On Thursday, May 22, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a sweeping budget bill that includes dramatic cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), eliminates the Child Tax Credit for millions of children, and slashes investments in renewable energy. The bill would have far-reaching and harmful consequences, especially for New Jersey, by shifting more than $3.6 billion in costs from the federal government to the state.
In response, New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP) issues the following statement.
Nicole Rodriguez, President, NJPP:
“The numbers in the budget bill approved by the House are hard to fathom: 14 million people will lose health insurance. Three million will be cut off from the food assistance they need to survive.
“But behind each of these numbers is a human life — a child going to bed hungry, a parent skipping cancer treatment, a grandparent unable to afford both medication and food. All so Congress can gift a trillion-dollar tax break to the wealthiest 1 percent. In New Jersey alone, hundreds of thousands of everyday people stand to lose coverage and support.
“Let me be clear, this is not fiscal responsibility — this is fiscal sabotage. Our state will be forced to absorb more than $3.6 billion in new costs just to preserve an already threadbare, vital safety net. This bill shifts the greatest burdens onto those with the least, all while padding the bank accounts of the ultra-wealthy.
“Budgets are moral documents — they show who matters and who is left behind. This one sends a chilling message: the House majority values billionaires over hungry children, health care for seniors, and support for people with disabilities.
“This is a cruel and reckless betrayal of the values we share. These are not New Jersey’s values, and they must not be the values of our country.
“Congress must reject this bill. Too many lives are on the line — and so is our future.”
Read more about the effects of federal funding cuts on New Jersey.
Read more about the state agencies that receive federal funding.
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