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House Budget Proposal Threatens Programs for the Poor

Urge Representatives and Senators to Oppose
Cuts to Entitlement Programs

Background: The House and Senate budget committees released approved budget resolutions last week. The House and Senate will debate the resolutions this week, with votes likely the end of this week or the beginning of next week.

In order to pay for $1.4 trillion in proposed tax cuts, the House budget resolution calls for $470 billion worth of cuts in key entitlement programs that serve the poor, including:

• $12 billion in Food Stamps cuts – more than twice the size of the Food Stamp expansions included in the last year's Farm Bill
  
• almost $5 billion in cuts to child nutrition programs
  
• $95 billion in Medicaid cuts
  
• $214 billion in Medicare reductions
  
• $30 billion in cuts to be spread over programs such as TANF, child care, child welfare, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), the Child Tax Credit, SSI, unemployment insurance, child welfare programs, and the Social Services Block Grant

While the Senate budget resolution does not include cuts to programs for the poor, if the cuts are included in the budget that passes the House, it is likely that when the differences between the House and Senate versions are worked out in conference the final budget resolution that results would include some cuts. That is why it is important that Senators commit publicly now to opposing any cuts to programs that serve the poor in the final budget resolution – which will also send a strong message to the House of Representatives.

Finally, neither the House nor the Senate bill would provide any fiscal relief for states struggling with enormous budget deficits of their own, which are forcing them to cut state programs that serve the needy – in January, forty-nine states had cut or where planning cuts to Medicaid for this fiscal year.

Action Requested:
Oppose Entitlement Cuts: Urge your Representatives to vote against cuts in entitlement programs, particularly those in low-income programs which would impose real harm on low-income families. Urge your Senators to state clearly on the Senate floor that the House budget resolution's entitlement cuts – particularly those in low-income programs such as Food Stamps, child nutrition programs, child care, Medicaid, SSI, and EITC -- are unacceptable and that they will not support a final conference report that includes entitlement cuts of this nature.

State Fiscal Relief: Urge your Senators and Representatives to provide the states with fiscal relief for their Medicaid and SCHIP programs. Without this help for states, essential services will continue to face significant cuts.

For more information: Contact Kathy Curran, kcurran@usccb.org, 202-541-3187
or Thom Shellabarger, tshellabarger@usccb.org, 202-541-3189