New Spending Bill Threatens Safety Net in Rural Texas

In East Texas, near the Louisiana border, where many families depend on food stamps and Medicaid, proposed federal spending changes could reduce support for residents in need.

Despite voting overwhelmingly for Donald Trump in 2024, East Texans may soon feel the impact of Republican-led proposals to slash funding for core government assistance programs. The U.S. House recently passed the One Beautiful Bill Act, a bill that would cut hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicaid and the SNAP (food stamps) program.

According to the Houston Chronicle,  Republican lawmakers, including those representing Texas’ rural districts, argue the cuts target waste and abuse through stricter work and reporting requirements. But analysts say the impact will be much broader. In East Texas, where joblessness remains high, even local Republican officials are fighting with the reality of what these changes might mean. 

According to the Congressional Budget Office, more than 10 million Americans could lose Medicaid coverage under the bill, and SNAP spending would be slashed by $285 billion, a 25% cut nationally. In Texas alone, analysts at KFF estimate nearly 300,000 residents could be removed from Medicaid rolls. For rural hospitals, which often depend on Medicaid reimbursements to stay afloat, the loss could be devastating.

“We don’t turn anyone away for ability to pay,”  Dr. Jackson Griggs, CEO of the Family Medical Center in Waco, told the Houston Chronicle. The center treats low-income patients across 13 counties. “But when Medicaid enrollment drops, those patients don’t go away, they just stop bringing revenue with them. And we absorb the loss.”

The East Texas Food Bank, which serves thousands across the region, is preparing for a $400,000 reduction in federal aid, even as it expects more families to show up in search of groceries.

Tensions over the cuts have spilled into next year’s campaign cycle. House Majority Forward, a nonprofit aligned with Democratic leadership, has launched ads in battleground districts targeting Republicans who backed the spending bill. While some GOP lawmakers expressed early hesitation, they ultimately voted in favor of the bill. But for communities in rural East Texas, where government support fills critical gaps in healthcare and nutrition, the coming years may test just how far that track extends.