Poder Latinx Condemns Senate Passage of Devastating Budget Bill
Budget Bill Set to Hurt Thousands of Americans
NATIONAL — Today, the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate narrowly passed President Donald Trump’s sweeping and deeply harmful budget reconciliation bill in a tense 51-50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance breaking the tie. The bill now heads back to the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson will scramble to pass it before the July 4 deadline.
This bill slashes vital clean energy investments, weakens social safety nets, undercuts the care economy, and hands massive tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy and big corporations, all while millions of families, especially immigrant and mixed-status households, continue to struggle with rising living costs, limited access to health care, and worsening climate impacts. Poll after poll shows that voters across the country have overwhelmingly rejected this bill and the extreme priorities it reflects.
According to reports, the legislation will:
Cut Medicaid coverage for more than 7 million Americans, disproportionately affecting Latino families and placing critical health care and treatments in limbo.
Slash SNAP benefits that feed over 40 million low-income individuals, threatening food security for those already facing economic hardship.
Eliminate support for the care economy, including funds for child care, home-based care, and paid leave programs, leaving working families, particularly women of color,
The proposed excise tax on wind and solar energy projects has been eliminated, while driving up utility bills by slashing affordable clean energy options in order to hand more tax breaks to oil and gas billionaires.
Eliminate programs that help families lower their energy bills and access efficient appliances, leading to a projected increase of more than $230 in annual household energy costs by 2035.
This bill directly harms community members, including many who voted for this administration, by slashing the very programs they rely on to survive. At a time when Americans are deeply concerned about grocery prices and the economy, this bill does the opposite of what working families need.
“This vote is a moral failure of historic proportions,” said Yadira Sánchez, Executive Director of Poder Latinx. “By choosing greed over humanity, our Senators have condemned millions of families to deeper poverty, sicker communities, and fewer chances to survive—let alone thrive. This isn’t just a policy decision, it’s a deliberate betrayal and attack that will cause real suffering and injustice for generations to come.”
The bill also ramps up military and immigration enforcement by more than $140 billion, including $50 billion for border wall construction. This prioritizes punishment over progress and fuels the administration’s xenophobic agenda at the expense of long-term community stability. Across the country, we’ve seen clear opposition to the increased militarization of our communities and the presence of ICE in our schools, churches, and neighborhoods, yet this bill advances exactly that.
Before the 2024 election, clean energy companies producing wind and solar energy represented the fastest-growing economic sector in the country. Business certainty provided by the Inflation Reduction Act helped create over 400,000 jobs, drove innovation, re-energized U.S. manufacturing, and reduced energy costs—making clean energy more affordable than fossil fuels. Since January, fossil fuel prices have continued to rise—deepening the financial burden on low-income families.
“Our representatives have thrown compassion and common sense out the door,” Sánchez added. “Their votes for this horrendous budget bill are a direct assault on the health, safety, and dignity of working families. Voters should hold their elected officials accountable and demand answers: Why did they support this bill? And if they opposed it, why didn’t they do more to stop it? We will remember who stood with us and who sold us out, when it’s time to vote.”
Poder Latinx urges the President to keep his promise to protect Medicaid and health care for American families by vetoing this disastrous bill. We also call on community members to raise their voices, stay informed, and get ready to hold lawmakers accountable. With local and state elections approaching—and the 2026 midterms on the horizon, we must ensure our leaders reflect the values and priorities of the people they serve.
Now is the time to fight back. Our communities deserve better and Poder Latinx won’t stop until they get it.
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