The Senate is expected to vote on its version of the Big Brutal Bill this week and—like its House counterpart—it’s devastating for nutrition and health care programs for vulnerable communities.
The Senate proposal includes the largest cut to SNAP in history, as part of a budget package that guts basic needs programs.
The bill also contains the largest cuts to Medicaid in history, and will result in 16 million people losing their health insurance. A recent analysis of the House-passed bill found that because of the cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, and reduced staffing requirements at nursing homes, 51,000 people will die each year.
Additionally, according to the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as many as 330 rural hospitals nationwide could close or reduce services as a result of this bill. And, new research shows that cuts to Medicaid along with SNAP will reduce jobs by 1.2 million nationwide, equivalent to about a 0.8% increase in the unemployment rate.
Cutting the heart out of basic needs programs including SNAP and Medicaid doesn’t save states or the federal government money—it denies care and creates bigger problems down the road, shifting the burden to service providers, local governments, and taxpayers. This will lead to higher costs and more strain on budgets—household and state budgets alike. And it will cost lives.
It’s not too late to change course. Now more than ever, it’s critical that the Senate act to protect health care, nutrition, and other essential services that help millions of families meet their basic needs. We should strengthen support for these programs—not take them away
Please join the Coalition for Human Needs for a webinar on Thursday April 24 at 3:00 pm ET to learn about recent analysis commissioned by the Center for American Progress and prepared by Hart Research on behalf of an alliance working to protect health care, food assistance, and other basics for people who need support including Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Center for Law and Social Policy, Coalition on Human Needs, Community Change, and National Women’s Law Center among other partners.
Attendees of the webinar will learn key findings and messages to help you defend basic needs programs, including strategies for supporting Medicaid, SNAP, housing, and other federal programs serving low-income people in the face of proposed cutbacks. When Congress returns on April 28 from its 2-week recess, they will be working to make basic needs program cuts. The experienced analysts at Hart Research have information we need to fight back.
The webinar will be recorded, and the recording and slides will be shared with registrants.
NOTE: this webinar is not open to the press.