#social-safety-net

#social-safety-net

July 30 marks the 60th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid's establishment, yet Medicaid faces unprecedented cuts by Republicans aiming to fund tax breaks for the wealthy.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed by U.S. President Donald Trump is the most sweeping legislation in modern U.S. history, implementing huge tax cuts for the rich and massive cuts to the social safety net.

Not all safety-net benefits and services are in entitlement programs that can be cut via budget-reconciliation measures. The Urban Institute defines five non-entitlement programs as part of the social-safety net: WIC, TANF, child-care subsidies, LIHEAP, and public housing.

The Senate bill would speed up elimination of clean energy tax breaks and make permanent a series of business tax breaks that were temporary in the House version.

As his Republican allies in Congress continued work on a major reconciliation bill that would offer sweeping tax cuts to the nation's corporate giants and wealthiest Americans while gutting Medicaid and food assistance programs for the poor.