This morning the U.S. Senate passed a reckless budget bill that would make the deepest cuts in history to people’s food assistance and health care, which includes BadgerCare, all to pay for extreme tax breaks for the nation’s wealthiest households and corporations.
“It shouldn’t be a surprise that these cuts are incredibly unpopular among Wisconsinites. Too many working families are already stretched thin—the last thing we need is higher health and grocery costs,” shared Emily Miota, Communications Director for Kids Forward.
If the budget bill passes, around 63,000 Wisconsinites are at high risk of losing their health insurance. In addition to leaving millions of people uninsured, this bill will also double premiums for millions more, and drive up costs for everyone, including those in rural communities.
“The ripple effects on our communities from cuts this large cannot be overstated – everyone will feel them, whether in the form of closed grocery stores, shuttered hospitals, and or even losing a loved one too soon,” shared Miota.
Cutting families off from food assistance will force parents to skip meals and harm the health and well-being of kids for years to come.
The Senate package, passed this morning by a tiebreaker vote of 51-50, would cut almost $1 trillion from the Medicaid program over the next 10 years and result in close to 12 million people losing their health insurance coverage.
The bill will now head back to the U.S. House of Representatives as early as tomorrow morning. Kids Forward asks Wisconsin’s Congressional Delegates to stand with the majority of Wisconsinites and protect Medicaid/BadgerCare and SNAP.
Learn more about how Medicaid and SNAP cuts will hurt communities across Wisconsin.
