April 2025
CLM watches various federal budget items related to child welfare and related issues, in partnership with our national coalitions.
See the latest Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) budget tracker here.
Annual Federal Budget
On May 2, 2025, the White House released the President's proposed "skinny budget," his proposal for discretionary spending for the next fiscal year. This proposal would cut Department of Health and Human Services by 26% overall, reducing or eiliminating many programs that support child welfare and more broadly, low-income families.
- President’s Budget Request for FY 2026 (CWLA analysis)
On April 16th, 2025, the press reported that the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is planning to propose massive cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) budget in the President’s FY 2026 Budget Request, according to a leaked draft. The document, called a “passback,” has not been finalized and agencies are allowed to make appeals to OMB regarding the proposed cuts. The President’s Budget Request is largely a policy statement, and is expected to be released in early May. Ultimately, it would require Congressional action to implement the cuts outlined in the passback.
In early April the House and Senate both opened their processes for taking in FY2026 budget requests from their members.
On March 14, 2025, Congress passed a Continuing Resolution (CR) to avoid a federal government shut-down, extending funding for the federal government through September 30 with few changes to spending levels, mostly eliminating earmarks. The CR includes a $13 billion (1.7%) reduction to non-defense discretionary spending; including:
- $40M in cuts to Children & Families Services Programs under the Administration of Children and Families
- $144M in cuts to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
- Increased funding for SNAP and WIC benefits
Recent news about the Continuing Resolution (Roll Call)
Bill Text
Budget reconciliation
On July 4, President Trump signed into law H.R. 1 the "One Big Beautiful Bill" budget reconciliation package that makes drastic cuts to federal social safety net programs, including Medicaid and SNAP. Because some provisions do not go into effect immediately it will be some time before the impact of cuts is felt in Massachusetts and other communities. In particular, the impact of the reduced provider tax will severely cut funding for the Massachusetts health care ecosystem.
- Essentials of H.R. 1 (Social Current)
- Details of H.R. 1 (Social Current)
- Medicaid and CHIP Cuts in the House-Passed Reconciliation Bill Explained (Georgetown University)
- The Budget Reconciliation Bill Would Increase the Number of Children in Poverty (Children Thrive Action Network)
- Updated Estimates on Impact to State Medicaid Coverage and Expenditures, Hospital Expenditures, Including Impacts by Congressional District (Manett Health)
In Spring 2025, the House and Senate introduced versions of budget reconciliation packages that would align with Trump Administration priorities. Budget reconciliation is a mechanism to adjust current FY funding to align with a new Administration's priorities.
See a summary of the House reconciliation budget here.
See a summary of the Senate reconciliation budget here.
Massachusetts is one of the states whose child welfare funding would be most impacted by cuts to the Social Services Block Grant, Medicaid and TANF as proposed in the reconciliation budgets.
CLM is deeply concerned about proposed or potential cuts to Medicaid and basic assistance programs that would directly harm children, families, and service providers.
Resources
- 2025 Budget Stakes: Millions of People Across U.S. Could Lose Needed Assistance Under Republican Proposals (Center on Budget Policy and Priorities)
- Budget & Appropriations (Coalition on Human Needs)
- DOGE Cuts by City, State, and Congressional District (Center for American Progress)