WASHINGTON—Today, President Donald J. Trump signed H.R. 1, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” into law—a sweeping federal funding package that dismantles Medicaid and jeopardizes access to health care for millions of Americans. The Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) strongly denounces this legislation.

Juliet K. Choi, President & CEO of the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, released the following statement: 

“Make no mistake: this law is a direct attack on the health and well‑being of our nation. By gutting Medicaid and cutting SNAP, H.R. 1 threatens the lives of children, seniors, people with disabilities, immigrants, and working families. Rather than supporting essential human services and investing in care, this legislation diverts critical resources to punitive immigration enforcement and enshrines high-income tax breaks.

“APIAHF joined Black, Latino, disability, and rural advocates in fighting this bill’s most dangerous components, some of which have been removed. However, as the bill stands today, for the 4.5 million Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, including one million children and more than 800,000 AANHPI seniors who count on Medicaid, the consequences will be immediate and devastating. Families will skip lifesaving prescriptions, postpone cancer screenings, and face crushing medical debt.

“APIAHF renews our commitment to addressing persistent health disparities and ensuring that affordable, quality healthcare is accessible to all. We will continue to work in partnership with community leaders and policy makers to ascertain the devastating impacts of today’s actions, mitigate the bill’s impacts, and advocate for our nation’s most vulnerable.”

Medicaid currently covers 78 million people nationwide or 1 in 5 Americans, including 4.5 million Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. H.R. 1 replaces guaranteed coverage with capped funding, shifting billions in costs to states. ACA marketplace policyholders will face a shortened annual open enrollment period and no longer be automatically reenrolled. SNAP cuts will eliminate food assistance for approximately 1.7 million households.

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Achieving health equity for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities through law, policy and practice.