
When I worked with people experiencing homelessness, I kept hearing about the obstacles to help. Then I experienced them myself.
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
When I worked with people experiencing homelessness, I kept hearing about the obstacles to help. Then I experienced them myself.
We cannot let political theater dismantle constitutional protections for children. And we cannot let children become collateral damage in a political fight.
Congress is setting state policymakers up to face incredibly hard decisions about everything from health care cuts, deciding who should go hungry, and supporting their rural communities.
Recent developments on Capitol Hill—and sweeping executive actions since President Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025—could potentially reshape funding for children’s health, education, and economic security across our states.
Vouchers defund public schools and provide financial assistance to small numbers of students at the expense of the 90% of children who attend public schools.
The proposals by Republican members of Congress will make billionaires wealthier by taking away health care and nutrition support from millions of Americans, including constituents in their districts.
The Coalition on Human Needs strongly urge members of the House of Representatives to vote NO on the FY 2025 Budget Resolution. These cuts are not savings – they would impose huge costs to communities nationwide.
Census Bureau’s upcoming privacy protection decisions, while crucial, risk undermining accurate child poverty data, potentially harming funding for critical programs and disproportionately affecting rural and minority communities.
The Republican-controlled House Budget Committee proposed a $12 billion in cuts to school breakfast and lunch, which would impact 24,000 schools and 12 million children across the country.
Steps have been taken in the House and Senate to shift the nation’s wealth from everyday people to billionaires. We can and must block their dangerous path.
I’m disabled and want to work. But if I earn “too much” — even if it’s not enough to live on — I’ll lose benefits. That’s not how it should be.
Trump’s order criticizes these diversity, equity, and inclusion plans, labeling them as “immense public waste and shameful discrimination.” However, the reality of these efforts is far from what the executive order suggests.