Editor’s note: On July 13, the Coalition on Human Needs and a broad coalition of 262 national, state, & local organizations urged Congress to reject further cuts to basic needs programs through a potential “Reconciliation 3.0” package or any other legislative vehicle. The organizations warn Congress that additional cuts would increase hardship for families already struggling with the rising costs of food, housing, health care, and other necessities. The letter is posted as a pdf here.

July 2026

Dear Representative/Senator:

The 215 undersigned organizations, who represent a broad set of stakeholders who care about human needs, urge you to prioritize protecting people struggling to make ends meet by rejecting further cuts to basic needs programs via a “Reconciliation 3.0” package or other legislative vehicle.

We represent human service providers, faith groups, national, state, and local policy experts, and civil rights, labor, and other organizations concerned with meeting the needs of people with low incomes. We are deeply concerned about families struggling with rising costs of health care, food, housing, and other human needs, and many in our networks are dealing with the aftermath of H.R. 1’s historic cuts to basic needs programs including SNAP, Medicaid and the ACA, higher education, the Child Tax Credit, and other human needs programs. We’re already seeing the impacts, for example:

• From enactment of H.R. 1 last year through March 2026, more than 4 million people lost access to SNAP’s food assistance including more than 700,000 children;
• 2 million children have lost Medicaid/CHIP coverage with experts flagging that many more are losing coverage in 2026;
• CMS’s new Medicaid work reporting rule is creating confusion and chaos for states and will harm patients;
• More than 15 states proposing or already taking away care from people with disabilities and older adults through cuts to Medicaid home and community based services;
• Approximately 5 million fewer Americans have coverage via ACA marketplaces while millions more grapple with higher premium costs;
• 2.6 million American citizen children with parents who don’t have Social Security numbers lost access to the Child Tax Credit (CTC) while one in four children (19 million) are left out of the full value of the CTC; and
• Lawfully present immigrants, including seniors who have long participated in Medicare, are already losing access to health and food assistance.

At a time when many are dealing with rising costs and policy changes that make it harder to put food on the table and access health coverage, we are alarmed about reports that House leaders are looking to fast track additional cuts to basic needs programs via another reconciliation package, further increasing hardship for families across the country and disrupting the lives of low-income working families, service providers, and localities. Nationwide, community-based organizations have struggled to address increased needs in their communities, exacerbated by rising costs, while facing uncertainties about funding for programs (we note that over 500 organizations urged Congress to “insist that the Administration follow authorizing and appropriations law across all federal agencies”).

Polling shows the widespread support for protecting basic needs programs, and advocates including children’s groups and disability advocates have sounded the alarm about the impact of budget decisions on local communities. Families are facing a basic needs crisis and further cuts to basic needs programs will only exacerbate the hardship that families, providers, and local policymakers are grappling with every day by making it harder for families to buy food, access care and health services, pay rent, and more. We believe Congress must protect health care, care services that enable older adults and people with disabilities to remain in their homes, child care, the Earned Income Tax Credit, food assistance, housing, and other basic needs programs, not exacerbate families’ everyday crises. The undersigned organizations urge you to reject any Reconciliation 3.0 package that threatens human needs and instead work with Leadership along with colleagues to protect and strengthen basic needs programs.

Sincerely yours,

The list below reflects signing organizations as of 1 PM ET, July 13, 2026.

National organizations:
AACTE (American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education)

The Advocacy Institute

AIDS United

All4Ed

Alliance to End Hunger

Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools

American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees

American Friends Service Committee

American Network of Community Options and Resources

American Society of Nephrology

Americans for Tax Fairness

The Arc of the United States

Autistic Self Advocacy Network

Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network

Big Cities Health Coalition

CAP Tulsa

Caring Across Generations

Child Welfare League of America

Children’s HealthWatch

Church World Service

Climate Justice Alliance

Clinical Social Work Association

Coalition on Human Needs

Common Threads

Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Region

Cure KCNH1 Foundation

Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund

Economic Security Project Action

EdTrust

Faith in Action Network

Faithful America

Family Values @ Work

First Focus Campaign for Children

Food Research & Action Center (FRAC)

Friends Committee on National Legislation

HealthBegins

HIV Medicine Association

Human Appeal

Hunger Free America

Institute for Educational Leadership

Institute for Policy Studies’ Poverty Project

JustLeadershipUSA

Main Street Alliance

MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger

Meals on Wheels America

Muslim Advocates

National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd

National Alliance to End Sexual Violence

National Association for College Admission Counseling

National Association of Counsel for Children

National Center on Adoption and Permanency

National Center on Domestic Violence Trauma and Mental Health

National Coalition for the Homeless

National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare

National Council for Community and Education Partnerships

National Council of Churches USA

National Council of Jewish Women

National Domestic Violence Hotline

National Education Association

National Health Care for the Homeless Council

National Immigration Law Center

National Organization for Women

National Resource Center on Domestic Violence

National Skills Coalition

National Urban League

National Women’s Law Center

National Women’s Political Caucus

NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice

Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies

Oxfam America

People Power United

Popular Democracy

PrEP4All

Presbyterian Church (USA) Office of Public Witness

Prevent Blindness

Prevention Institute

Progressive Democrats of America

Public Advocacy for Kids (PAK)

RESULTS

Share Our Strength

Sisters of Mercy of the Americas’ Justice Team

Sisters of St. Francis of Dubuque, Iowa

Society for Public Health Education

UnidosUS

Union for Reform Judaism

Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice

Voices of Health Care Action

Win Without War

Youth First Justice Collaborative

Youth Law Center

ZERO TO THREE

 

Local and state organizations:
The Ability Center of Greater Toledo

Action Wellness

Adelante Mujeres

Alabama Arise

Alaska Children’s Trust

The Arc of Aurora

Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families

Ashland County Aging Unit, Inc.

Asian Resources, Inc.

AZCEND

Being Alive/People with AIDS Action Coalition

Bet Tzedek Legal Services

Black Children’s Institute of Tennessee

Blue Ridge Independent Living Center

Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency

Center for Community Solutions

Charlotte Trans Health

Children’s Advocacy Alliance

The Children’s Agenda

Children’s Institute

Church Of St Francis Xavier

Citizen Action of New York

Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York

Clare Housing

Coalition of CA Welfare Rights Organizations

Colorado Coalition for the Homeless

Colorado Consumer Health Initiative

Common Good Iowa

Community of Caring

Connecticut Voices for Children

County Welfare Directors Association of California (CWDA)

Courage California

Creative Innovative

DeKalb County Community Mental Health Board

The Diaper Bank of Connecticut

Dientes Community Dental Care

Disability Rights Ohio

Disability Rights Oregon

Dominican Sisters Ministry of Presence

East Bay Housing Organizations

East Bay Sanctuary Covenant

East Boston Social Centers

El Refugio, Inc.

Engage NH

Equality California

Faith Commons

Family Focus

The Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA)

Five Horizons Health Services

Florida Impact

The Food Group

Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls Minnesota

The Freedom Center, Inc.

Gather

Glide Foundation

Greater Boston Legal Services, on behalf of our clients

Grow Food Northampton

Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice

Hawaii Children’s Action Network Speaks!

Health Action New Mexico

Hispanic and Immigrant Center of Alabama

Homeless Services United

Housing Action Illinois

Hunger Solutions New York

Illinois Collaboration on Youth

Independence Alliance

Indiana Community Action Poverty Institute

Iowa Hunger Coalition

Jewish Family Service of Colorado

Just Harvest

Kentucky Voices for Health

Klamath and Lake Community Action Services

Legal Aid Justice Center

Legal Key Partnership for Health and Justice

Life Start Inc.

Locker Project

Long Island Center for Independent Living (LICIL)

Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest

Maine Center for Economic Policy

Maine Council of Churches

Meals4Families

Mental Health Association of NW PA

Michigan Council for Maternal Child Health

Michigan’s Children

Minnesota Consortium of Community Developers

Minnesota Farmers’ Market Association

Minnesota Prenatal to Three Coalition

Mississippi Low Income Child Care Initiative

Mountain Resource Center

New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies, Inc. (NJAMHAA)

NH Hunger Solutions

NH Peace Action

Niagara Community Action Program, Inc.

NYPAN of the Southern Finger Lakes

Oasis Legal Services

Ohio APSE

Ohio Olmstead Task Force

One Family

Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless

Orange County Rapid Response Network

Orange County United Way

Oregon Public Health Association

Parable of the Sower Cooperative

PathPoint

Pennsylvania Policy Center

Policy Matters Ohio

Praxis Health Empowerment

Pride Community Center of the Brazos Valley

Progress Center for Independent Living

Promise Arizona

RESULTS Florida

San Mateo County Pride Center

Sauti Yetu Center for African Women, Inc

SEIU Local 105

Serving at-risk families everywhere, Inc.

Sister Carmen Community Center

Sisters of St. Joseph Healthcare Foundation

Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston

Snake River Alliance

Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning

St. Matthew Trinity Lunchtime Ministry

The SOURCE

Steuben County Habitat for Humanity

Thorne Nature Experience

TRII/Dignidad

Tzedek DC

University District Food Bank

Utah Housing Coalition

Utahns Against Hunger

Valley Oak Children’s Services

The Village at Glencliff

Violence Free Minnesota

Vivent Health

VNA Community Services

Voices for Children in Nebraska

Voices for Utah Children

Voices for Vermont’s Children

Voices Of Hope

WA Housing Alliance

Wellbeing Revolution: Leading with Heart & Strategy – loto ma’a, ngutu kovi

Westchester Community Opportunity Program, Inc.

Women Employed

Wyoming Community Foundation

YMCA of Greater New York

YWCA Columbus

YWCA of Kauai