In a strong show of opposition to proposed federal budget cuts that would impact the most vulnerable residents in our community, Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins has sent a letter to Congressmen Mike Lawler (NY-17) and George Latimer (NY-16) urging them to stop a proposal that would slash funding to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The proposed cuts, advanced by the House Committee on Ways and Means and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, threaten to unravel the health and nutrition safety net that hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers depend on—including 240,000 Westchester County residents currently enrolled in Medicaid. If enacted, the proposals would also dramatically alter SNAP eligibility, denying food assistance to hundreds of thousands of children by disqualifying those over the age of seven from being counted as dependents—an unprecedented rollback of the basic support systems American families rely on.
In addition to increasing hunger and poverty, the Medicaid cuts are expected to overwhelm emergency rooms and cost New York hospitals an estimated $1.3 billion annually, including $62 million in CD16 and CD17 alone. Despite an unemployment rate of just 3.4%, nearly 1 in 4 Westchester residents rely on Medicaid—a clear sign that even working families need this critical lifeline.
The County calls on both Congressmen to fight these dangerous cuts. Read the letter here.