On July 1, 2025, President Trump signed H.R. 1 — the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” — into law. While its supporters tout it as sweeping tax relief, Virginians should look beyond the headlines. This bill threatens to dismantle the very programs that protect our most vulnerable children — while handing billions in tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans.
What’s at stake for Virginia?
Because H.R. 1 increases the federal deficit, it triggers automatic cuts under the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act (S-PAYGO). If Congress doesn’t act, Virginia will lose:
- $41.5 million in Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) funding, including:
- $10M for child protective services
- $5.9M for foster care
- $4.1M for home-based services for at-risk families
- $7M for adoption support
- $10.9 million in Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) funds
- $5.6 million in Promoting Safe and Stable Families (PSSF) grants to every city and county in the commonwealth
These programs are not luxuries — they are lifelines. They keep children safe, families together and communities strong.
A budget bombshell for SNAP … and for the Virginia state budget
H.R. 1 also delivers a devastating blow to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) which provides a food benefit to 847,000 Virginians. For the first time since its creation in 1964, the federal government is shifting the cost burden for food benefits to states. Virginia would be required to cover 75% of SNAP administrative costs and, for the first time ever, share in the cost of SNAP benefits. The result? A $540 million annual hole in the state budget.
This is an unfunded mandate of historic proportions. It forces Virginia to choose between raising taxes, cutting other essential services or reducing food assistance to families in need.
The human cost
As former commissioner of the Virginia Department of Social Services, I’ve seen firsthand how these programs change lives. I’ve met children who avoided foster care thanks to home-visiting programs. I’ve seen families stabilized and children adopted through PSSF and SSBG-funded services. And I know that children can stay healthy and come to school ready to learn because of SNAP and that SNAP is more than a food program. Research shows it reduces child neglect and abuse. Cutting SNAP isn’t just cruel — it’s dangerous. These aren’t statistics and budget lines — they’re stories of resilience and recovery for children and their families.
While Virginia’s children lose food, critical services and protection, the wealthiest Americans gain billions in tax breaks. This isn’t fiscal responsibility — it’s a moral failure.
Congress must act
Our Virginia Congressional delegation and their colleagues in Congress can still prevent these cuts by exempting H.R. 1 from S-PAYGO. They’ve done it before. They must do it again.
I urge every member of Virginia’s congressional delegation to:
- Vote to exempt H.R. 1 from S-PAYGO
- Protect funding for SSBG, MIECHV and PSSF
- Reject any additional budget actions that sacrifice children’s safety for tax giveaways
- Stop supporting unfunded federal mandates that increase our state budget
Virginia’s children should not bear the cost of tax cuts for the wealthy. The stakes are too high. The time to act is now.
Duke Storen is the former commissioner of the Virginia Department of Social Services and has been a public and private executive for over 30 years. Storen has held positions in the federal government at the U.S. Department of Agriculture leading the nation’s nutrition programs; state government in social, nutrition and workforce services including child welfare and SNAP; and in the private sector helping lead the national No Kid Hungry Campaign and providing technology solutions for health and human services.