Families across the country are working hard to stay afloat — paying more for everything from groceries to rent to health care. President Trump’s One Big Ugly Budget bill (“this law”) guts basic needs programs for low-income people — cutting $1 trillion in Medicaid and Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace spending, along with $187 billion in SNAP — all in order to fund tax breaks to the wealthiest in our country.
The Deep South states — Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi — unfortunately are home to some of the highest rates of poverty, hunger, and poorest health outcomes in the nation (see state-specific impacts and data). In these states, approximately 3.6 million people will lose health care and over half a million will lose some food assistance as a direct result of this law. These same states rely heavily on federal funding to support basic human needs programs. The bill’s cuts would shift costs to states that they cannot afford, forcing states to make difficult decisions about cutting benefits, limiting eligibility or taking from other programs. As a direct result of this law, people will lose health care and suffer preventable deaths, children will go hungry, college will become less attainable for low-income students, immigrants will be unfairly punished, and more.
For more information on the key provisions, expand on the implementation dates to reveal details most impactful to our states. (See Center on Budget Policy Priorities for additional provisions).
We can still take actions to demand accountability, protect funding for critical programs and services, and minimize harm to communities. Read our blog to learn about five ways you can push back against these cuts.
And for more, visit Together We Fight.