A new report has raised alarms about the potential consequences of a Republican-led budget proposal that could slash federal health and food programs relied on by millions of American children. Published by UnidosUS, AFL-CIO, and First Focus on Children, the report—Children Under Attack: How Congressional Assaults on Health and Food Programs are Endangering the Youngest Americans—warns that nearly 45 percent of all children in the United States, or 34 million kids, depend on Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or both.
“Put simply, budget reconciliation threatens to do severe and irreparable harm to millions of American children by terminating their health coverage and taking away help paying for food,” the report states. “These cuts will leave children poorer, hungrier, and sicker.”
According to the report, 14 million people could lose their health insurance if the budget reconciliation package becomes law, with millions more expected to lose access to SNAP or see their benefits slashed. While the cuts would affect a broad swath of Americans, including seniors, people with disabilities, and low-wage workers, the report emphasizes that children will be disproportionately harmed. “44 percent of all American children benefit from Medicaid or SNAP, compared to 23 percent of adults under age 65,” the authors note.
The legislation—described by former President Donald Trump as “one big, beautiful bill”—has been embraced by House Republicans, who are advancing the package despite fierce opposition. Trump is scheduled to meet with House Republicans to promote the legislation, which critics say is a sweeping rollback of the social safety net in favor of tax breaks for the wealthy.
“There is nothing in this big bill that’s beautiful for children,” said Bruce Lesley, president of First Focus on Children, “but the gigantic cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are particularly ugly. Children already are struggling with rising infant and child mortality, increased poverty, and growing rates of hunger, homelessness, and a lack of health insurance.”
If enacted, the bill would impose the most significant cuts to Medicaid in U.S. history and the most severe reductions to SNAP in nearly three decades. The report highlights the impact of these proposed cuts on historically marginalized communities, pointing out that two-thirds of children who participate in Medicaid or SNAP are children of color. “Children of color are disproportionately affected under the proposal’s cuts,” it states, listing 58 percent of Latino children, 67 percent of Native American children, and 65 percent of Black children as beneficiaries of these programs. Additionally, over one-third of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) children benefit from at least one of these programs.
The data also show that the proposed cuts would affect families who are already economically vulnerable. “Three-out-of-four children threatened by Medicaid and SNAP cuts also have working parents who never got a college degree,” the report explains. These families often work in low-wage jobs that do not offer health insurance or paid leave, leaving them especially reliant on federal programs to meet basic needs.
The report’s authors caution that their estimates may actually understate the true scope of the crisis. “Our estimates are based on the best available national survey data, but survey respondents significantly under-report their participation in Medicaid and SNAP,” the report notes. “If administrative data from these benefit programs was available with enough detail to answer the questions posed in this report, our numbers would be both higher and more accurate.”
Among the most striking statistics in the report is that 14 million children rely on both Medicaid and SNAP, placing them at dual risk of losing both health coverage and food assistance. These children include 20 percent of all kids under five years old, a group whose early development is critical to long-term health and educational outcomes.
Without these programs, the report argues, more children will suffer from hunger, developmental delays, and untreated medical conditions, including chronic illnesses that could have been prevented with early care. The consequences extend beyond individual households. School meal programs and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) also rely on Medicaid and SNAP eligibility, meaning the proposed cuts would have a ripple effect on broader child nutrition and public health infrastructure.
Beyond the human toll, the economic fallout could be severe. The report estimates that the nearly $1 trillion in lost federal investment from the cuts would trigger the loss of more than 1 million jobs in 2026 alone, compounding hardship for families and weakening local economies.
Critics argue that the bill betrays the very constituents it purports to serve. “Earlier this year, Republicans took control of the Congress and made three core promises: to bring costs under control for everyday people; to protect America’s children; and to stand up for working-class families, including those in the Latino community who voted them into power,” said Eric Rodriguez, UnidosUS Senior Vice President of Policy and Advocacy. “Today’s report shows how their massive budget plan would break those promises. It makes history’s largest cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, taking away the health care and food assistance on which millions rely to help them work and make ends meet.”
Rodriguez added: “Nearly half of all American children, including three in five Latino children, are threatened by their budget bill. And three quarters of all children relying on Medicaid for health care or SNAP for food come from working-class families, with parents who are in the labor force and do not have a college degree. These cuts would not make anyone economically better off and represent a broken promise to the voters that elected them. The Congress should change course before the voters change their minds.”
Representative Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), co-chair of the Congressional Children’s Health Care Caucus, echoed these concerns. “Children and families across America are at risk of losing affordable health coverage and access to healthy meals to pay for a massive tax cut for billionaires and big corporations,” she said. “It’s wrong and fiscally unwise—and will set children back at a time that they need support. When children have a healthy start in life, they are more likely to succeed in school, the workplace and in life.”
Castor continued, “The Republican cuts to care and food for our children could result in developmental delays, serious health problems like cancer that could have been treated successfully, learning losses and barriers to a high school diploma. First Focus and UnidosUS help shine the light on the long-term damage to kids that would result from the GOP billionaire tax giveaway. Their new report serves as a call to action to reject the billionaire tax giveaway and instead focus on what makes children across America healthy and strong. The fight is far from over.”
As the GOP advances its budget reconciliation plan, critics say the consequences are too grave to ignore. At a time when families are already stretched thin by inflation and housing costs, cutting essential health and nutrition programs could push millions more children into crisis. The report’s authors argue that instead of dismantling lifelines for the nation’s youngest and most vulnerable, Congress should be investing in the programs that give them a fair start.
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