Reports: Proposed Medicaid and SNAP Cuts Would Harm Texans

Statement received from Texans Care for Children

06-03-25

Austin – Last month, the US House passed a budget reconciliation bill, dubbed “one big beautiful bill” by the President, that includes $792 billion in Medicaid cuts and $300 billion in cuts to SNAP, formerly known as food stamps. Two new reports show that the bill cuts health insurance or SNAP benefits for hundreds of thousands of Texans. Sixty-eight Texas organizations recently urged Congress to oppose the bill.

“We’re deeply concerned that Congress is rushing to pass legislation that will take health care and food away from millions of Americans,” said Adriana Kohler, Policy Director for Texans Care for Children. “This legislation will make it harder for kids to see the doctor, harder for pregnant women to get the care they need, and harder for families to keep food on the table.”

A new report from KFF estimates that 430,000 more Texans would be uninsured if the bill passes, primarily due to the Medicaid cuts in the legislation. The cuts in states with Medicaid expansion are even more significant than the cuts that will affect Texas. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 7.6 million more Americans would become uninsured as a result of the legislation. Data on Medicaid enrollment for each Texas Congressional district is available here.

Meanwhile, a new report from the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities estimates the SNAP cuts in the bill will eliminate or reduce food assistance for 806,000 Texans — including 683,000 Texans in families with kids plus 123,000 Texans age 55-64 without kids in the house. Those estimates do not include the additional impact of shifting SNAP costs from the federal government to state governments, which may force states to make further SNAP cuts unless they are able and willing to cover those additional costs with state revenue.

The US House passed the legislation on a near party-line vote of 215-214. Among the Texas delegation in Congress, all Republicans voted for it, and all Democrats voted against it.

The bill is now under consideration in the Senate. Senators have raised a number of concerns about the Medicaid and SNAP cuts, the way that the bill grows the budget deficit, and other aspects of the bill. The Senate is expected to revise the bill, hold a vote on it, and send it back to the House for another vote.