Asian American Federation Condemns Passage of Cruel Budget Bill

H.R. 1 slashes SNAP, guts Medicaid, and strips civil liberties, threatening the well-being of immigrants and low-income families.

New York, NY — The Asian American Federation (AAF) strongly condemns the passage of H.R. 1, misleadingly titled the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which devastates the vital, life-saving programs that millions of Americans rely on. Immigrants, seniors, veterans, and working families across the nation and throughout New York will bear the brunt of this law. 

H.R. 1 imposes deep and dangerous cuts to critical safety net programs that support low-income families and vulnerable Americans, reducing people to scramble for their very livelihoods. Funding for Medicaid will be slashed by over $900 billion, and SNAP will be reduced by hundreds of billions, the largest reductions in the programs’ history.

As a result, nearly 12 million people nationwide and more than 1.5 million New Yorkers could lose their health insurance coverage. Even more alarmingly, the new law imposes harsh restrictions that deny healthcare based on immigration status, further entrenching anti-immigrant policies that strip away fairness and dignity. These cuts are paired with record funding for ICE, which, as we have seen, utilizes inhumane immigration enforcement tactics that fuel family separation, undermine trust in law enforcement, tear apart small businesses, ruin livelihoods, and break apart communities.

For the Asian American community in New York City, this law is especially harmful. Approximately 34% of Asian New Yorkers live in or near poverty, and 27% are non-citizens. Further, among Asian American households living in poverty and led by a citizen, over 43% rely on SNAP benefits. Under the first Trump administration, changes to policies, such as the “public charge” rule, which evaluates whether a non-citizen is likely to rely on public benefits, caused widespread fear and confusion. This led to non-citizen Asians disenrolling from public programs at eight times the rate of citizens — and many never returned. H.R. 1 threatens to reignite that fear, pushing even more families out of life-saving programs.

“This is a cynical and cruel law that targets our most vulnerable Americans. Rather than investing in helping communities to grow, Congress and the President have chosen to strip healthcare, food assistance, and other life-saving support from children, seniors, and their families. These actions will drive thousands of New Yorkers deeper into poverty and leave under-resourced community-based organizations to meet the surge in demand for services,” said Catherine Chen, Executive Director, Asian American Federation. “Our member agencies have limited avenues to keep delivering food, medical care, and essential services, and these cuts will further drive the need for nonprofit organizations to fill in the gaps for vital governmental services, which will be a herculean task. AAF, alongside our 70 member organizations, remains committed to supporting our fellow New Yorkers, who will suffer under these cuts.”