Budget Reconciliation Update
After the budget reconciliation bill (the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill Act”) passed the House last month, the Senate has been in negotiations to try to produce a Senate version that will gain passage. We expect to see each Senate committee with jurisdiction release legislative text soon, with the Senate Finance committee, which has jurisdiction over Medicaid, expected to do so late next week. The text will have to go through the Senate parliamentarian to ensure that the proposals meet the requirements for being in budget reconciliation.
TASH signed onto this letter from the Disability and Aging Collaborative and Consortium of Constituents with Disabilities, urging the Senate to oppose Medicaid cuts.
While at this point there is no expectation that the Senate will reduce the deep and historic cuts to Medicaid that are in the House bill, that doesn’t mean that we stop advocating; in fact, a number of Senators, including multiple Republicans, have publicly expressed concerns; It is imperative to reach out to Senate offices, so keep up the fight!
What You Can Do:
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Continue to share stories about what Medicaid means to you, your family and your community. Call your members of Congress with a simple message: Don’t cut Medicaid. You can reach your House and Senate offices by calling the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121, to be transferred directly to their office. You can also find contact information for your Congressional Members using TASH’s Advocacy Tools & Resources page. |
President Trump’s Budget
A leaked version of President Trump’s proposed FY2026 budget included cuts to many programs, including the Developmental Disabilities Act programs (DD Councils, Protection and Advocacy, and University Centers for Excellence in DD). The good news is that the advocacy around that leaked budget worked: all of the aging and disability programs from ACL are moving together, instead of being split across agencies. They will move to the newly created Administration of Children, Families and Communities. Many programs that had been initially proposed for elimination are now in the proposed budget, including the Centers for Independent Living (CILs) and the DD Councils. However, the budget does reduce their funding and the University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDDS) remain zeroed out. We will continue working with partners to push back on funding and program cuts.
Washington Update logo image credit: Romain Pontida, Creative Commons, Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic, some modifications.