U.S. Budget Cuts
—A Worsening Human Disaster

Mar 3, 2025

In late February, the Republican majority in the House of Representatives passed a budget plan that will rob tens of millions of people of vital health care, as well as aid for nutrition, housing and education in order to hand all that money—and more—to the super-rich and the biggest corporations, through massive tax breaks and other giveaways.

The biggest cuts are aimed at health care, especially Medicaid, the largest health care provider in the country. As it is, Medicaid health care coverage is extremely inadequate, and often a real horror show. Those on Medicaid often have to wait months for a doctor’s appointment or vital tests. They are often rushed out of the hospital way too early after an important operation. And they often don’t get the necessary preventive care that keeps them from getting sick in the first place.

But so much of the U.S. population is low income, one in five people in the U.S. are now on Medicaid. That means half of all children, almost half of all women giving birth, long term care for millions of the elderly and disabled, as well as working adults in low wage jobs that do not offer affordable coverage—they all depend on Medicaid. And not only that: safety net hospitals in big cities, as well as the dwindling number of hospitals that serve rural areas, also depend on supplemental financing from Medicaid in order to keep their doors open.

Thus, a trillion dollars in cuts to Medicaid would not only mean that tens of millions of people would lose health care coverage all together, but ever bigger stretches of the U.S. would become health care deserts, with no providers at all. And that means higher infant mortality rates, falling life expectancies and a worsening threat of epidemics … a real health care disaster for big parts of the population.

The Republicans’ budget plan also calls for 230 billion dollars in cuts to food stamps (now known as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP), a cut of about 20% from a program that serves 40 million people, and one in every five children. These cuts would mean that millions are thrown off of food stamps, while benefits are reduced, thus accelerating the ongoing increase of hunger and malnutrition … in one of the biggest food-producing countries in the world.

As for the 330 billion dollars in cuts in funding for education and housing—they too are aimed at the working class and poor.

And what is guaranteed is that all the cuts to vital funding for the working class and the poor won’t be enough. In a couple of years, the Republicans—as well as the Democrats—will come back and demand more. Because the giveaways and tax breaks for the super wealthy and the big corporations, all the big budget increases for the military, Homeland Security and the Border Patrol, will be so massive, the budget deficit will continue to grow and explode.

No part of this society, no part of the population can be safe from the predatory drive of the capitalist class for ever more profits and wealth, no matter what the cost.