Congress Blocks Budget Cuts to Medicaid and SNAP Until 2029

The Hands Off Medicaid and SNAP Act of 2025 is a short, sharp procedural bill designed to protect two of the nation’s largest social safety net programs—Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—from a specific type of budget cut. Essentially, this bill uses a special legislative rule called a “point of order” to prevent Congress from using the budget reconciliation process to reduce eligibility, cut benefits, or lower enrollment in either Medicaid or SNAP.

The Budget Rule That Matters for Your Groceries

To understand why this bill matters, you need a quick explainer on budget reconciliation. Reconciliation is a powerful tool Congress uses to pass budget-related legislation with only a simple majority in the Senate (51 votes), bypassing the normal 60-vote threshold required to overcome a filibuster. This bill, found in Section 2, essentially makes any attempt to use this fast-track process to cut Medicaid (Title XIX of the Social Security Act) or SNAP (the food assistance program) automatically “out of order” in both the House and the Senate. Think of it like a legislative yellow card: if a bill tries to lower the number of people covered by Medicaid or reduce the grocery money provided by SNAP, it can’t use the reconciliation shortcut.

Short-Term Stability for Millions

For the millions of families, seniors, and individuals who rely on these programs, this bill provides a significant, albeit temporary, layer of stability. If you’re a working parent who relies on SNAP to fill the gap when inflation hits the grocery bill, or if you have a relative whose long-term care depends on Medicaid, this bill makes it much harder for Congress to suddenly pull the rug out from under you using the speed of reconciliation. This procedural roadblock is a big deal because it forces any proposed cuts to go through the slower, more difficult regular legislative process, which involves much higher hurdles in the Senate.

The Expiration Date is Key

Here’s the catch: the protection isn't permanent. The bill explicitly states that this limitation on cuts automatically expires on January 20, 2029. This means the safeguard is locked in for the next few years, but after that date, the procedural door swings wide open again for future Congresses to use reconciliation to potentially slash these programs. While it provides immediate relief and stability, the clock is ticking on this protection. For the budget wonks and policy analysts, Section 2 also includes a technical change to the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to make sure the existing rules recognize this new, temporary restriction, keeping the budget playbook consistent until the 2029 sunset date.