In Case You Missed It…

This week at CBPP, we focused on health, housing, the economy, food assistance, and the federal budget.  

• On health, Allie Gardner explained how the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services finalized a rule that ends federal Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program funding for most gender-affirming care services for young people, taking away affordable coverage of essential services for youth in households with low and moderate incomes.  

• On housing, Sonya Acosta called on Congress to reject a Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding bill that would leave nearly half a million people without stable housing. We updated our fact sheets on federal rental assistance, which analyze demographic data of households that use HUD rental assistance.   

• On the economy, Gbenga Ajilore underscored how policies adopted by the Trump Administration and congressional Republicans harm rural communities, including cuts to food assistance and health care, tax cuts that favor the wealthy, sweeping tariffs that have raised prices, and a violent detention and deportation agenda that has damaged rural labor markets.  

• On food assistance, we updated our SNAP participation tracker with the latest data estimating that over 5 million people have lost SNAP food assistance between the harmful 2025 Republican reconciliation law’s enactment in July 2025 and June 2026.  

• On the federal budget, we updated our backgrounder on federal tax expenditures. 

Chart of the Week — Rural Counties Saw Larger Drop in Marketplace Enrollment After Reconciliation Law 

The Center was active on social media this week. Here are some highlights:  

• Katie Bergh posted a thread to X and Bluesky highlighting new data showing about 2 million fewer kids are receiving SNAP in the wake of deep cuts enacted in last year’s Republican reconciliation law. 

• Sarah Lueck posted a thread to X and Bluesky on the Trump Administration’s attempts to justify policy that takes health coverage away from hundreds of thousands of people.  

A variety of news outlets featured CBPP’s work and experts this past week. Here are some of the highlights:    

The economic squeeze is pushing up poverty rates for older adults 
NPR 
September 24, 2026 

Trump’s “Big, Beautiful” Bill Is About to Screw With States’ Budgets 
New Republic 
September 24, 2026 

Half of Texas families have someone skipping meals or eating less as food costs rise, new poll says 
KERA News 
September 23, 2026 

Trump’s Signature Tax Bill Is Starting to Bite Before the Election 
New York Times 
September 23, 2026 

Reports: SNAP benefits in Alabama to rise, but for how long? 
Alabama Public Radio 
September 22, 2026