House Republican Bills Deeply Cut Programs That Help Low-Income People and Underserved Communities

Fiscal year 2025 started on October 1, but its funding under a stopgap continuing resolution runs out on December 20, 2024. Policymakers are debating whether to finalize 2025 appropriations during lame duck or when the new Congress convenes early next year. When policymakers finalize these bills, they should reject those approved by the Republican majority on the House Appropriations Committee as a guidepost. Those bills would lead to deep cuts in a range of important programs, including those that provide key services to people with low incomes and underserved communities. Rather, policymakers should work from the bipartisan bills passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee, which would better meet the nation’s needs.

Those bills would lead to deep cuts to important programs that provide key services to people with low incomes and underserved communities.

The full House of Representatives passed only five of the 12 House Republican appropriations bills. Another was defeated, one was pulled back from House consideration, and the full House never considered the remaining five. Nevertheless, all of these bills will presumably represent the House Republican position during negotiations over final 2025 appropriations.

The Republican House appropriations bills would, among other things:

• take away funding for K-12 students in low-income communities and programs that make higher education more affordable;
• increase hardship for families struggling to pay rent by reducing funding for housing assistance;
• exacerbate challenges for parents and providers by failing to make meaningful investments in child care;
• hamper our nation’s ability to address climate change and protect the environment by cutting funding for clean energy technology and programs that support clean air and water;
• underfund critical government services, including the Social Security Administration’s ability to respond to inquiries and process applications for disability benefits; and
• reduce funding for agencies that protect workers’ rights and provide job training programs to help people develop new skills and boost their employment prospects.

Many of these cuts would affect investments in people and communities that have been under-resourced for decades, such as Black, Latino, and Indigenous communities, people with disabilities, and families with low incomes of all races and ethnicities.