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Supervisors urge county planning and a resolution as potential federal Medicaid and SNAP cuts loom
Summary
Supervisors expressed concern about proposed federal budget changes that could reduce Medicaid and SNAP; one supervisor urged the board to craft a resolution and begin contingency planning for county services and budgets.
County supervisors used the meeting to raise alarm about proposed federal budget changes that could reduce Medicaid and SNAP benefits and to urge county-level preparation.
A supervisor who spoke during the public-comment/board-discussion portion warned that a recent House budget framework and related proposals could lead to deep cuts. “Here in Columbia County, 30 1 Percent of our residents are on Medicaid, 40% of our children are on Medicaid,” the supervisor said, noting the county hospital and county services rely heavily on Medicaid revenue.
The speaker said the National Association of Counties also had issued public concerns to Congress and called on the county board to speak with one voice against cuts and to press the local delegation. “I’m sort of calling on us as a board of supervisors to stand together and to show our delegation that this is an issue that we care about,” the supervisor said.
Multiple supervisors endorsed drafting a local resolution. One supervisor suggested drafting a resolution in the Health and Human Services committee to be presented to the full board next month; another said Commissioner Tom Gibson would brief the board and that supervisors would meet with Gibson to develop a clearer plan. “Tom Gibson and I have spoken and that, we’re gonna get together very, very, very soon to talk about some of these concerns around that issue,” the speaker said.
Supervisors urged that planning look beyond Department of Social Services to include mental-health providers, public works and other departments that depend on federal funding. “We need to start talking about what is our plan if these cuts do happen…What’s our short term plan? Is it like a COVID thing where we say, okay, non‑necessary spending is frozen?” one supervisor said.
No formal board resolution was adopted during the meeting; supervisors directed staff and committees to pursue briefings and draft a resolution for future consideration.
