1. United States
2. Alaska
3. Letter

I am writing to strongly urge you to reject the dangerous budget proposal recently passed by the House. This plan prioritizes massive tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy and corporations and will lead to the gutting of vital services like Medicaid, SNAP and federal employee health benefits. It threatens the health and security of millions of Americans. The budget calls for $880 billion in cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services over ten years. While the plan avoids directly naming Medicaid, the numbers speak for themselves. There is no realistic way to achieve that level of savings without deeply slashing Medicaid funding. This is a backdoor attack on the country’s largest health care safety net. One of the likely strategies to achieve these cuts is by reducing the federal matching rate which is the portion of Medicaid funding the federal government contributes to states. Cutting that rate would force states to either raise their own spending or reduce eligibility, services, or provider payments. Most states are already stretched thin and would have little choice but to cut coverage or push people out of the program entirely. This means fewer people with access to doctors, hospitals, medications, and long-term care. Millions of low-income families, children, people with disabilities, and older adults would be put at risk just to help fund tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. It also directs the House Agriculture Committee to cut programs by 230 billion through 2034. These cuts will come largely or entirely from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Substantial cuts to SNAP would mean low income households in every state would lose the support they need to put food on the table. Slashing 20 percent from a program that helps 40 million Americans including 1 in 5 children, older adults and people with disabilities afford groceries will lead to hunger and poverty. Additionally, the proposal to move federal employee health benefits into a voucher-style system would shift rising health care costs onto the backs of workers and retirees. These are people who have served their country for decades. They deserve secure, affordable coverage not uncertainty and financial strain. As the House and Senate head into reconciliation to merge their budget bills, I urge you to fight back against these deeply harmful provisions. The reconciliation process must not be used to quietly dismantle essential programs that Americans rely on every day to give tax breaks to those who need it the least. Despite all the cuts this raises the deficit to give wealthy a tax break they don’t need. Reject this budget and stand up for Medicaid, SNAP, public workers, and the millions of people whose lives and health depend on fair, stable government services.