House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and his colleagues have been sounding the alarm for weeks about the Republican push to cut Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and other crucial social programs in the near future.
“We are standing together in defense of the American people,” said Jeffries at a press gaggle on the Capitol steps on April 1.
“Democrats are focused on driving down the high cost of living. Republicans are crashing the economy in real time and driving us toward a recession,” he continued. “House and Senate Democrats are united in defending Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans benefits and nutritional assistance for our children and our families, while Republicans are trying to take these things away, stealing taxpayer dollars so they can jam a massive tax break for Elon Musk and their billionaire donors down the throats of the American people.”
Jeffries referred to the budget resolution (H.Con.Res.14) House Republicans passed on February 25 as a “tax scheme” designed to benefit billionaires over everyday U.S. citizens. The resolution proposes at least $880 billion in cuts through 2034 in order to provide up to $4 trillion in tax cuts for the uber wealthy. These cuts would likely come from the national Medicaid program and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), said the Center for American Progress (CAP).
Colin Seeberger, senior adviser for Communications at CAP, explained that this would be an extension of provisions in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) law from President Donald Trump’s first that wasn’t permanent. When it was passed in 2017, no House Democrats supported the bill and 12 Republicans voted against it. Many of the law’s provisions expired this year.
“We’ve gathered here to address the partisan spending bill congressional Republicans passed that represents an extremely direct, extremely dangerous attack on veterans, families, seniors and everyday New Yorkers,” said Congressmember Yvette Clarke at a Medicaid Day of Action presser. “We can call this attack what it is with certainty because it is an assault on the health care of our neighbors that depend on it just to live.”
An estimated 80 million low-income children and adults, pregnant women, older adults, and people with disabilities are covered by Medicaid or CHIP nationwide, said CAP. Medicaid in particular covers births, prenatal, and postpartum care, as well as long-term home health care and nursing homes. According to CAP numbers from 2023, states like California, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, Louisiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan, New York, and Massachusetts had high percentages of residents who are Medicaid/CHIP enrollees under age 65. Seeberger noted that several states that rely on federal reimbursements for Medicaid, like North Carolina, Montana, Utah, Arkansas, Indiana, and Arizona, were won by Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
In New York City, congressional districts in the Bronx, Harlem, and Brooklyn have high percentages of Medicaid/CHIP enrollees.
Another major program that is at risk of getting about $230 billion slashed in budget funding is the SNAP food benefits program, a lifeline for most households during the COVID-19 crisis and the rise of inflated food prices. Jeffries joined a House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee hearing on March 25 to discuss the implications of the cuts.
“Approximately 42 million Americans could go hungry, including nearly 17 million children, 5 million seniors, and over a million veterans,” said Jeffries at the conference. “This reckless Republican budget scheme will hurt vulnerable families and decimate farm country. It will hurt food processors, manufacturers, and Mom and Pop grocery stores who provide critical support to urban and rural communities.”
Seeberger added that the massive cuts to Medicaid and SNAP could result in the loss of over 1 million jobs nationwide.
“Extending these tax breaks without paying for them would actually increase the debt by $37 trillion over the course in the next 30 years. That’s more than doubling the national debt and doing so would cause inflation to shoot up,” said Seeberger about the long term effects, “meaning that not only our prices are going to go up but the cost of borrowing would increase. That means consumers would pay more for a mortgage, credit cards, student loan, car loans, all of that. It has to be said that who has to borrow money in order to go to school, or buy a car, or buy a home? It’s not the wealthiest people in this country.”
Separately, businessman Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has set its sights on gutting the Social Security Administration (SSA). The agency announced plans to cut 7,000 staff, limit phone support for seniors and force them to visit an SSA office in person, and shutter SSA offices across the country–including two in New York.
“Social Security is a promise, not a political bargaining chip. The Trump Administration’s reckless efforts to undermine this vital program will have devastating consequences for millions of New Yorkers,” said US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in a statement. “I urge the Trump Administration to safeguard this necessary lifeline and ensure Americans have access to services they rightfully deserve.”
Congressmember Adriano Espaillat said that “food stamps” and Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) systems are vital tools in the fight against hunger and food insecurity in his district, but also throughout the state and nation. “These programs ensure millions of individuals and families can access nutritious food, while EBT provides a secure, efficient, and dignified way to access benefits. Beyond feeding families, SNAP has strengthened local economies by supporting grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and food retailers, and every dollar spent has generated economic growth,” said Espaillat in a statement.
The Senate is set to vote on the House Budget resolution this week. It needs a simple majority (50 votes) to pass and be adopted. There are currently 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats in the Senate.
Senator Cory Booker decided to peacefully demonstrate his ire with Trump’s cuts to social programs in his record breaking speech on the Senate floor on April 1, which lasted 25 hours and 4 minutes. He made reference to the late Civil Rights icon Congressmember John Lewis’ love of making “good trouble.”
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