University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto sent a campus-wide email listing the possible impacts of a tax and spending bill moving through Congress.
The email, sent on Friday, May 23, is in response to the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which passed through the House of Representatives on Thursday in a 215-214 vote, according to Congress’ website.
The more than 1,000-page bill covers a broad range of topics, from tax and Medicaid cuts to immigration and education.
According to the email, the bill still has to be reviewed by the Senate and then passed through both chambers again before being signed by President Donald Trump into law.
“While this process remains very fluid, it is important to update you on what we know about impacts to the university and those we serve,” Capilouto said in the email.
The email outlined three topics listed in the bill that would impact the university if it is signed into law: Medicaid, agriculture and student loans and grants.
Medicaid is a government program that provides low-income people with health insurance. According to the email, the bill “includes billions of dollars in potential changes to the Medicaid program.”
The email said about 1.5 million people in Kentucky are insured by Medicaid and UK HealthCare has used funds from the program to care for about 3,000 more patients in 2025 than in 2024.
Proposed changes to Medicaid include requiring people to work a certain number of hours to be eligible for insurance and changing how institutions like UK HealthCare are funded, according to the email.
Additionally, the bill includes changes to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), a government program that helps low-income people buy food.
The email said the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment runs one of Kentucky’s SNAP programs, SNAP education, which provides nutrition education to families. The current bill would cut funding for the program.
The current version of the bill would also reduce student loan and grant programs. The email said it could impact students’ access to loans, cap the amount of money they can borrow and increase the required number of credit hours for those receiving the Pell Grant.
Capilouto said in the email that while the bill has not yet become law, the university is closely tracking its progress. The email included a link to a frequently updated website detailing how actions by the presidential administration have impacted UK.
Tim Dodson • May 25, 2025 at 12:33 pm
Under Capiluoto the Budget has ballooned almost threefold in the past 15 years.
A budget of $2.5 Billion sounds like a lot right? In 2025 it will have exceeded $8 Billion dollars.