Published: May 23, 2025

On Tuesday, May 20th, in the darkest hours of the night, and without transparent process, the U.S. House narrowly passed the GOP’s sweeping budget cuts package to deliver tax cuts to the wealthy. To pay for those tax breaks, the bill includes the largest cuts to Medicaid and food stamps (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP) in history. Slashing Medicaid and SNAP will directly impact our members, their families, our communities and the state budget.

Everyone deserves access to health care and food on their table; it’s that simple. Yet billionaires and GOP members of Congress believe passing tax reductions that will primarily help the wealthiest is more important than protecting our communities.

In addition to the real impacts to real people, this budget will throw Oregon’s state budget into crisis, which our members rely on for their jobs and Oregonians count on for public services. If the budget package were to pass in its current form, it would cost our state up to $1 billion per year to continue to provide services, and hundreds of thousands of Oregonians would lose access to health care and food benefits.

The bill is not final—before it can become law, it needs to be passed by the Senate and then voted on again in the House. This means we still have time to stop these cuts, but we need to act now.  Here is what you can do to help:

  • Show up to our Fund Oregon Now Rally on Thursday, June 5th as we advocate to fund state services and our bargaining contracts. Register today at this link.
  • Call Congressman Cliff Bentz, who voted in favor of this budget, despite its impact on his constituents, at (202) 225-6730 (Washington, D.C. office) or (541) 776-4646 in Oregon. Let him know you want him to vote “NO” on the bill when it returns to the House. You can also send him an email by clicking here.
  • Get involved in the contract campaign by contacting your organizer to get in touch with a local member leader.

Here are some of the bill’s details and their direct impact:

Medicaid

  • Work Reporting Requirements: Starting in 2026, “able-bodied” adults ages 19–64 would need to report to the state that they completed 80 hours per month of work, education, or community service to maintain coverage. Most people who get Medicaid already work, but this would significantly increase the workload without additional money for staffing. Under the current proposal, states must require reporting every six months.
  • More Frequent Eligibility Checks: States would be required to verify Medicaid eligibility every six months, dramatically increasing the workload of staff working with OHP and causing people to lose coverage.
  • Scapegoating Immigrants and Trans Communities: We know all people deserve to have health care. Instead, to support tax cuts for the very rich, House Republicans have decided to punish marginalized communities by cutting their health care coverage.
  • Projected Coverage Loss: The Congressional Budget Office estimates more than seven million people could lose coverage because of these changes.
    SNAP (Food Assistance)
  • Expanded Work Reporting Requirements: Individuals ages 18 to 64 without dependents would have to meet the same 80-hour monthly activity requirement; most people on SNAP now already have jobs or are unable to work.
  • Shifted Costs: States would now be responsible for 5%-25% of benefits and 75% of administrative costs, with potential increases if error rates rise. This shift would cost the state nearly one billion dollars.
  • Increased Verification Burdens: Recipients would face more frequent eligibility reviews, which can be difficult to comply with for those in unstable living or employment situations – and it would increase the administrative burden all while cutting back funding for staff.

Impacts on State Budgets and Workers

  • Administrative Overload: Implementing stricter work requirements and frequent eligibility checks will require more staffing and infrastructure, which would increase workloads for already-stretched state agencies.
  • Budget Pressures: With a larger share of SNAP and Medicaid costs pushed to states, and no new federal funding to support implementation, legislatures may be forced to cut other services or raise revenue.
  • Higher Caseloads, Fewer Workers: State employees, particularly in human services, would face increased caseloads and potentially fewer staff.

Impacts on People Who Rely on Medicaid and SNAP

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office reports that 8.6 million Americans will lose health care coverage under the bill and 1.5 million people will lose SNAP benefits.

  • Coverage Loss: Many eligible people will lose coverage simply because of paperwork errors, missed deadlines, or barriers to meeting work requirements—particularly older adults, people with disabilities not classified as exempt, or those in low-hour gig work.  That’s exactly what happened in Arkansas when that state implemented work requirements.
  • Food Insecurity: Tighter SNAP requirements will likely lead to reduced access to food assistance for low-income adults, exacerbating hunger and putting more strain on food banks and local aid organizations.
  • Health Consequences: Losing Medicaid can mean skipping medications, avoiding doctor visits, or delaying treatment, driving up long-term healthcare costs and worsening health outcomes.
  • Disproportionate Impact: These changes will disproportionately affect rural residents, communities of color, and individuals working in unstable or low-wage jobs—groups already facing economic insecurity.

What’s Next?

The bill now moves to the U.S. Senate, where it faces an uncertain future. Public sector unions, advocacy groups, and state officials are urging lawmakers to reconsider provisions that would harm vulnerable residents and put unmanageable strain on state systems.