GOP’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ will devastate San Antonio families, rural Texans, Rep. Joaquin Castro warns

As President Trump pressures Republicans to push through a massive budget package built around his second-term campaign promises, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro joined other Texas Democrats in warning the proposals deep cuts would be devastating to the state.

During a call with reporters, the San Antonio congressman said proposed Medicaid cuts could affect as many as 145,000 San Antonians. Millions across the country rely on the federal program to cover the costs of nursing homes, caring for disabled children and seeking treatment for opioid addiction.

Those cuts, coupled with the nation’s largest-ever reduction to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP,  also come as Alamo City families struggle with rising costs and economic uncertainty around the White House’s on-again, off-again trade tariffs, according to Castro.

“This piece of legislation is going to make hard times even harder for the most vulnerable people in the state,” he said.

The congressman also warned the Medicaid cuts would damage Texas’ rural hospitals, many of which are already on the brink of financial collapse. Twenty-one of the state’s rural hospitals have closed over the past decade, more than any other state, according to the Texas Hospital Association.

“This is going to accelerate the death of rural communities,” Castro said.

The budget proposal now being hashed out in the U.S. House would extend the 2017 Trump tax cuts, which were skewed to upper-income households, according to an analysis by the Tax Policy Center.

To fund the extension of those tax breaks, more than 8 million Medicaid recipients could lose coverage, according to a Congressional Budget Office analysis requested by House Democrats. The bill also would slash SNAP food assistance by roughly $230 billion over 10 years.
Other Texas Democrats who joined Castro on the call argue that the bill’s deep cuts to benefits programs are helping fund tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans while ballooning the national debt. A newly released analysis from the Congressional Budget Office found it would increase the deficit by $3.8 trillion.

“Republicans like to say that these tax cuts will be permanent,” said U.S. Rep. Al Green of Houston. “At the same time, what this bill cuts will be harmed permanently.”

Subscribe to SA Current newsletters.

Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Or sign up for our RSS Feed

Related Stories

Republicans’ proposed cuts to food stamps would slash benefits to 1 in 5 Texas kids

In parts of San Antonio, roughly 30% of children rely on federal nutrition assistance, a study also shows.

As GOP looks to cut food stamps, Trump has already slashed $11 million in food aid for Texans

The recent cut yanked $3.1 million in federal help from the San Antonio Food Bank ahead of its busiest period.

100,000 San Antonio residents could lose Medicaid under GOP budget, Joaquin Castro warns

The resolution could also cut up to $234 billion from SNAP benefits and add trillions to the deficit to fund tax cuts for the wealthy.

The tax increase tucked into Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’

Republicans have touted the House-passed legislation as one of the largest tax cuts in the nation’s history. They’ve failed to mention this increase targeting electric and hybrid vehicle owners.

Sodas, candy to be banned from Texas food stamp purchases

Buoyed by the Trump administration’s willingness to place restrictions on food assistance programs, Texas moves to limit junk food.

Texas will begin a summer lunch program in 2027, but only if feds don’t raise costs

The program would give low income families an extra $120 per child for summer lunches, but federal debate about food benefits could endanger the program.

San Antonio Food Bank warns food stamp cuts in Senate version of budget bill would decimate local families

The proposal also would be ‘catastrophic’ to local aid organizations, who can’t make up for the lost federal funding, CEO Eric Cooper said.

Joaquin Castro says he was on alleged Minnesota assassin’s hit list

Castro was among 45 names on the hit list found in the alleged assassin’s vehicle.

San Antonio Rep. Joaquin Castro says GOP lawmakers’ support of Big, Beautiful Bill will cost lives

‘This is a choice for some of you between your career and saving people’s lives,’ Castro said of the bill’s deep Medicaid cuts.

This article appears in May 14-27, 2025.