The Trump administration has long exploited its executive powers to advance harmful federal policies that impact immigrants, including but not limited to:

• H.R. 1, the Congressional Republican megabill, which restricts Medicaid access for asylees, refugees, and other immigrants
• A harsh and punitive reinterpretation of the public charge rule
• Restrictions to federal tax credits to exclude immigrants

These policies cultivate a hostile environment for immigrants, from people who have newly arrived to those who have called this country home for a long time. The intent of these federal policies is to scare and exclude immigrants from using public benefits that they have long contributed federal and state taxes to. The resulting restrictions will affect thousands of immigrants in Washington and will also have a ripple effect on all Washington residents. These changes are ongoing, but many will start to go into effect this fall. Read on to learn about these harmful federal policies, and who they will affect.

The harmful Congressional Republican megabill will cause thousands of Washington residents to lose health coverage

The federal reconciliation bill (H.R.1) includes several provisions that will drop millions of immigrants and working people from essential public benefits, including health care, to provide tax cuts to the ultra-wealthy. This bill, signed into law in July 2025, has already triggered numerous harmful policy changes, with more set to take effect in the coming year:

• October 1, 2026: More than 11,000 Washington residents will lose their health coverage as a result of H.R. 1’s cuts to federal funding and restrictive changes to Medicaid, known in Washington as Apple Health. Humanitarian immigrants, including refugees, asylees, parolees, certain survivors of abuse, and certain survivors of trafficking, will be excluded from receiving Medicaid. Only legal permanent residents, Cuban-Haitian entrants, Compact of Free Association (COFA) immigrants¹ and lawfully residing children and pregnant immigrants will retain their Apple Health coverage or be able to apply for coverage.
• January 1, 2027:
  • Restrictive work requirements will go into effect for people age 19-64 who are enrolled in Medicaid, which is estimated to impact over 620,000 Washington residents.
  •  The aforementioned lawfully present immigrants will no longer be eligible for Advance Premium Tax Credit (APTC) health care subsidies, making marketplace coverage unaffordable for thousands of people in Washington state. However, individuals under 250% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) will still be eligible for Washington’s premium cost saving program, Cascade Care Savings.²

Resources

• The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), Timeline of the 2025 Reconciliation Bill
• Protecting Immigrant Families, 2025 Changes to Eligibility for Key Programs by Immigration Status Chart
• Protecting Immigrant Families, Provisions on Immigrants’ Access to Public Benefits in the Final Reconciliation Package
• KFF (a health policy information organization), Health Provisions in the 2025 Federal Budget Reconciliation Law: Link
• Northwest Health Law Advocates, Federal Health Care Changes Hub

The new public charge rule is intentionally unclear to discourage people from accessing the programs they pay taxes into

In a radical departure from longstanding precedent, a new and much broader interpretation of “public charge” was finalized in July 2026 and went into effect on September 18, 2026. Public charge is a test used by federal immigration officials when considering an application for lawful permanent residence (a green card). If federal officials determine that person is likely to rely on certain public benefits as their main source of support, authorities can then deny that application.

Before this new rule, the only programs that were considered under the public charge test were cash assistance programs and long-term institutionalization. The use of food assistance, affordable health coverage, or eligibility for tax credits were not considered.

The new rule states that any programs that are “means tested” will be considered, making it unclear for applicants which public benefits will be reviewed and considered, such as Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), child care, tax credits, housing assistance, and more. Additionally, the new rule provides United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) agents more discretion in determining whether someone will be deemed a public charge. This revised public charge will impact some U.S. residents and people abroad who apply for their green card. We encourage individuals to review available resources and consult an attorney to help evaluate whether they are affected by this new rule and how to move forward with their benefits.

The ambiguity in this rule is not accidental. The administration has designed the rule to cause fear and confusion among immigrant communities and discourage individuals from using the public services that they contribute taxes to.

Resources

• Protecting Immigrant Families, Public Charge Regulation Toolkit
• National Immigration Law Center, Public Charge Frequently Asked Questions for Immigration Advocates

Restrictions on federal tax credits would harm immigrant families and U.S. citizen children

The Treasury Department has proposed a new rule that, if finalized, would restrict access to the refundable portion of many federal tax credits for lawfully present immigrant families. These include:

• the Child Tax Credit (CTC)
• the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)
• the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC), which is used to pay for higher education
• the Adoption Tax Credit

Hundreds of thousands of children in immigrant families would be harmed by this new rule, including U.S. citizen children in immigrant families. The lawfully present immigrants who would be affected include Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients; survivors of serious crimes who have a “U” or “T” visa; people with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) who’ve fled war, natural disaster, or other emergencies; and many other lawfully present immigrants who don’t meet the narrow definition of “qualified immigrant.”

These tax credits, especially the EITC and CTC, are critical lifelines that increase financial stability for lower income families struggling to make ends meet and have been proven to have wide-ranging positive effects on employment, education, and health outcomes. They put thousands of dollars back into families’ pockets each year, increasing their ability to pay for housing, groceries, and other basic needs.

Resources

• Resources from the Protecting Immigrant Families (PIF) Coalition
• FAQ from the National Immigration Law Center
• Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) analysis of how the proposed rule would affect state EITCs
• Center on Budget and Policy Priorities analysis of the proposed rule

These federal restrictions on public benefits will harm the health and wellbeing of immigrants and have a ripple effect in Washington

Immigrants are not only invaluable members of our community, but they are also critical taxpayers and workers. One in five workers in Washington are immigrants. For federal programs that they are eligible for, lawfully present immigrants already utilize these benefits at a lower rate than U.S. citizens.

When immigrants in Washington are denied access or discouraged from utilizing the resources and services that they need to live with dignity, all Washington residents experience the impact. People without health coverage will delay seeking medical treatment until their conditions worsen. Medicaid restrictions will increase the number of people who are forced to use the emergency room, rather than accessing preventative care; more emergency room visits will increase hospitals’ uncompensated costs. When hospitals have a higher percentage of uninsured patients, hospitals may have to cover those uncompensated costs which can take away funding for further staffing and upgrading medical technology, impacting other patients’ standard of care. Excluding many lawfully present immigrants from receiving federal APTCs will result in a greater demand for Cascade Care Savings, Washington’s premium assistance program, which is already underfunded by the state.

When immigrants have access to resources they need to live with dignity, we all benefit. More federal restrictions on essential public services will only increase the cost of state administration and harm people and families already struggling to make ends meet.