WASHINGTON D.C. (WVDN) — In a narrow vote, the U.S. Senate and House passed President Trump’s sweeping “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” legislation that critics say could deliver deep cuts to programs that thousands of West Virginians rely on each day and year. Natasha Murphy, director of Health Policy at the Center for American Progress, and Kyle Ross, who works in Inclusive Economy at American Progress, spoke about the newly passed bill.
The legislation, which was signed into law, has been touted by the White House as a “historic overhaul of wasteful government spending,” includes significant rollbacks of federal funding for Medicaid expansion, stricter eligibility requirements for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, and broad changes to how states administer aid for housing and child care.
Policy analysts at the Center for American Progress (CAP) warn that the proposed changes could leave vulnerable families struggling to access basic health care and food assistance. According to CAP experts, the Senate version contains new work requirements, tighter eligibility standards, and spending caps that could result in many low-income residents losing benefits altogether.
“I’ll kind of focus in on two of the largest, most substantial, dangerous changes here. The first, we’re talking about really, well, overall, let me say, layman’s terms main takeaway,” said Ross. “This is, frankly, the largest cut to SNAP food assistance in the program’s history. We’re going to be talking at the end of the day, around the 17, 18% cut to the entire program, which, like I said, is going to be historic. This is going to kick millions of people, potentially off of their benefits.”
Ross also noted that although SNAP already has work requirements, “This [bill] just expands the people who would be subject to that requirement to older Americans, as old as 64, for the first time, as well as going back on a bipartisan deal from two years ago to make veterans, people experiencing homelessness and youth that are aging out of foster care, subject to those requirements. This is going to put nationally 5 million folks at risk from losing their benefits.”
While supporters of the bill argue it will streamline federal spending and encourage self-sufficiency, advocacy groups and some lawmakers say it will do more harm than good in rural states like West Virginia where economic hardship and high rates of chronic illness already strain social safety nets. There are also talks of rural hospitals closing in the near future because of this bill, according to experts.
Natasha Murphy spoke about Medicaid and said, “So this bill also imposes the largest cuts to Medicaid in the program’s 60 year history. Somewhere on the order of magnitude of a trillion dollars. And that is going to have huge impacts, definitely in West Virginia, but of course, nationwide. And I would also highlight probably two things that folks really need to be aware of. The first of which are these work requirements that are now applied or imposed on the Medicaid program,” said Murphy.
“And similarly, it is for folks who are 19 to 64 years old, so, you know, pretty much the entire working age population. And so beginning as early as January 1, 2027, some states will use a little bit more time and they actually have until December 31, 2028. But kind of in that time period, to maintain their Medicaid coverage and those enrolled would have to prove that they are either working 80 hours a month or participating in some type of other approved activity.”
Murphy also said, “It’s a gut punch to families who depend on these programs to get by.”
Local community organizations have already begun expressing concern. Cathy McCallister, a volunteer at a food pantry in Greenbrier County, said she fears the demand for emergency food boxes will skyrocket. “Our shelves are already stretched thin,” she said. “If people lose their SNAP benefits or get cut off, they’re going to turn to places like us — and I don’t know if we can keep up.”
Residents and local officials alike are keeping a close eye on what happens next. Those seeking more detailed analysis can connect with policy experts at the CAP for a breakdown of the bill’s key provisions and what they could mean for West Virginians.
