SDA Statement on the Passage of the Federal Budget Bill

2025

We at SDA are full of outrage and grief at the passage of the federal budget reconciliation bill last week. Despite tireless advocacy across the country, the bill passed with $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid that will force around 17 million people off their health insurance and kill a projected 51,000 people a year. Millions of people will lose food assistance due to SNAP cuts and Medicare will also lose around $500 billion. Meanwhile, the wealthiest people in the country get significant tax cuts. ICE's budget also increased by 265%, which will mean a drastic expansion in the agency's ability to terrorize people.

As many of our allies have pointed out, the implementation of this bill will take time, and we can continue to fight at every point in this process. The Medicaid work requirements won’t go into effect in most states until December 31, 2026, and Medicaid and food assistance funding changes won’t take place until 2028. We still have time to work against the implementation, and much of this fight will come down to state level advocacy. We will be working with our coalition partners to make sure California’s government preserves funding for crucial home and community-based services that keep us living independently in the community. 

We will take care of each other, in ways big and small. We will help each other with the bureaucratic burdens of Medicaid, as new work requirement rules try to push people off the rolls. We will work to delay the cuts that are promised in this bill, and keep fighting to hold our elected officials accountable for the untold harm and devastation that they have caused. San Francisco set aside money in this year's budget process to fill the gap for people on federal programs that are being demolished. We will hold them to their promise of using that money to meet the needs of our community.

With our partners in the Long-Term Services and Supports for All (LTSS4All) Coalition, we fought hard to keep this bill from passing, and we will continue to work together to influence how the state handles the reduced funding, so we can have a just long-term care system in California. We aren’t giving up, and we need your support! Contact Grace at grace@sdaction.org for more information on how to get involved in our LTSS4All work.