House-Passed Budget Bill Threatens Lifelines for Grandfamilies, Children, Youth & Older Adults
Early Thursday (5/22) morning, the House passed the budget reconciliation package that includes more than $700 billion in cuts to Medicaid and $300 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). If enacted, this will be the largest cut to Medicaid and SNAP in our history and will force family caregivers across the United States to choose between paying for their medication and putting food on the table for their children.
Medicaid and SNAP are a lifeline for millions of children, youth, and older adults, including many kinship/grandfamilies. In addition to shifting significant Medicaid and SNAP program costs to states, the House bill would enact strict Medicaid and SNAP work requirements and burdensome paperwork requirements to enroll and maintain benefits. This creates additional barriers as struggling families try to navigate Medicaid and SNAP. It would be especially challenging for grandparent and kinship caregivers to access services for the children in their care, putting greater burdens on caregivers who are already facing extreme stress.
Congress is making dramatic cuts to pay for tax cuts. The tax components of the bill do very little to support children, families, and older adults. In fact, the Congressional Budget Office predicts that the bill would increase income for the richest 10% of Americans, while reducing the income of the lowest 10%, who are in most need of a helping hand.
Further, without additional legislative action, the high cost of the bill will trigger automatic spending cuts through sequestration of some mandatory programs, putting the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) and Title IV-B Promoting Safe and Stable Families (PSSF) funds at risk of elimination and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) at risk of cuts. PSSF includes critical funding for kinship navigator programs and other services for kinship/grandfamilies.
Generations United calls on the Senate to reject this harmful legislation. Contact your Senators today to make your voice heard! It is critical that your Senators hear from you about how Medicaid, SNAP, and other federal programs are important to your family and others in your community.
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