Medicaid Food Aid Cuts Expected to Severely Impact Women Children Across Multiple States

Recent federal budget cuts under President Donald Trump's administration are significantly impacting Medicaid and food assistance programs, with women and children in states like Mississippi facing the greatest harm due to their high reliance on these services. Mississippi, as one of the poorest states with the second highest Medicaid-funded births, is seeing rural hospital closures that reduce maternity care options amidst an infant mortality crisis declared a public health emergency. Oregon officials report that new federal mandates increase bureaucracy and impose work requirements that could limit access to assistance in rural areas, compounding challenges for vulnerable populations. In North Carolina, Medicaid provider payment cuts are prompting concerns about reduced staffing, pay cuts, and providers potentially declining Medicaid patients, which may worsen care availability. Experts warn that these spending cuts threaten to exacerbate already high infant mortality rates nationally, as access to maternal and child healthcare diminishes.