As much progress as we’ve made at the state level, with New York now leading the country in universal school meals, tax credits, and child care assistance for families with children, the federal government just took three giant steps backwards. The federal reconciliation act will make hundreds of thousands of children sicker, hungrier, less educated, and poorer.  

On July 4th, President Trump signed into law H.R. 1, which he nicknamed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act. For children and families everywhere, the impacts of this law will be big, ugly, and far-reaching. Reputable sources report that this bill will take away the healthcare and food security of millions of Americans in order to fund tax cuts for the richest few in our nation.  

The new law’s work requirements for families who rely on Medicaid and SNAP for their health and meals will impose huge costs on states like New York. Experience in Arkansas and Georgia shows that work requirements do not result in more people working. Instead, they lead to huge increases in red tape and losses in coverage for working families.

The myth is that these requirements will force able-bodied adults sitting out of the workforce to get a job. But the reality is that cuts will needlessly harm our country’s most vulnerable populations, people who need Medicaid and SNAP to live, including 44% of New York’s children currently relying on Medicaid for their health care, and 30% of New York’s children currently relying on SNAP for their meals. 

Furthermore, how are parents expected to meet work requirements when there is not enough child care available? Every day families struggle to find quality, affordable child care close to home or work. The Empire State Campaign for Child Care reported earlier this year that 57% of child care facilities in New York are understaffed, and already 13,222 children are on waiting lists – and not all centers maintain waiting lists.

This big, ugly bill will also burn a large hole in the New York State budget, leading to a $10 billion loss annually, and requiring either an increase in New Yorkers’ taxes or cuts to services needy families depend on.  

Not only will an estimated 1.5 million New Yorkers lose their health insurance, but also hospitals and health clinics in the most at-risk rural and urban communities will lose billions of dollars in funding. The Greater New York Hospital Association and the Health Association of New York State estimate that 63,000 hospital and related health care jobs will be lost, along with $14.4 billion in related economic activity from lost wages, goods and services. Every New Yorker, not just those using Medicaid, will be impacted by these cuts, leading to increased costs and reduced access to care.

While New York State is working to expand access to food security with universal free school meals, Trump’s bill eliminates or reduces food assistance (SNAP) for 208,000 New York families with children. 

The answer is the same, regardless of any one election or new law: We keep fighting for children, we keep building power, we keep exposing cruelty, and we keep making the case for policies that work.

Most importantly, we never give up on a New York where every child thrives. 

Nothing is inevitable. Just recently, the U.S. Department of Education released billions in funding for schools, afterschool, and summer programs that it had previously withheld without explanation. 

This fight is ongoing, but pushing back has worked. We must continue to build that pressure.

While we cannot prevent every bad thing from happening, we can limit the damage by pressuring lawmakers to do what is right. And even though things look bleak now, we must continue to build power for the moment when the political winds blow in a different direction, and much more is possible for kids. 

Budgets are moral documents. They are a statement about what matters most. The next federal and state budgets are unwritten. The future is unwritten. Our children are everyone’s future.

Read our latest blog: The Devastating Impacts of Family Separation on Young Children

TCA in the news: How Department of Education layoffs can affect you (13WHAM) 

Recent federal budget cuts will impact essential services for millions of children here in New York — services like nutritious meals, health care, child care, and early education. 
 
These aren’t just numbers in a budget. They’re lifelines for our kids.  
 
Public policy and funding can make the difference. At The Children’s Agenda, we fight every day to protect funding for the programs children rely on. But advocacy doesn’t happen without people like you.  Your donation makes change possible. 
 
Your support powers the research, the parent organizing, the coalition-building — the pressure that decision-makers can’t ignore. You can help ensure all children have access to basic needs so that they can THRIVE. Become a Change Maker for Children today  with your monthly donation to be a part of the long-term fight OR make a one-time gift now to help with current efforts.  
 
You CAN make a difference.