Our Goal
Last year, H.R.1 took away eligibility for Medicaid/CHIP, SNAP, Medicare, and ACA/Marketplace programs, affecting an estimated 1.4 million lawfully present immigrants, while providing tax cuts to the nation’s richest individuals and corporations. These sweeping immigrant restrictions in H.R. 1 build on nearly three decades of exclusion rooted in the 1996 welfare law, which created the five-year bar and imposed categorical exclusions on many lawfully present immigrants.
Our goal is to restore access to basic needs programs for lawfully present immigrants by rescinding the harmful provisions in legislation that arbitrarily deny or delay access to immigrants. We will do this by passing the LIFT the BAR Act (LTBA), which restores H.R.1’s eligibility cuts, eliminates the 5-year bar, and makes other changes to ensure that immigrants can access the programs and services they need.
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Why It Matters
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If the LIFT the BAR Act is passed, immigrants – including those under humanitarian protection – would once again be able to get access to services they need.
Under H.R. 1, many lawfully present immigrants – including nearly all those admitted for humanitarian reasons – would be categorically excluded from federal Medicaid, SNAP, and other basic needs programs. Meanwhile, lawful permanent residents (also known as LPRs or green card holders) must still endure an arbitrary five-year waiting period before they can access support, even if they meet income and work requirements. The LIFT the BAR Act would correct these long-standing inequities by restoring eligibility for lawfully present immigrants and removing harmful waiting periods that keep families and children from getting the help they need.
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The LIFT the BAR Act has broad support.
Recent polling shows that Americans support reversing health care cuts targeting immigrants by a roughly 3-to-1 margin. The LIFT the BAR Act has also garnered longstanding and wide-ranging support from hundreds of national, state, and local organizations across health care, civil rights, anti-hunger, housing, labor, and faith-based sectors—reflecting deep and sustained backing for restoring access to essential programs for lawfully present immigrants.
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Passage of the new LIFT the BAR bill is the best way to undo HR1's arbitrary and cruel immigrant benefit restrictions.
This year, the LIFT the BAR Act has been updated to directly counter the immigrant benefit eligibility restrictions enacted under H.R. 1, while also reversing decades of harmful and arbitrary exclusions. The bill would undo the damage caused by H.R. 1—which is scheduled to take effect this year—and restore access to essential supports for lawfully present immigrants. The time to act is now: Congress must pass the LIFT the BAR Act before families lose access to the health care, food, and economic supports they rely on.
Key Takeaways
- Last year, H.R.1 removed eligibility for basic needs programs for an estimated 1.4 million lawfully present immigrants while delivering tax cuts to the wealthiest. These restrictions deepen nearly 30 years of exclusion under the 1996 welfare law, which created the five-year bar and other barriers for lawfully present immigrants.
- Endorsing the LIFT the BAR Act is a powerful way for national, state, and local organizations to collectively push back against cruel and arbitrary immigrant benefit restrictions – at a time when our families need help most.
- Growing organizational and Congressional support sends a clear message that action is urgently needed to prevent further harm and restore access to essential supports.
- Passing the LIFT the BAR Act is a critical first step toward ensuring that everyone—regardless of immigration status—has access to the basic needs and services necessary to live with dignity and stability.
