Theresa Lau: Exposing the Harmful Cuts in the 'Big, Beautiful' Budget Bill

Inclusion Catalyst

Theresa Lau, Senior Policy Counsel, Eradicating Poverty at the Southern Poverty Law Center, visits with Mickey again to discuss the proposed federal budget cuts and their potential impacts on social programs and states.

• The budget bill passed by the House contains massive tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, while making deep cuts to social safety net programs like Medicaid and SNAP that help low-income families.
• The SNAP (food stamps) program would see $300 billion in cuts over 10 years, leading to 4.6 million people losing benefits. States would be forced to pay 5-25% of SNAP costs, leading to harder decisions about who to cover.
• Medicaid would see nearly $1 trillion in cuts over 10 years, resulting in 13.7 million people losing health coverage. Work reporting requirements and frequent renewals would also make it harder for eligible people to access Medicaid.
• The bill also makes it harder for federal judges to hold government officials in contempt for ignoring court rulings, reducing accountability.
• There is still time to influence the Senate version of the bill and push for fewer harmful cuts. Theresa recommends calling/emailing Congress, sharing personal stories, and supporting advocacy organizations like SPLC to fight these provisions.

This episode is produced in partnership with the Georgia Interfaith Public Policy Center.

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