Health Care and Food Justice Cuts | Climate and Education Cuts

Washington (June 12, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee and the Environment and Public Works Committee, yesterday hosted virtual teach-ins on Republicans’ proposed cuts to health care, food security, education, and climate initiatives as part of their Big Billionaire Bill (also called budget reconciliation). Senator Markey, Representative Summer Lee (PA-12), and advocates discussed how these cuts would mean people lose their jobs, their health care, their ability to feed their families, and put the future of our country at risk—all to guarantee tax breaks for billionaires. The budget bill is currently being debated by Senate Republicans after House Republicans passed the Big Billionaire Bill in May.

“It’s simple: Republicans want to rip health care from 16 million people, tear food away from hungry families, cut off access to education for working class Americans, kill jobs, raise energy bills, and slash efforts to make our air and water cleaner– all to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. They want to do this through hard-to-understand processes, back-room negotiations, and by lying to the American public about what these cuts will do,” said Senator Markey. “I am using every opportunity I can to guarantee people know Republicans are voting against their livelihoods, their lives, and their future if they support this bill. We have the power to stop these cuts. We cannot agonize – we must organize to end this big billionaire boondoggle once and for all. Our future depends on it.”

“There’s nothing beautiful about forcing families to choose between taking their kids to the doctor or feeding them—but that’s exactly what this budget bill would do if it lands on Trump’s desk. Drastic cuts to healthcare like Medicaid and food assistance like SNAP will hurt millions of people in Western Pennsylvania and across the country,” said Representative Lee. “The power of the people is always greater than the people in power, and in this moment, we must all use our power to pressure Republicans to vote no and put the people first—not the billionaires, not the corporate profiteers, and not the oligarchs in the White House. Lives literally depend on it.”

“The Republican agenda is clear: raise costs on hardworking families and rip coverage away from millions. If they are successful in making the largest cuts to health care in history, 16 million Americans will lose coverage, all to fund tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations. These Republican attacks on Americans’ health care are as extreme as they are unpopular, and we must do everything we can to stop them from wreaking havoc on this country’s health care system. No one should lose access to life-saving care and coverage just so the ultra-rich can pay less in taxes,” said Anne Shoup, Senior Advisor, Protect Our Care.

“The Senate must vote ‘NO’ on any budget bill that cuts or weakens SNAP and takes food away from millions of children, older adults, and people with disabilities. Period,” said Salaam Bhatti, SNAP director at the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC). “SNAP is one of the most effective programs out there, fueling the health and well-being of families, as well as our economy. Simply put, a strong and productive country is only possible when everyone has access to food. We urge Senators to oppose any cut to SNAP and instead work towards building a nation free from hunger.”

“I’ve seen the faces of the people this bill will hurt. I think about the mothers trying to stretch every dollar to keep the lights on, the laid-off workers who need help to get back on their feet, the kids who will go without health care, and the retirees who will go to bed hungry because they can’t afford groceries,” said Zab Martinez, an AFSCME member and Medicaid and SNAP eligibility specialist from Dane County, Wisconsin. “We cannot let this bill pass. I urge you to speak up, write your senators, and demand that they stand with working families, not for billionaire tax giveaways.”

“Republicans’ Billionaire Tax Scam will take health care away from millions, food out of the mouths of children, and raise costs for everyday families all to give trillions in tax breaks to the wealthy and large corporations. This is a dangerous and irresponsible piece of legislation designed to benefit the richest Americans, while everyday families suffer – and we are going to continue to uplift the voices of the bipartisan majority of Americans who overwhelmingly oppose this harmful bill,” said Michael Linden, Director of Families Over Billionaires.

“Why would Republicans in Washington gut the basic needs kids and disabled Americans rely on to get by when the cost of groceries and housing are going up? To give the wealthy a tax break. It’s an outrage, which is why over 60% of Americans who hear anything about congressional Republican’s Big Beautiful Betrayal hate it. Now is the time for citizens to learn the consequences of the congressional Republican plan and spread the word so we can stop this Medicaid massacre dead in its tracks,” said Joe Radosevich, Counselor at the Center for American Progress (CAP).

“Rather than protect Medicare and Medicaid, this bill cuts them, denying healthcare to 14 million people. Rather than strengthen public education, it weakens it. Rather than feeding poor families, it rips food out of their mouths. Education is an opportunity agent, and federal supports should not be used as a piggy bank to defund our already underfunded public schools. The bill includes $20 billion for a reckless school voucher program in the guise of a tax shelter for the well-off. Vouchers syphon crucial funds away from public schools into private hands. They are directly responsible for some of the largest student achievement drops ever recorded and mostly go to parents with kids already in private school,” said Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).

“We have 1,600 workers at Ultium and their jobs are going to be at risk. These are good UAW jobs making $30 an hour, and this bill is going to threaten that. It could have a dramatic impact on the auto industry, on dozens of investments across the entire country,” said David Green, Director of United Auto Workers (UAW) Region 2B. “If we don't use our voices, they’re going to continue to take them away from us. And we have to fight for what’s right. And I am always going to be on the front line fighting for good union jobs with benefits because that’s how we move this country forward and that’s how we build the middle class.”

“The energy tax credits on the chopping block during this budget reconciliation process have been utilized by school districts all over the country to install renewable energy projects from roof-top solar arrays to ground-source heat pumps, saving millions of tax-payer dollars on utility bills. These savings can be used to increase teacher salaries and build resilience in communities as schools produce their own power and lighten the load on the energy grid, all while moving us toward a more equitable future powered by clean, renewable energy. In Nevada alone, Washoe County School District is set to receive a $1.7 million check for just one school and Clark County School District, the nation's 5th largest, has at least five solar eligible projects, including an array on Northeast Career and Technical Academy that is also training future solar installers.  Please urge your Senators to save energy tax credits in their version of the budget reconciliation bill,” said Liz Becker, IRA Campaign Coordinator of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN).

“The big bad boondoggle bill puts West Virginian communities, especially those most vulnerable to pollution, at risk. With cuts to programs that would facilitate a fair economic transition in Appalachia, such as a grant program to replace gas vehicles with electric vehicles and clean energy tax credits, West Virginians are losing out on the chance for safe and good-paying jobs. Furthermore, cuts to air monitoring, greenhouse gas emission data collection, and environmental review resources make our communities less safe and informed about the air we breathe and the water we drink. West Virginians have suffered with generations of corporate pollution and economic exploitation, and this bill would roll back a critical chance to escape the cycle of environmental injustice on which this country was built,” said Dani Parent, Co-executive Director of West Virginia Citizen Action.

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