The United States Congress passed legislation that would raise costs on Rhode Island families and take health coverage, food assistance, and other essentials away from Rhode Islanders who are already struggling to make ends meet — all while showering ever-larger tax breaks on the wealthiest households.
More than 300,000 Rhode Islanders — 306,000 to be exact — now get health coverage through Medicaid and 144,000 Rhode Islanders receive food assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Both programs are being targeted for the largest cuts in their history under the House-passed budget reconciliation bill. The bill will hurt a broad swath of families across rural, urban, and suburban parts of Rhode Island and targets people who are immigrants and their families for particularly harsh treatment.