Alabama senators Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville need to fight for changes to President Trump’s tax cut and spending bill to protect programs that serve hundreds of thousands of Alabama families, advocates said at a State House news conference Thursday.

The “Big, Beautiful Bill” that passed the House would cut federal spending on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by making states pay more of the cost.

In Alabama, an average of about 750,000 people received SNAP benefits last year, a total of almost $1.8 billion, according to the Alabama Department of Human Resources.

The bill also affects Medicaid, which in 2022 served more than one million Alabamians, including almost 57% of the state’s children, and paid for half of the births in the state.

Robyn Hyden, executive director of Alabama Arise, which advocates for policies to help low-income families, said the state has much to lose if changes imposed by Congress force cutbacks in SNAP or Medicaid.

“It’s wrong to hurt people who are struggling, just to help people who are already far ahead,” Hyden said. “That’s exactly what the Senate is debating right now.

“The budget moving through Congress right now is not only a moral failure, it’s bad policy. And it is a really bad deal for our state.”

Alabama Arise organized the news conference Thursday to call for changes to the bill, which aims to reduce federal spending and extend tax cuts passed during Trump’s first term. It passed the House 215-214.

The Senate is working on its own version of the legislation.

In a statement Thursday, Britt said the goal is to preserve the tax cuts and protect the programs.

“As Republicans continue to work tirelessly to prevent the largest tax increase in American history, I am committed to ensuring these federal programs continue to meet the needs of Alabama families,” Britt said.

“Our reconciliation bill strengthens these programs to ensure eligible recipients receive help now and the safety net is preserved for generations to come.”

Trump has called for the tax cut and spending bill to be passed before the July 4th holiday.

Alabama Arise’s Hyden said the bill that passed the House would force Alabama and other states for the first time to help pay SNAP benefits that have been fully paid by federal funds, a change that would cost the state up to $300 million a year, an amount the state might not be able to cover or that would force cuts in other programs.

Also, tax credits that help people pay for health insurance premiums under the system set up by the Affordable Care Act are scheduled to be reduced.

Hyden said this will force people to pay more for health insurance or lose it.

Britt’s office, in response to some of the assertions made by Alabama Arise, said the Senate version of the bill would allow states to avoid or reduce increased costs for SNAP if they efficiently run the SNAP program, an area in which Alabama has a strong track record.

As for the Affordable Care Act health insurance tax credits, Britt’s office said those will be reduced because enhancements to the credits that Congress made under the Biden administration in response to COVID are expiring.

Rev. Valtoria Jackson of the Alabama Poor People’s Campaign, speaking at the Alabama Arise news conference, said it is important not to consider the tax cut and spending plan as only a spreadsheet of numbers.

“It is a moral document,“ Jackson said. “And in its current form, it will deepen poverty, strip vital support from our most vulnerable neighbors, and cost Alabama lives right here in Alabama.”

Sen. Kirk Hatcher, D-Montgomery, said it is understandable if people grow numb from hearing about proposed changes to massive programs that spend billions of dollars.

“But it does make a difference for people who are living hand-to-mouth,” said Hatcher, who directs the Head Start program for Montgomery, which serves about 1,200 children at 17 sites.

Hatcher noted that about one-fourth of Alabama children live in poverty.

Michael Ledger, president and CEO of Feeding the Gulf Coast, a food bank that has 800 partners and serves almost 400,000 people, said there is a misconception that SNAP is a program that serves a fixed portion of the population.

Instead, he said it is a safety net that helps families move from a crisis, such as unexpected job loss, back to stability.

“In reality, we’ve seen so many people that would have never dreamt they would be in that position,” Ledger said. “I think as a community, it’s our responsibility to make sure we help those people through those struggles.”

Rhonda Mann, executive director of VOICES for Alabama’s Children, said everyone in Alabama is affected by SNAP and by Medicaid, not just the direct recipients.

Mann said that includes the thousands of retailers whose customers buy products with SNAP.

“SNAP is incredibly important to the economy of our state,” Mann said.

Mann said cuts to Medicaid could close rural hospitals already struggling and affect healthcare for everyone, such as services in hospitals that would have to cover increased costs of uncompensated care for those without insurance.

Tuberville, who is running for governor next year and could be dealing with the consequences of the bill, has said about increasing the cost of SNAP for states.

“Everybody that’s going to be in state government is going to be concerned about it,” Tuberville told Politico.

Hyden said now is the time to make the changes in the federal spending plan that reflect those concerns.

“The good news we have for you today is that none of this has happened,” Hyden said. “This bill is moving through Congress.

“We have time to speak out, protect Alabama’s economy, protect the long term health and well being of our communities.”