The House voted on January 25 to pass a budget resolution that will provide the blueprint for a massive reconciliation bill. The bill passed on a razor-thing margin, 217-215, with all Democrats and one Republican voting against. “Reconciliation” is a legislative process that allows for faster consideration of a bill by limiting debate time and suspending the Senate’s “filibuster” rule, allowing a bill to pass the chamber with a simple majority of 51 votes rather than the 60 votes usually required. With Republicans in control of the House, Senate, and White House, they can use reconciliation to pass a bill without any support from Democrats.
The outline passed by the House aims to enact many of the Trump Administration’s top priorities, including providing over $4.5 trillion in additional spending for defense, immigration enforcement, and extending tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations that were included in the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017,” but are slated to expire later this year. In exchange, the bill also calls for at least $2 trillion in cuts to federal spending, primarily targeting Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), as well as clawing back funding provided in the “Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.”
The Senate voted nearly along party lines last week to pass their own “skinny” budget resolution (see Memo, 2/24), which would advance some of the Administration’s priorities around defense and border security while making changes to Medicaid and the SNAP program that would result in cost savings by removing people from the programs who are unable to meet burdensome new requirements.
With both the House and Senate resolutions passed, committees in each chamber will begin drafting legislative language to fulfill the instructions set out in the budget resolution. While housing assistance has not been named as a potential target for cuts, the anti-poverty programs being considered play a crucial role in economic stability for people and families with low incomes, helping them put food on the table and receive needed medical care. The financial assistance these programs provide also promotes housing stability: by helping families afford the cost of food and other necessities, more money is left over at the end of the month to ensure rent is paid. States can also use Medicaid to cover health-related social needs, including housing.
Threats to Medicaid, which serves over 7.2 million low-income people around the country, have triggered widespread outcry from advocates around the country, including people who rely on Medicaid for healthcare and other needs. Public opposition to the proposed cuts to Medicaid and SNAP is pressuring moderate and swing-district Republicans to express concerns about the bill to leadership; with the outline passed, it will be crucial for advocates – especially those in Republican districts and states – to keep up the pressure on their members of Congress to vote against any reconciliation bill that would cut vital safety net programs.
The National Alliance to End Homelessness launched a Take Action page for advocates to quickly and easily contact their elected officials and urge them not to support cuts to Medicaid. Take action!