July 1, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact
Milagros R. Elia
Program Manager, Climate and Clean Energy Advocacy
Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments
milagros@envirn.org
914.455.1165
Budget Bill a Disaster for Health and Clean Energy
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Senate passed their budget reconciliation bill with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie breaking vote (51-50). Republican Senators Paul (KY), Tillis (NC), and Collins (ME) joined all Democrats in voting against the bill. The bill now goes back to the House for a vote.
According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the bill would add at least $3.3 trillion to the national debt over a decade, exceeding the $2.4 trillion price of the version passed in the House in May. For many, the $1.1 trillion in health care cuts, nearly $1 trillion of them to Medicaid, causing 11.8 million more Americans to become uninsured by 2034, are some of the most staggering aspects of the bill. The bill would rollback critical clean energy investments and environmental protections.
In response to today’s announcement, the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environment’s (ANHE) Executive Director Katie Huffling, DNP, RN, CNM, FAAN issued the following statement:
“The bill passed today by the Senate is a major setback to ensuring healthcare access and environmental protections for all. This bill would deprive millions of Americans of lifesaving healthcare through drastic cuts to Medicaid. As nurses we know that access to healthcare through Medicaid allows people to seek preventative care and critical health services which in turn improves health outcomes and reduces healthcare costs.
“This bill is a major giveaway to fossil fuel polluters and slows the necessary clean energy transition. Communities across the country are already benefiting from clean energy investments provided under the Inflation Reduction Act. This bill, if enacted, would rollback tax credits for clean energy investments, electric vehicles, and home efficiency improvements, critical incentives that reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. Gutting access to healthcare coupled with rollbacks of environmental protections will lead to more people suffering and requiring costly medical interventions, and a stalling of climate action that we cannot afford. We urgently need House Representatives to oppose the Senate bill passed today, go back to the drawing board, and pass a budget bill that prioritizes the health of the American people.”
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The Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments is the only national nursing organization focused solely on the intersection of health and the environment. The mission of the Alliance is to promote healthy people and healthy environments by educating and leading the nursing profession, advancing research, incorporating evidence-based practice, and influencing policy.
