At the Coalition on Human Needs, we share stories like these because they matter. They matter not only as data points, but as lived experiences — stories of families, workers, and seniors who are just trying to get by in a country where the basics have become harder and harder to afford.

And I want to pause here and say: I know what that feels like. Just like the people quoted below, I grew up relying on programs that made it possible for my family to survive. Without them, we wouldn’t have had food on the table, healthcare when we needed it, or even a safe apartment to live in. These programs weren’t luxuries; they were lifelines. Without them, I honestly don’t know how we would have made it through.

That’s why it hits so hard to read the stories people are sharing with us now. They remind me of where I came from — and of how many families today are still depending on the very same lifelines that are now being cut.

Here are some of their voices:

“My healthcare costs are already going up. This month I received a $637 bill from a medical company I never signed up with. If this becomes the norm, I’ll have to cancel my continuous glucose monitor. Without it, my health will deteriorate. But I can’t afford $637 every month.”

“We are a small nonprofit. When AmeriCorps funding was cut, we lost our staff and had to shut down our Food Distribution Program and Mobile Farmers Market. Seniors and families who depended on us for affordable produce for eight years now have nowhere to turn.”

“Due to federal cuts, we no longer have any meat to give away at our food pantry.”

“I am a single parent making under $54,000 a year, putting my son through college. On the Marketplace, I’m told I’ll get a subsidy of zero. My son, a full-time student with no income, would get only $62. I don’t know how I will afford healthcare for him or myself. And billionaires still get tax breaks. This is unacceptable and cruel.”

“I live in Ovid, NY. Our health center is now only open on Mondays. Medicaid cuts will destroy our network of clinics. I’ve seen the list of rural hospitals at risk of closing. This is what we’re facing.”

“My stepdaughter is autistic and suffers seizures. Cuts to services mean she will struggle even more to get the medicine and food she needs. Is this the America we want?”

“I am a proud grandmother of five grandchildren, two of whom receive SNAP and Medicaid. Their parents both work but still cannot provide enough food or medical care. Taking food and healthcare from children just so the super rich can buy another mansion? Where is the humanity in ANY of this?”

“If the ACA credits are not extended, our out-of-pocket insurance costs will go up $15,000. We simply can’t afford that.”

“When I moved to Minnesota, I finally got coverage under the ACA — and learned I had a serious chronic liver disease. Without coverage, I would have died by 50 without ever knowing. If the so-called One Big ‘Beautiful’ Bill passes and takes my coverage away, it may literally kill me.”

If you or others in your community are being affected by loss of services, please share this important information here. (You can be anonymous if you choose).

The Bigger Picture: How Washington’s Choices Put Communities at Risk

The pain in these stories is not random. It’s being driven by three overlapping crises:

1. Impoundments / Frozen Funds
   Congress approved this money, but the administration has withheld more than $410 billion from reaching communities. That includes $1 billion for substance use and mental health treatment, $250 million for school-based mental health programs across 30 states, $500 million from the Emergency Food Assistance Program, $1.7 billion for clean energy transition, $311 million for preschool programs, and $70 million from legal services for unaccompanied children. When funds are frozen, schools cancel programs, nonprofits lay off staff, and clinics cut hours — leaving rural, tribal, and low-income families without the support they rely on most. Some of these funds are starting to be released (the shutdown will interrupt that – see item 3), but the delays in funding have hurt many communities.
2. The Big Brutal Budget Law
   This bill is catastrophic for working families. It slashes $1 trillion from Medicaid and SNAP, strips health and nutrition benefits from millions, denies millions of children the Child Tax Credit, and kills clean energy jobs — all while giving permanent tax cuts to the wealthy and expanding Trump’s immigrant detention machine. Researchers warn these cuts will cause 51,000 preventable deaths each year and leave 5.3 million families with less food on the table. And because the law failed to extend ACA expanded premium tax credits, insurers are already planning premium hikes, which, if the expanded premium tax credits are allowed to expire, will result in premiums rising 75% or more starting January 1, with costs doubling in some states. For many, that’s just unaffordable: more than 4 million are expected to lose their health insurance if Congress does not act. This bill is deadly — and it puts tax breaks for billionaires above the lives of seniors, children, and people with disabilities.
3. The Government Shutdown
   As the shutdown continues, hundreds of thousands of federal workers are furloughed or working without pay. Programs like WIC and SNAP are at risk of running out of funds. Hospitals in underserved areas face billions in lost Medicaid payments. Inspections, housing supports, and small-business contracts grind to a halt. For low-income families, these aren’t inconveniences — they’re life-threatening.

Why This Matters

Each of these policies shows the same truth: policymakers are playing politics with people’s lives. And every time, it’s the most vulnerable — low-income families, seniors, people with disabilities, immigrants, rural households — who pay the price.

I hope that by reading these stories you recognize what I know to be true: these are not statistics. They are our neighbors, coworkers, and family members. And if it weren’t for the programs under attack today, many of us — myself included — would not have had the chance to build a stable life.

What You Can Do

If these stories touched you, don’t just scroll past. Share this blog. Share the form to document the impact of cuts. Help us spread the word so that those most affected can be heard.

Fill out the form here.

The more voices we lift up, the harder it becomes for Washington to ignore the real cost of its actions. Together, we can demand that our communities stop being treated like bargaining chips in a political game.