Congress cuts public benefit programs, the burden falls to states to make up the difference. Many of our Texan neighbors may experience compounding effects of federal budget cuts – when multiple cuts happen at the same time to a one household. Families who receive SNAP and Medicaid, for example, could experience cuts to both vital programs. In Texas, children will be hit hardest and households who are working and whose earnings fall below the poverty line will experience compounding effects.
The financial burdens these budget cuts will transfer from the federal government onto states and, eventually, onto low-income Texans. The financial burden will increase over time, as individuals make tragic decisions about whether to pay for medical care or food, or whether to go to work or stay home sick. As these negative consequences create more difficult and more expensive scenarios for people to navigate, they compound on one another and build financial burdens at increasing cost rates. Families cannot afford to shoulder the financial burden of cuts that are designed to funnel tax payer dollars to the wealthy.
Every Texan gathered benefit rollback scenarios from our national partners to demonstrate the cuts families who benefit from Medicaid, SNAP, WIC, and National School Lunch Programs will experience if Congress doesn’t act to protect these social safety nets.
View the full report as a PDF.
Take Action Now!
We’re calling on Texans to defend the public safety nets their families, neighbors, and communities rely on.
- Find your representative. Contact their office to request a meeting and plan a trip to visit with them in person.
- Use this report to provide data to support your feelings about possible federal cuts. Let them get to know you, share your experiences, and help them understand why Medicaid and SNAP are important to you, your family, and your neighbors.
- Plan for a follow up call to thank your representative and remind them you’ll continue to pay close attention to the decisions they make that affect Texans.
Contact Lynn Cowles, Health and Food Justice Manager at Every Texan, for support in planning your visit.
Follow this link to send a message to Congress.