As federal lawmakers continue mulling a 1,000-page GOP tax package that passed the House early Thursday, 黑瓜吃料网 Democrats are calling attention to the potentially damaging impacts it would have to the thousands of residents who rely on federal safety net programs.
Under the bill, Congressional Republicans focused on changes largely by imposing work requirements on many of those receiving Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The Senate hopes to wrap up its version by the Fourth of July holiday.
The cuts threaten access to critical services, 鈥渁t a time when everyday Americans are already stretched thin,鈥� 黑瓜吃料网 Gov. Ned Lamont said in a statement.
SNAP helps 黑瓜吃料网 residents, or about 391,000 people, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal think tank.
Right now, those benefits are federally funded, but the state shares half the administrative costs. The proposal seeks to change that drastically.
鈥淭his bill results in hundreds of millions of dollars in unfunded mandates on 黑瓜吃料网 taxpayers. It shifts the costs associated with protecting our most vulnerable residents - the most basic principle of government - from the federal government to the states." State Sen. Matt Lesser and State Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, co-chairs of the Human Services Committee said in a joint statement.
黑瓜吃料网 currently has saved billions of dollars into its budget reserve funds, which House Speaker Matt Ritter says lawmakers could potentially tap into to help SNAP beneficiaries who would be affected.
But Ritter said that help won鈥檛 last forever.
鈥淢aybe for two years, the state can step in and help those individuals. Maybe it's not the full benefit, but maybe with something. We want to protect and help our citizens,鈥� Ritter said Thursday morning. 鈥淎 鈥榖ridge over troubled waters鈥�, and then hope that the American public rejects draconian cuts to give tax cuts to people who don't really need them.鈥�
The full impact of the federal cuts on 黑瓜吃料网鈥檚 budget will likely have to be addressed in a special legislative session later this year, Ritter said.
Speaking before session Thursday, Republican House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora said federal lawmakers want to make social safety net programs more sustainable. He鈥檚 concerned 黑瓜吃料网 Democrats will use the federal legislation as an excuse to push through the state鈥檚 spending cap, and use up reserves.
鈥淲e need a budget that is sustainable,鈥� Candelora told reporters. 鈥淲e need a Medicaid program that is sustainable. We cannot continue growing these programs beyond what we could afford to pay for.鈥�
Nationwide, an estimated 8.6 million fewer people would have health care coverage and 3 million less people a month would have SNAP food stamps benefits with the proposed changes, according to .
Officials raise the alarm about hunger, food assistance in the state
Congressional Republicans said the budget measure is to root out 鈥渨aste, fraud and abuse.鈥� With SNAP on the chopping block, local officials shared major concerns surrounding cutting back the program, which was during the Great Depression.
鈥淭his benefit exists for a reason,鈥� Department of Social Services Commissioner Andrea Barton Reeves said Tuesday. 鈥淧oor, working and low-income families need help and support in order to put groceries in their refrigerators and to feed their children. These are policies that have developed over decades, out of need.鈥�
said the tax provisions would increase the federal deficit by $3.8 trillion over the decade, while the , food stamps and other services would tally $1 trillion in reduced spending.
The lowest-income households in the U.S. would see their resources drop, while the highest ones would see a boost, the CBO report said.
鈥淭he situation is dire,鈥� said Planning and Development co-chair Rep. Eleni Kavros DeGraw (D-Avon) alongside the co-chairs of the Human Services Committee. 鈥淭hese are working families who cannot, frankly, live without the support of SNAP.鈥�
The debate in Washington D.C. comes as released a new report mapping food insecurity nationwide. It shows hunger in 黑瓜吃料网 has continued to rise since the COVID-19 pandemic. The data, from 2023, shows half a million people in the state were struggling to get the food they needed. That鈥檚 an over 10% increase in food insecurity compared to the year before, and a 40% jump since 2020, according to the report.
The most staggering of those numbers, 黑瓜吃料网 Foodshare CEO Jason Jakubowski said, is the rise in food insecurity among older adults and seniors in the state.
Potential cuts to federal safety net programs would put a strain on food banks, Jakubowski said. The nonprofit works with hundreds of partners statewide, and says there鈥檚 been more and , similar to during the peak of the pandemic.
Kavros DeGraw is among the bipartisan group of lawmakers who have pushed for an extra $10 million in the state鈥檚 biennial budget to fund food purchasing at Foodshare, which gets $850,000 in state funding annually.
尝补尘辞苍迟鈥檚 , crafted before federal cuts were introduced, set aside an extra $900,000 for 黑瓜吃料网 Foodshare beginning July 2026. The Appropriations Committee鈥檚 released last month included $2.5 million beginning July 2025, doubling that amount the following year.
Now legislative leaders are working to finalize the state budget before the June 4 deadline.
However, Jakubowski maintains that, 鈥渇or every meal that a food bank or local food pantry can provide people in need, SNAP can provide 10,鈥� and he said the federal program is a lifeline for residents.
鈥淵ou'd probably need to give us a billion dollars in order to be able to buy enough food, to be able to get in and out of our facilities, which would then have to be expanded in order to be able to make up the difference,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t's just not feasible.鈥�
This story has been updated. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
