The Republican majority in the House and Senate is looking to advance the Trump administration’s domestic policy agenda through a major legislative bill. This bill could include deep cuts to essential safety net programs like Medicaid, food stamps, and student loans while directing hundreds of billions toward mass deportations and tax breaks for billionaires.

Congress is passing this bill using a process known as budget reconciliation, which requires only a simple majority of 51 votes in the Senate. The first step is approving a Budget Resolution, which outlines:

1. Which committees will handle specific cuts or spending.
2. How much must each committee cut or allocate.

Over the last week, two different budget resolutions have been moving through the House and Senate. Both aim to fund Trump's mass deportation agenda by cutting major public rights programs. The House passed a massive bill that includes enormous cuts to federal programs to pay for tax cuts for the rich and funding for border security, detention, and deportations. The Senate earlier approved a smaller bill that would fund border security and immigration enforcement and leave tax cuts for the wealthy for a later bill. Now that these resolutions have passed, Congress must draft a final, unified bill detailing where the money will go. This process is moving fast, so now is the time to pay attention and take action.

What's at stake?

Programs they want to cut

HEALTHCARE

Deep Medicaid cuts of over $800 billion could leave millions without health insurance, including 600,000 who may lose coverage due to new work requirements. Medicaid and CHIP cover 38 million children, nearly half of all enrollees. Unrealistic work requirements could put benefits out of reach of even more vulnerable people.

Cuts to ACA tax credits could double health insurance costs for over 20 million people, including 3 million small business owners and self-employed workers.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

The bill could undo investments from the Inflation Reduction Act, cutting funds for local clean air and climate projects. It would also expand oil and gas drilling on public lands and waters, increasing environmental and health risks.

NUTRITION ASSISTANCE

Cuts as high as $230 billion to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Project (SNAP, or food stamps) and other nutrition assistance programs would plunge millions of children into hunger and poverty.

What they want to fund with $340B in border security, detentions, and deportations

MASS DEPORTATION AND ENFORCEMENT

The bill would give the Trump administration billions to expand militarized immigration enforcement, including harming immigrant communities. Deportation flights cost taxpayers up to $3 million each. 

MORE MILITARIZATION AND BORDER SECURITY

An additional $175 billion is intended to increase resources for border security and $150 billion for militarized responses around the country and the world.

TAX CUTS FOR SUPER-WEALTHY

In 2017, the Republicans passed a bill that cut taxes for the wealthiest people in the U.S. This bill will extend these tax cuts to the nation's wealthiest 1%. This will cost $1.1 trillion, money that could be used to fund public rights our communities need.

What can we do?

• Email your elected officials and let them know how this will impact the families and individuals you serve. 
• Inform your community about the high stakes and invite them to take action by calling or emailing their elected officials. 
• Share our resources to inform your social networks about the budget reconciliation process and how they can get involved. 

Talking Points

• Congress is responsible for using taxpayer dollars to fund programs that make our communities healthier, safer, and prosperous. Tax breaks for the wealthy do not improve anything in our society.
• Funding Trump's mass deportation agenda will terrorize and separate immigrant children and families.
• Medicaid and CHIP cover 38 million children, nearly half of all enrollees. Cutting this program will put children's health at risk.
• Taxpayer dollars should be used to support programs promoting children's and families' well-being.
• Every day, people, including people without regular immigration status, pay taxes. Our funds should be used to support the well-being of our communities, not continue to terrorize and separate families.
• Federal-funded programs that support the well-being of children, families, and communities should be seen as public rights.
• This is a blatant attack against us all. Not only communities and families who depend on benefits and services made available by numerous federal programs intended to improve their lives will be impacted, but all of our communities. Public health, public education, and public welfare are impacted when the most vulnerable members of our communities are not adequately served. This bill will harm us all.
• This administration is wasting taxpayer dollars on separating families and terrorizing children when, instead, we should be investing in social programs that create greater opportunity and stability for communities and families.

This resource is available in Spanish only.‍

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