Opinion: San Diego’s families will pay the price for the ‘big beautiful bill’

The U S Capitol building in Washington File photo courtesy of the National Park Arrangement In San Diego County we believe in dignity for all especially for hardworking families like Juan and Roberta s With four children and an income of just a year from Juan s Uber driving every dollar counts They once paid for tax preparation money they couldn t spare However after discovering the San Diego County EITC Coalition s free tax preparation services they received a refund including credits from the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit That refund was transformative it paid for a desktop computer so their daughters could do homework and for car repairs that kept Juan on the road For families like theirs free tax help and refundable credits aren t just helpful they re life-changing But right now Congress is pushing through a bill that will erase almost all of Juan and Roberta s gains and cut their family off from the financial help they need to survive For more than years our goal at United Way of San Diego County has been to ensure every child gets the development they need to succeed and every family no matter their income has a fair shot at stability We do this through district partnerships that help families access the financial materials they need such as the EITC coalition and financial schooling workshops through our SparkPoint plan This mission is more critical than ever especially in light of new facts showing that San Diego presently has the highest inflation rate in the country The average San Diego County family makes less than what they need in order to survive and a large number of of the hardworking families we serve make less than that It harms us all when the federal authorities threatens the soundness safety and dignity of millions of Americans including our struggling families and neighbors right here in San Diego with drastic cuts to social services The pandemic strained our already fraying social safety net and we cannot let these protections for families erode further That s why I m calling on everyone in our population to take action to halt H R the Big Beautiful Bill Act right now under debate in Congress This bill will not balance the budget or reduce the national deficit but it will take food and healthcare from children and tax credits from working families It substantially decreases SNAP Medicaid and the Child Tax Credit which are lifelines that thousands of San Diego County residents like Juan and Roberta rely on every day According to the Congressional Budget Office million Americans will lose soundness care Research from Yale and the University of Pennsylvania estimates more than additional people will die each year if these cuts go through Programs like Medicaid and SNAP prevent homelessness hunger and wellness emergencies giving San Diego families the stability they need for their children to thrive in school and life In San Diego County alone Nearly one million people rely on Medicaid for vitality care Over children receive food advocacy through SNAP Around working families benefit from the Child or Earned Income Tax Credit although a multitude of do not know about these credits or claim them H R will gut these supports and plenty of members of Congress are aiming to push this bill through to President Trump s desk in less than a month There s a better way Congress should work for us not pull the rug out from families as the cost of essentials steadily rises After all we know that SNAP puts food in children s mouths before during and after school Medicaid funds our hospitals gives grandparents the healthcare and dignity they deserve and keeps people healthy enough to go to work Tax credits like the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit help working parents afford childcare transportation and school supplies If H R passes we at United Way of San Diego County expect a sharp increase in calls for urgency rent food and healthcare assistance Our region safety nets are already strained This bill would tear more holes in that net and leave thousands of our family members and neighbors to fall through which is why I urge every reader to call or email their Congressional representative and Senators in the present day and urge them to reject this bill Find your representative and tell them I am concerned that H R will harm my neighbors my family and my region in San Diego These cuts particularly to SNAP Medicaid and the Earned Income Tax Credit are too deep too fast and too dangerous United Way of San Diego County mobilizes communities to take action so that all can thrive and will not waver in our commitment to families like Juan and Roberta s We re working toward a future where every person in every population can reach their full anticipated We will treat everyone all members of our region whoever they are wherever they come from with respect dignity and compassion in all that we do To keep doing this work we need your voice Please join us in calling on our representatives to reject this bill and help us keep our communities strong Nancy L Sasaki is president and CEO of United Way of San Diego County and lives in Clairemont