More than a million of Connecticut’s poorest residents would likely lose some — and possibly all — of their federally-funded health insurance, food stamps and early childhood education programs if massive Medicaid cuts advanced by Congressional Republicans become law, advocates and opponents said.
“The House budget blueprint takes us down a path of increased family economic insecurity and child poverty as well as increased costs for household basics and debt — all in service of tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy and large corporate interests,” said Emily Byrne, director of Connecticut Voices for Children, which advocates for disadvantaged children and their families.
“This is the wrong direction … and antithetical to Connecticut values,” Byrne said.
The House reconciliation budget, passed by a slim two-vote margin, offers a blueprint for enacting $1.5 trillion in spending cuts over the next 10 years to offset extending $4.5 trillion in Trump-era tax cuts, along with new spending for border security, defense and energy policies.
Although the GOP budget doesn’t specify cuts, it directs specific committees to enact spending reductions. For example, the Energy and Commerce Committee, which primarily funds Medicaid, would have to find $880 billion in savings, and the Education and Workforce Committee, which funds early education programs and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits, would be responsible for $330 billion in cuts.
Opponents said those mandates mean Republicans would reduce or eliminate health coverage for more than 800,000 low-income Connecticut residents, 5,600 children in early education programs for those under five years old and nearly 400,000 SNAP recipients.
They also warned such large Medicaid cuts could force states to make up the difference — possibly driving tax increases — to obtain the hundreds of millions of dollars needed to maintain current services. Most doubted states could cover the entire losses and said health coverage and other associated programs would likely be reduced.
“There is a better way to do this,” said U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2, who, along with the rest of Connecticut’s Democratic Congressional delegation, voted against the House bill.
“This is a gut check for every member in this House about where your priorities are, because that’s what budgets are about,” Courtney said. “They’re an expression of people’s moral values and their priorities.”
Republicans cautioned the proposed budget is just a blueprint and stressed many details are still to be worked out, including reconciling the plan with a far more modest resolution passed by the GOP controlled U.S. Senate, which primarily increases spending for border security and the military.
“Look, everybody needs to understand that the resolution is merely the starting point for the process,” U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, told reporters when asked about proposed Medicaid cuts. “So, there’s nothing specific about Medicaid in the resolution. The legislation comes later, so this is the important first start.”
Later, Johnson said the desired cuts could be achieved by eliminating “fraud, waste and abuse” from Medicaid.
State Senate Republican Minority Leader Stephen Harding, R-Brookfield, said he doesn’t favor massive cuts to programs such as Medicaid, but cautioned against reading too much into a preliminary blueprint passed in Washington. Harding and other state lawmakers are now debating a new two-year state budget.
“We will have to evaluate what the federal funding is and see what gets signed into law,” said Harding. “I respect the fact that we are always going to seek as much funding as we can. With that said, we also should not react every time some blueprint is issued. We need to budget like we always budgeted and not make this political. Personally, I never like to see funding cut from my state or communities. I’m always going put interests in my district in front of any other interests, party or not.”
Harding urged Congressional Republicans to find savings by increasing the efficiency of a “bloated” federal government.
Advocates sound alarm
As of October 2024, more than 932,000 Connecticut residents, including more than 368,000 children, were enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP, the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program. Over 391,000 residents were enrolled in SNAP in 2024, advocates said.
Medicaid is a federal and state program which provides health coverage to low-income individuals, including children, pregnant women, elderly adults and those with disabilities. In 2023, states received a total of $614 billion in Medicaid funding and contributed $280 billion in state funds. About 72 million Americans received coverage under Medicaid, as of 2024.
Sharon Parrott, president of the national Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, said the proposed House budget could force states to dramatically increase their share of Medicaid costs, which many states will be unable to do.
“In reality, states will not make up for all or even most of the federal cuts, and families will lose health coverage and food assistance,” Parrot said.
An analysis by the Urban Institute, conducted with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, concluded states would need to make up for between $700 billion and $1.1 trillion if Medicaid spending is capped.
“This proposed policy amounts to a wholesale transfer of financial responsibility to states, because the need for healthcare will not change, just the means to pay for it,” said Kathy Hempstead, senior policy adviser at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “The consequences will be most drastic in our poorest states, which will be very hard-pressed to close this massive funding gap.”
State Senate President Martin Looney, D-New Haven, said Congressional Republicans need to look elsewhere for spending reductions.
“Programs that ensure Americans can access medical care should never be the first target for budget cuts,” Looney said. “Slashing Medicaid to fund tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires is indefensible. We urge Congressional Republicans to reconsider their priorities and make choices that reflect the needs of the families they’ve been elected to represent.”
State Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, echoed Looney’s concern.
“Three in eight Connecticut children rely on Medicaid, yet Washington Republicans have voted to gut the program to bankroll tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans,” Duff said. “Think about that — they’re taking healthcare away from children and nursing home residents just to hand a windfall to millionaires. If that’s not immoral, I don’t know what is. I can only hope the Republican Party finds its conscience and spares our nation this shameful betrayal of our values.”
State Sen. Matthew Lesser, D-Middletown and co-chairman of the Human Services Committee, noted Trump promised to not cut Medicaid benefits.
“This shows clearly that the Republican budget poses a massive risk to Connecticut’s state budget and our residents’ access to health care,” Lesser said. “If President Trump and Elon Musk and Republican representatives in Congress decide to cut Medicaid by over a billion dollars, Connecticut will either see the largest increase in our uninsured population in history, or we will be forced to blow through our guardrails and raise taxes. If so, maybe we should get ready to call it the DOGE Tax.”
State lawmakers said the cuts could also impact families who rely on Husky D plans, forcing the state to increase Medicaid spending by 23.5 percent, or about $850 million.
‘Outrageously unfair’
U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3, said Republicans want those with the least means to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy.
“They want to make it harder for people to stay insured with extreme restrictions to eligibility and unrealistic work requirements,” DeLauro added. “So, who is it bearing the brunt of these cuts? Seniors, low-income families, children and people with disabilities. Those struggling the most with high health care costs are the first ones left behind. And Republicans will come for SNAP next, threatening 40 million Americans who are just trying to put food on the table.”
Gian-Carl Casa, president of the Alliance, a Voice of Community Nonprofits, said many will suffer if the cuts are enacted.
“Medicaid equals access to care for many thousands of people. It’s a simple calculation: less funding means fewer people are helped,” Casa said.
Courtney estimated that 28,150 Eastern Connecticut residents would see SNAP benefits slashed and 112,966 residents on Medicaid would be at risk of losing health care. Another 2,000 people who receive coverage under the Affordable Care Act would see average premiums rise by an estimated $1,560 per year — a 58 percent increase, he said.
“It’s fiscally irresponsible, it’s outrageously unfair in terms of who benefits from it, and it is extremely harmful to middle class and working families,” Courtney said.
U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-4, said the bill “guts support systems for our most vulnerable communities … while adding $2.8 trillion to the national deficit.”
Himes added: “Americans are facing higher grocery costs than ever before. They’re struggling with gas prices, heating bills, and medical debt. But instead of trying to lower costs, the Republican majority passed a budget that sets the stage for $2.5 trillion in cuts from Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs, threatening medical coverage for 80 million people.”
