Gina Davis, gdavis@zerotothree.org, 202-864-2934
Morgan Brill, mbrill@westendstrategy.com 845-596-5328
WASHINGTON—ZERO TO THREE, a national nonprofit dedicated to ensuring all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life, warns that if the House-passed reconciliation bill becomes law, millions of US babies and toddlers who depend on Medicaid and SNAP will lose critical lifelines. Chief Policy Officer Melissa Boteach issued the following statement:
“This bill would raise the cost of living for families, forcing them to choose between paying rent, filling prescriptions or putting healthy meals on the table for their children. Behind the budget lines are real families whose babies will miss pediatrician’s visits, experience costly delays in accessing early screening and intervention, and feel their parents and caregivers grapple with growing stress.
“The bill sets up a maze of red tape and layers of bureaucracy under the pretense of ‘work requirements’ that will leave people hungrier and without access to basic healthcare.
“Moreover, the House-passed bill creates a budget crisis for states, which in turn will need to cut child care, education, health care or other essential services. Federal investments — from foster‑care supports to home visits for new moms — would be cut back, leaving families already on the brink with even fewer options.
“Babies deserve better. Members of Congress should reject these cuts and explore solutions that strengthen access to the programs babies and families need, such as health care, food assistance, child care and proven home‑visiting programs.”
Among the provisions of greatest concern for babies and families are:
- Medicaid and SNAP Funding Reductions: The bill cuts hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicaid and SNAP, jeopardizing health coverage and food access for millions of young children and the caregivers they rely on.
- Burdensome SNAP and Medicaid Restrictions: Additional work requirements and paperwork would interrupt essential services for families, risking access to nutrition assistance and health care coverage for families already struggling to make ends meet.
- State Budget Impacts: Lower federal contributions that would require states to cut back across the board from child care to foster‑care services to early education programs.
- Automatic Sequestration: This bill would trigger potential further cuts to the Social Services Block Grant, Promoting Safe and Stable Families (Title IV‑B) and Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting. These programs have been shown to improve outcomes for infants, toddlers and new parents.
