HOW FEDERAL FUNDING CUTS COULD IMPACT WA KIDS & FAMILIES

Overview: In Washington state, about 28% of our budget comes from federal funding.  Many federal programs are designed to empower kids and families, closing opportunity gaps and investing in our students from birth through college. Unfortunately, federal funding cuts are creating uncertainty and have already resulted in gaps in local programming, as we will discuss below. The Federal Government is seeing unprecedented cuts to program funding and staff, and there are drastic cuts proposed that would make it harder for families access early learning, health care, and nutrition.  Combined with an already-challenging state budget, it is critical that the U.S. Federal Government uphold its commitment to children and families throughout the country, including in Washington specifically. 

Head Start and Early Learning

Head Start is facing challenges on two fronts: congressional budget appropriations and program management. USA Today has reported that President Trump will recommend fully defunding Head Start in the next budget. Congress has the “power of the purse” to make the final decision, and it is important that Congress members understand the value of Head Start programs as they make decisions. 

More than 90% of brain development happens in the first five years of life. Young children need access to resources to support their healthy development and ensure they can enter kindergarten ready to learn. Head Start and Early Head Start serve approximately 20,000 young children in Washington who are situated furthest from opportunity. Head Start eligibility prioritizes children who are in families with household incomes below 130% of the Federal Poverty Level or are receiving public benefits, like Basic Food. Head Start’s emphasis on comprehensive family supports also allows it to serve children who may not have access to other child care options; for example, 1,693 families experiencing homelessness accessed early learning and wraparound support through Head Start. After serving communities for 60 years, Head Start is backed by decades of research that demonstrates the importance of high-quality early learning for young children to close opportunity gaps. It also improves economic equity for parents who are able to work while knowing their child is in a safe and nurturing environment. 

The recent closure of the Region X Office of Head Start (headquartered in Seattle) has already impacted communities in our state. In Lower Yakima Valley, over 400 young children and 70 staff are experiencing an abrupt closure of classrooms because of unprecedented delays in funding decisions. Local media notes that only one-third of children ages 3-5 who need child care have access to programs. Statewide, less than $14 million has been distributed for Head Start programs since January 1, 2025; Washington received more than three times that amount in the same time period last year (about $50 million). There are also significant concerns as the Washington State Legislature prepares to finalize a budget that will almost certainly include cuts to early learning programs at the state level, making sustained federal investments in local communities even more critical. 

Closures, even temporarily, mean that children do not have access to early learning and that many parents will not be able to work and earn a reliable income until the delay is resolved. Thousands of children and their families, as well as hundreds of dedicated early learning professionals, are counting on Head Start to reinstate full staffing and program funding to avoid further classroom closures in the next few months. 

Medicaid

Looming threats to health coverage at both the federal and state level will have devastating impacts on the well-being and safety of families in Washington that are already furthest from opportunity and in the most vulnerable situations. With the Federal Government proposing upwards of $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid, the well-being of many Apple Health enrollees and the work of health care providers is in serious jeopardy.  

Currently, 1 in 5 Washingtonians receives some form of health coverage from Medicaid/Apple Health or Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)/Apple Health For Kids. Publicly funded health programs like Medicaid and CHIP are designed to improve health access for the least wealthy in our country, so cuts to funding for these programs would primarily impact communities that are already struggling. In a time when our state is grappling with a $16 billion budget deficit over the next four years, leading to reductions in spending for health premium assistance programs like Cascade Care Savings, cuts to Medicaid funding would be particularly devastating. If Congress approves the cuts being proposed, Washington state will be unable to fully make up for the loss of federal funding, which will mean millions of Washingtonians are left without access to care.  

Medicaid is also one of the largest sources of federal funding that states receive. Beyond the threats to coverage, a significant reduction in Medicaid funding would also likely result in the loss of tens of thousands of jobs, over $2 billion in state GDP, and over $127 million in state revenue. This would be devastating to our state’s economy and our ability to care for and provide services to Washingtonians most in need of support. A majority of Medicaid enrollees identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC), meaning these proposed funding cuts would not only exacerbate issues with health care accessibility, but also lead to disproportionate harm to communities of color. The fact of the matter is that cuts to Medicaid and CHIP are harmful across the board, but particularly to communities furthest from opportunity and access.  

Nutrition and SNAP

In Washington state, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and Basic Food both refer to nutrition assistance that are available to households with low incomes. Unfortunately, the U.S. House of Representatives budget proposal would drastically cut funding by 20%, which would represent the largest cut to SNAP in the program’s history. Other proposals would seek to add new restrictions ranging from types of food that can be purchased, work requirements, and requiring states to share program costs. 

SNAP includes federal funds to ensure that families have dedicated funds for consistent meals. A family of four can receive up to $632 per month to help cover the cost of groceries. Food insecurity is particularly high amongst families with children, and SNAP is a critical intervention to ensure that every child has the nutrition they need to grow up healthy and thriving. 

Approximately 1 in 6 children (16.4%) are in families that receive Basic Food benefits. We also know that Washington has been effective in enrolling eligible households into Basic Food programing; 94% of eligible Washingtonians received Basic Food funds in 2020. Between 2015 and 2019, SNAP lifted the household income of 77,000 children above the poverty line. In the context of Washington’s historic budget shortfall, federal funding cuts to SNAP would be devastating. No child should ever be hungry, and continuation of full funding for the Basic Food Program is a critical tool to combat food insecurity. 

Contact your representatives

Our congresspeople have the power to push back and reject cuts to these vital programs. Use the Find Your Legislators tool on our action page to find and contact your representatives. Your voice matters. Use it to speak up for the kids and families in your community!