July 2025 Newsletter
By Kansas Action for Children | July 31, 2025
The Not-So-Beautiful Bill
The further we get out from the passage of the “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” the more the KAC team has been able to research and analyze its potential impact on Kansas.
There’s been a lot said about the bill, but one thing we know to be true: thousands of Kansans will lose health coverage and thousands will lose grocery benefits.
The $1 trillion cut to Medicaid and $178 billion cut to SNAP over the next ten years will result in otherwise-eligible people being kicked off programs that help them get back on their feet during hard times.
The first set of changes from the bill could be soon – work reporting requirements for SNAP enrollees will be required for a new set of populations, including parents of children 14 and older. Even one slipup or lack of work hours (through no fault of their own) could mean the difference between groceries and going hungry.
And later this year, with ACA Marketplace enhanced premium tax credits set to expire, many Kansans will be forced to pay sky-high premium amounts or go without coverage. More than 200,000 Kansans are currently enrolled in ACA Marketplace coverage, according to the Kansas Health Institute. And with nearly half of Kansas counties – many of them rural – having more than 7% of the people in their communities enrolled in marketplace coverage, we could see cascading impacts on the rural health care system – especially when this impact is added to that of Medicaid cuts. These changes should concern us all.
As pieces of the bill take effect, KAC will make sure to keep you informed of the hoops Kansans will be forced to jump through and their cascading effects on all Kansas communities.
Earlier this month, we wrote an explainer about many items in the bill. You can read that here.
New on the KAC Website
While much of the team’s attention has been focused on analyzing the “Big, Beautiful Bill,” the team has been hard at work on a few other research pieces.
Tariffs: The Basics: Tariff policy has captured headlines for months, and it’s all culminating in an August 1 deadline for other countries to “make a deal” with the United States. But what are tariffs actually? In this first of a two-part blog, we break down the basics — covering what tariffs are, why they matter, and their historical impact.
A Review of 2025 Kansas Tax Policies and the Work Ahead: The 2025 session might have ended in April, but Kansans will be feeling some of its effects for years. This spring, lawmakers prioritized tax policy that favored cuts to income taxes over real property tax relief. In this publication, we take a deeper dive into some of the policies passed or considered, and what work lies ahead for advocates.
Work Requirements: An Advocate’s Study of Harm and Coercion: Most people enrolled in family support programs already work, but new requirements from the federal tax and budget bill will result in people getting kicked off crucial anti-poverty programs. We explore the harmful history of work requirements and how work requirements do the opposite of what they’re trying to accomplish.
FY 2025 Revenue Tracker: Throughout the year, KAC examines monthly state revenues. With June 30 marking the end of FY 2025, the state hit its goals (and then some), but there seems to be more beneath the surface of full state coffers. Read our latest update and what we’re watching as FY 2026 kicks off.
Congress Cedes Power of the Purse to the President: With the “Big, Beautiful Bill” taking center stage in Congress, a different bill more quietly moved through that claws back about $9 billion in funding that had already been doled out to organizations like PBS and NPR. We quickly explain the rescission process this bill went through and what it could mean for news access in rural communities.
We’re Hiring
Kansas Action for Children is hiring a Budget and Research Analyst to conduct research and analysis on tax and budget topics that impact Kansas children and families!
This position will analyze state and federal policy proposals including budgets, research and summarize literature, contribute to reports and policy briefs, develop policy proposals, and lead fiscal data collection and analysis. We're seeking candidates with strong research and writing skills, knowledge of fiscal policy, and a commitment to improving outcomes for children. To learn more click here.
Share
