“It is the responsibility of government leaders to work to build harmonious and peaceful civil societies. This can be achieved above all by investing in the family…In addition, no one is exempted from striving to ensure respect for the dignity of every person, especially the most frail and vulnerable..." – Pope Leo XIV 

Please urge your Senators to oppose cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and programs that help low-income people, keeping in mind how budget and tax decisions will impact families, especially those most vulnerable. Budget reconciliation should be used to support the needs of children and families experiencing poverty. 

Last month, the House passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”, a large piece of legislation which would make generational shifts to taxes, the budget, healthcare for low-income people, protections for hungry children, and more. Now, it’s the Senate’s turn to consider the bill. Several changes must be made to protect poor and vulnerable people.   

The bill that was sent to the Senate fails the poorest families. The bill:  

• raises taxes on the working poor
• adds overly burdensome work requirements to Medicaid
• limits financial assistance for other health insurance options
• makes fundamental changes to the SNAP program, which feeds low-income children and families.  
   

At the end of the day, low-income families will pay the highest price for these changes. 

The next few days are critical. Your Senators are sharing their priorities for the bill with Senate leadership. Please make sure they lift up issues that will impact our brothers and sisters who are most in need. Essential safety net programs, including Medicaid and SNAP, must be protected. Changes to these programs that result in the loss of access to life-affirming healthcare and proper nutrition are unacceptable. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office expects 16 million individuals will lose access to healthcare, and states will be saddled with untenable additional costs. Legislators must avoid creating a situation in which assistance for the poor is cut in order to make tax cuts possible for the wealthiest households. Now is the time to make your voice heard! 

We encourage you to add your own personal story about the importance of protecting Medicaid and SNAP for families and individuals in need and share how these vital programs help your community.

You can read the recent USCCB letter responding to the House-passed “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” here.