The Republican’s harmful megabill, signed into law this past summer, makes significant cuts to health care, nutrition assistance, and other programs that help families meet basic needs. The legislation includes some of the largest proposed cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in history.

These changes would reshape health care and nutrition assistance across Maine. An estimated 33,000 residents could lose health coverage due to cuts and the expiration of enhanced ACA premium tax credits. Another 28,000 people are expected to lose Medicaid coverage. As many as 10,000 residents are at risk of losing all or part of their SNAP benefits. The bill would also shift costs to the state, with Maine potentially responsible for up to $54 million per year in new SNAP expenses tied to federal cost-sharing requirements.

Kasey McBlais, a working single mother of two in Buckfield, understands the precarious balance many families in Maine face. Living in what’s considered a food desert—the closest Hannaford is 10 to 15 minutes away—she applied for SNAP after her divorce, the first time she’s ever relied on state assistance. “I had to fight really, really hard against that stigma and that shame, and I still feel it,” McBlais said, noting there are months when child support doesn’t come through. Even with $350 in monthly food stamps, she needs to find another $200 to feed her family. Working 27 and a half hours a week—as much as possible without after-school care—McBlais worries that recent policy changes could eliminate the support she depends on. “I’m a professional working mom, and I still have to rely on SNAP,” she said. “What does that have to say about our country?”

Learn more about how proposed changes to nutrition assistance could affect Maine families.

The bill’s provisions would affect working families like the McBlaises who rely on SNAP benefits, Medicaid recipients who depend on stable coverage, and households that use the ACA marketplace to meet basic needs. These policy changes would reach an estimated 161,000 Arizona residents losing health coverage and 10,000 losing nutrition assistance, affecting household budgets, access to medical care, and family stability across the state.

Put simply, the megabill reduces health care and food assistance while providing tax breaks to higher-income households. Additionally, the House Republicans bills propose further cuts, including reductions to housing assistance funding that could affect families’ ability to maintain stable housing. We urge Members of Congress to protect the millions who rely on these essential services by extending enhanced premium tax credits to prevent over 20 million Americans with Affordable Care Act health plans from seeing their premium costs skyrocket and opposing funding bills that further cut basic needs programs.