(Washington, DC) – Over the last week, Senate Committees released legislative text for their version of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” advanced by the House. The early drafts include minimal improvement over the House version, which would be massively detrimental for young people.
In response, Krystal D. Milam, Federal Policy Director at Young Invincibles, said:
“The Senate is failing young adults. Instead of improving on the version passed by the House, it is proceeding with destructive cuts to vital programs millions of young Americans rely on to survive. While the Senate includes modest changes that temper some cuts, and we commend them for those key adjustments, the overall bill remains devastating for young adults and marginalized communities. Raising the debt limit does nothing to address the root problems when student borrowers face tripling payments and shrinking access to college, when Medicaid cuts threaten rural hospitals and access to life-saving care, and when work requirements strip essential aid from families.
Health care, education, and basic survival aren’t up for sale to deepen the pockets of billionaires. The Senate must reconsider these proposed cuts and prioritize real solutions, not undermine the well-being of young people.”
The Senate text broadly mirrors what was proposed by the House, but makes a handful of notable changes, including raising the debt limit by $5 trillion, compared to $4 trillion in the House version.
The text from the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee includes some improvements, such as preserving the 90/10 rule, restoring $50 billion in funding, reversing changes to Pell Grant eligibility, and replacing risk-sharing with a gainful employment measure. However, it remains an unequivocal attack on student borrowers and college-bound young adults, with several harmful provisions left largely unchanged. These include limits to financial aid for graduate school, reduced student loan repayment options, and restrictions on Grad PLUS and Parent PLUS loans, which will triple payments for millions and limit college access for young adults.
Similarly, the Senate Agriculture Committee largely aligns with the House version, strengthening work requirements and shifting the cost burdens of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to states. It expands the work requirement age range from 18-54 to 18-64, and also now includes parents with children over the age of 9, compared to the House version, which applied over the age of 6. These changes could force states to cover an additional 25% of SNAP costs, leaving millions at risk of losing benefits.
While the Senate kept many of the House’s health care provisions, such as eligibility re-determinations, it went further by deepening cuts to Medicaid. This includes reducing the cap on health care provider taxes from 6 percent to 3.5 percent, and expanding work requirements to include parents with children over 14. These changes shift the cost burden of Medicaid to the states, threatening access to care, especially in rural areas where hospitals rely on state funding generated from health care provider taxes, and are projected to increase the number of uninsured by 7.8 million by 2034, not counting further losses from changes to the Affordable Care Act.
These initial drafts are subject to change as the Senate considers cuts and reaches a consensus. To stay on track for the July 4th deadline, the full bill is expected to go to a Senate floor vote next week.
Contact: Emma Bittner | 972-510-3305 | [email protected]
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Young Invincibles (YI) is a national advocacy and policy nonprofit organization focused on amplifying the voice of young people in the political process at the local, state, and federal levels. YI focuses on issues impacting young adults ages 18 to 34 in higher education, health care, economic security, and civic engagement. Our offices include Washington, D.C., California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, and Texas. For more information, please contact Emma Bittner at (972) 510-3395 or [email protected]