On Friday, July 4, 2025, the federal budget bill H.R.1 (known as the Big Beautiful Bill Act) was signed into law. As an organization that relies on federal funding to care for low-income critically ill San Diegans, I want to share what this means for Mama’s Kitchen.  

The signed legislation includes devastating eliminations of funding programs for vulnerable communities, cuts to federal nutrition programs that our community relies on, and sweeping changes to Medicaid that will result in medically vulnerable people – like those we serve – losing their health insurance or facing complicated requirements to stay enrolled. 

These changes mean many of the people we serve are likely to face delays in care and experience dangerous gaps in access to the essential nutrition they rely on to manage their conditions. At Mama’s Kitchen, we feel it is vital to keep you informed of both the immediate and long-term impacts of policy change on our clients and our mission. Read on to understand the exact changes impacting our organization:

HOW H.R.1 IMPACTS MAMA’S KITCHEN: 

• An direct loss of $350,000 annually: The legislature fully defunded two funding programs that Mama’s Kitchen relies upon: Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS Program (HOPWA) and Community Development Block grants (CDBG). These changes currently go into effect fiscal year 2026 (beginning October 1, 2025).
• Loss of Medicaid reimbursement revenue: Approximately 40% of our clients are enrolled in Medicaid (Medi-Cal), which means Mama’s Kitchen can receive reimbursements for their meal costs. However, new work requirements will cause many clients to lose coverage, either temporarily or permanently. When clients lose coverage, Mama’s Kitchen loses reimbursement revenue and must replace it with philanthropy. States must implement these work requirements no later than December 31, 2026, but can implement earlier. The new requirements mandate that adults aged 19-64 report 80 hours of community engagement activities (work, community service, or half-time student enrollment) to maintain their Medicaid coverage. There are exemptions for certain groups, such as parents of minor children and individuals with disabilities. Individuals with disabilities must provide documentation verifying they meet the Medicaid program’s definition of disability.
  
• Threats to our referral network: The bill’s provisions will reduce Medicaid payments to hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare providers, which could drastically affect providers serving predominantly low-income communities to the point that some may close. Mama’s Kitchen clients are referred to our service by healthcare providers. Less access to providers could result in more difficulty receiving the proper referrals for low-income individuals.
• Increased demand for our services: Cuts to SNAP and significant reductions in Medi-Cal coverage will result in more people experiencing declining health and searching for nonprofit social services for basic needs like nutrition.
• Threats to additional federal funding: Outside of the above mentioned losses, an additional $1.2 million in annual federal funding remains at risk of cuts. These sources include Ryan White funding for our HIV nutrition program the Older Californians Nutrition Program for seniors. 

…If we can’t make up for these losses, we will be forced to make some hard decisions and risk turning people away. 

HOW YOU CAN HELP RIGHT NOW:
Stay close to this cause. Please consider supporting if you can.  Mama’s Kitchen recently launched our Resiliency Fund, with a goal of raising $1 million to safeguard our programs from the impacts of these cuts. In the history of our organization, we have never had to turn away an eligible individual. However, we have never faced funding cuts as drastic as this.

For 35 years, Mama’s Kitchen has been a source of nutrition, hope, and healing for San Diegans living with critical illness. We welcome your financial and volunteer support during these challenging times. If you have any questions about these implications or how to support Mama’s Kitchen, please contact our team.