|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
More than 100 organizations across Alabama are urging Congress to reject efforts to cut funding or impose additional enrollment barriers on Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP. In a letter sent this week to Alabama’s congressional delegation, the 112 groups called on lawmakers to safeguard critical health and nutrition programs that support families across the state.
“We write to request respectfully that, in your deliberations about federal budget and tax policy, you ensure that Congress protects the health and nutrition safety net that keeps so many Alabama children fed and healthy and that helps so many Alabamians make ends meet,” the letter stated.
The letter, signed by Alabama Arise and other advocacy organizations, was sent ahead of a key vote in the U.S. House, where lawmakers passed a budget resolution that could set the stage for over $1 trillion in cuts to health coverage and food assistance over the next decade. The resolution is just one step in a lengthy budget process, requiring agreement from both the House and Senate before specific funding reductions can be determined.
Budget Proposal Could Slash Medicaid and SNAP
Congressional leaders are considering cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and other human services in an effort to offset the cost of extending tax cuts for wealthy households. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the proposed Medicaid and SNAP cuts in the House budget resolution would roughly equal the cost of renewing tax breaks for the richest one percent of Americans.
Medicaid, a joint federal-state health insurance program, covers about 1 in 5 Alabamians—primarily children, older adults, and people with disabilities. With a $6.8 billion budget, Medicaid is also the largest source of federal funding in Alabama.
Advocates warn that potential cuts would have devastating effects, particularly in rural areas where Medicaid is a lifeline for hospitals and clinics. The letter also raised concerns about proposals for new work reporting requirements, which could result in thousands of Alabamians losing health coverage.
“Any cuts to federal Medicaid funding, restrictive policies aimed at encouraging disenrollment just to reduce costs, or caps that limit the ability of federal funding to keep pace with inflation would directly impact more than 1 million Alabama children and families,” the organizations wrote. “Such cuts would damage our communities, devastate our state budget and weaken Alabama’s economy.”
SNAP Cuts Could Increase Food Insecurity
SNAP, which provides federally funded nutrition assistance, serves more than 750,000 Alabamians—about 1 in 7 residents. Two-thirds of SNAP households include children, and many others include seniors or individuals with disabilities.
Alabama Arise and other advocates called SNAP “the most effective anti-hunger program in the United States” and emphasized its importance in a state where nearly 1 in 4 children experience food insecurity. Cutting SNAP funding or creating new barriers to enrollment would increase hunger and hurt local economies, as the program also supports grocery stores and other food retailers.
“In a time of persistently higher food prices, [SNAP] is more important than ever,” the letter stated. “Every dollar of federal SNAP funding not only affords families the necessary nutrition, but it also helps stimulate local economies.”
Budget Cuts Tied to Tax Breaks for the Wealthiest
Many of the proposed budget cuts stem from efforts to renew provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which increased the federal deficit by nearly $2 trillion. Several of the law’s tax breaks for high-income earners are set to expire this year, including estate tax exemptions and reductions to the top marginal income tax rate.
Advocacy groups argue that the proposed Medicaid and SNAP reductions would disproportionately hurt low-income families while funding tax breaks that benefit the wealthiest Americans.
“The White House’s proposed tax plan would lead on average to a tax cut for the richest 5 percent of Americans and a tax increase for the other 95 percent,” according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.
With Congress set to continue budget negotiations in the coming weeks, Alabama advocacy groups are urging lawmakers to reject cuts that would put vulnerable residents at risk.
