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HARRISBURG, PA (June 11, 2025) — As federal lawmakers aim to complete the House-passed budget reconciliation bill by President Trump’s July 4 deadline, PSEA President Aaron Chapin called on the U.S. Senate today to oppose the measure, which funds $3.75 trillion in tax cuts heavily benefiting billionaires and the super wealthy by making deep cuts to health, nutrition, education, and other programs and adding trillions to the federal deficit.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 215-214 for the budget bill on May 22, sending it to the Senate for consideration. President Trump has called on the Senate and House to finish work on the bill and send it to his desk by July 4.

“Millions of Pennsylvania children count on federal funding for nutrition, health care, and education programs that will face unprecedented cuts,” Chapin said.

“There are massive cuts to programs that allow families to feed their children and take them to the doctor when they’re sick and to related health services that our public schools provide to students. Entire communities will suffer if these federal funding cuts are enacted into law, especially those in rural areas.

“Not only does this bill eliminate essential health, nutrition, and education services, it also diverts billions in federal funding to unaccountable private and religious school vouchers, something that 61% of Pennsylvanians oppose, according to a recent poll.

“There is no way that Pennsylvania can backfill the loss of billions in federal funding for health care, food assistance, and other programs. Services will be cut. Pennsylvania families will suffer. And our students will pay the price for years to come.

“This bill is only the first step in a long-term plan outlined by Project 2025 to wind down federal investments in key health, nutrition, and educational programs. The threat to our students, families, and communities is very real. We must not stand by quietly. There is far too much at risk for us to stay silent.”

The House budget reconciliation bill includes:

• At least $625 billion in cuts to Medicaid, threatening health care coverage for 10.9 million Americans over the next 10 years,
• $300 billion in benefit cuts due to narrowed eligibility requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP,
• Limits to student access to higher education, and
• A voucher program that funnels $20 billion in public funds to private schools over four years.

These funding cuts will have a dramatic impact on Pennsylvania, which receives $28 billion in Medicaid and CHIP funding and $4 billion in SNAP funding each year. Nearly one in four Pennsylvanians receive health care through Medicaid, and more than 2 million Pennsylvanians rely on SNAP to help put food on their tables.

Chapin is a Stroudsburg Area middle school teacher and president of PSEA. An affiliate of the National Education Association, PSEA represents about 177,000 active and retired educators and school employees, aspiring educators, higher education staff, and health care workers in Pennsylvania.