UPDATED JULY 1, 2025: The Senate has just passed their version of H.R. 1, the budget reconciliation bill by a vote of 51-50, with Vice President Vance breaking the tie. The text is available here. This bill would cut Medicaid funding by nearly $1 trillion dollars, cause 17 million people to lose healthcare, and will gut many of the programs that support people with disabilities. The bill now goes back to the House for a vote so that changes from the Senate can be approved. The House is expected to vote SOON! We need to contact our U.S. Representatives NOW!! 

UPDATED JUNE 16, 2025: On June 16, 2025, the Senate released text for its own version of the May 22, 2025 reconciliation bill (H.R. 1). Previously, the National Down Syndrome Congress and over 100 national and state organizations signed onto a letter and accompanying policy brief showing why the House version of the bill would result in negative consequences for the Down syndrome community. Unfortunately, the Senate version poses even greater concerns. Whereas the House version proposed $793billion in Medicaid cuts over 10 years, the Senate version deepens those cuts further, pushing them to more than $900billion over 10 years. Additionally, the Senate version further limits the ability of states to fund Medicaid by increasing the caps on “provider taxes” even more, which will compel states to slash funding for Medicaid “optional” services such as Home and Community-Based Waiver Services (HCBS). Put simply, the bill drastically slashes federal funding for Medicaid while preventing states from filling the gaps. 

Among other provisions that will be detrimental to our community, the Senate version also tightens rules for proposed work requirements (called “Community Engagement Requirements”) that will directly harm caregivers with dependents over age 14 and the direct support professional (DSP) workforce upon which people with Down syndrome and other disabilities depend for supports in the community. For more details, see here for a side-by-side comparison of the House and Senate versions of the reconciliation bill (also called the “One Big Beautiful Bill”).   

While we acknowledge that the current Medicaid program could be improved, ANY and ALL cuts to the Medicaid program will harm people with Down syndrome, their families, and the people who support them.  

TIMING IS CRITICAL AND WE NEED YOU TO CALL AND EMAIL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES NOW TO ASK THEM TO OPPOSE ALL CUTS TO MEDICAID FUNDING! 

#HandsOffMedicaid #ProtectMedicaid