While Republicans point to ‘historic’ savings for taxpayers, a new report by nonprofit advocacy groups titled its analysis of the spending plan ‘Children Under Attack.’
Millions of U.S. children going hungry, dropping far behind in school and falling victim to chronic illnesses now and in their future: These are among the grave consequences that would follow sweeping cuts to Medicaid and food stamps proposed in the current federal budget bill, a new report by advocacy groups warns.
The most recent budget proposal approved late Sunday night by the House Budget Committee would reduce SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, by $290 billion over the next 10 years. Medicaid — the joint federal and state program that covers medical costs for low-income children and families — would be cut by more than $600 billion in that time frame, according to preliminary estimates by the Congressional Budget Office.
According to the nonprofits First Focus on Children and UnidosUS, the cuts in this reconciliation bill would result in immediate as well as long-term damage to children’s future health, wellness and economic stability.
“The consequences of developmental delays and health problems are lifelong in young kids,” President of First Focus on Children Bruce Lesley said at a Washington, D.C. press conference today. “It is just a fundamental tragedy that we are considering these enormous levels of cuts.”
The reconciliation bill sets certain spending policies for the next 10 years. Congress is still waiting for President Donald Trump to introduce his full budget for fiscal year 2026.
The nonprofit groups estimate that 34 million children, or roughly 45% of the total child population, now rely on SNAP or Medicaid. Roughly 14 million children are in “double jeopardy,” authors of the report released today state, at risk of losing both food and healthcare benefits. The fallout of the losses would be “serious and generational in scope,” according to the report titled “Children under attack: How Congressional Assaults on Health and Food Programs are Endangering the Youngest Americans.”
In a press release, House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson touted the proposed budget as a “once in a generation” opportunity to achieve “historic” savings and “tax relief for American workers.”
“We’re ensuring that programs like Medicaid and SNAP are strengthened for the US citizens who need and deserve them and not being squandered away by illegal aliens and persons who are ineligible to receive them and are cheating the system,” Johnson stated.
The federal spending cuts to Medicaid and SNAP would largely be realized through placing a greater burden on states to pay for these safety net programs, and creating stricter eligibility requirements designed to reduce the roster of recipients. The budget plan, if enacted, would also undo Biden administration reforms that streamlined the Medicaid enrollment process.
A key feature of the proposed legislation requires “able-bodied” adults between the ages of 19 and 64 to prove they are employed in order to qualify for nutrition benefits or publicly funded health care. Only families with children younger than 14 would be exempt.
The bill is set for a hearing in the House Rules Committee Wednesday morning. Rep. Johnson stated he expects it to receive a full House vote by the end of the week.
“We shouldn’t slash life-sustaining initiatives just to provide a disproportionate tax break to the wealthy and the well-connected.”
— Florida Rep. Kathy Castor
Currently, in most states, Medicaid does not require its enrollees to prove they’re working. Some SNAP recipients must work in exchange for food stamps, however, families with children under 18 are exempt from such requirements.
In Georgia — one of the only states that places the condition on Medicaid recipients that they work — the enrollment process is among the slowest in the nation, dragged down by “excessive bureaucratic strain,” according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
At today’s press conference, children’s advocates and a member of Congress sharply rebuked Republican lawmakers who they say are putting the interests of billionaires over the needs of children.
“We shouldn’t slash life-sustaining initiatives just to provide a disproportionate tax break to the wealthy and the well-connected,” said Florida Rep. Kathy Castor, co-chair of the Congressional Children’s Health Care Caucus.
Castor and others added that the timing of the proposed safety net cuts is particularly concerning, following years of inflation and rising concerns about the possibility of an impending recession.
“Children Under Attack” outlined numerous consequences both immediate and long-term if the proposed cuts are enacted.
Poor nutrition could contribute to higher rates of developmental delays, and conditions including asthma and anemia. With hungry kids in classrooms, attention problems could also ensue, leading to more students performing poorly on tests, held back and failing to graduate. A lack of routine health care, the report authors state, would land more children in emergency rooms and even lead to early deaths. Children of color and from marginalized communities would be disproportionately affected.
Absence of these benefits would follow the affected children into adulthood, Rep. Castor said.
“All of the research shows that if you give a child a healthy start in life and you’re able to cover them so that they can routinely get to those doctor visits, that they’re going to do better when they become adults, because they will have been supported,” Castor said. “They do better in school, they graduate high school and ultimately as adults, they have higher earnings and they’re more productive.”
Children and families losing eligibility to Medicaid and SNAP would create additional unintended ripple effects. Other safety net programs, like free school meals and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, typically determine eligibility based on an applicants’ enrollment in other needs-based programs like Medicaid or SNAP. Compounded by potential threats to the Affordable Care Act, Children’s Health Insurance Program and the Maternal Child Health Program, far greater numbers of families would feel the pain, speakers at today’s press conference emphasized.
“So the numbers are even worse than what we’re talking about,” Lesley said.
Update: This story has been updated to include more context about the ongoing budget negotiations in Washington, D.C.
