Click here for a plain language version
For Immediate Release: July 1, 2025
Contact: Michael Lewis at mlewis@aapd.com; 540-447-9438
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) strongly condemns the budget reconciliation bill passed by the Senate, which includes an alarming $930 billion in cuts to Medicaid. These proposed cuts are even more severe than those passed by the House of Representatives and represent a direct threat to the health, independence, and lives of millions of Americans with disabilities.
Medicaid is a lifeline for people with disabilities. It provides essential services such as home and community-based services, employment supports, and critical medical treatments that enable individuals to live independently, participate in their communities, and maintain their well-being. The deep cuts proposed in this Senate bill would dismantle these vital supports, forcing many people with disabilities into institutions, limiting access to necessary medical care, and ultimately jeopardizing their ability to live full and meaningful lives.
The bill also includes stricter work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps millions of people with disabilities, older adults, and their families buy food each month. Furthermore, it goes beyond proposing SNAP cuts and also shifts the cost onto states, which would significantly impact their budgets and hit rural communities the hardest.
“The Senate’s budget reconciliation bill is a cruel assault on disabled people and other marginalized communities,” said Maria Town, President and CEO of AAPD. “These unprecedented cuts to Medicaid and SNAP will not only strip away essential services but will also inflict immeasurable harm on individuals with disabilities, their families, and their communities, all under the deceitful guise of preventing waste, fraud, and abuse, which rarely occurs. Disabled people have fought cuts before, and we will not only continue to fight against cuts that slash our services and threaten our rights, we will fight for more investment in services so that disabled people have what we need to thrive,” Town continued.
“AAPD also extends its sincere gratitude to the Senators who, during the exhaustive 20-hour ‘vote-a-rama,’ offered crucial amendments to remove the bill’s cruelest provisions. This resulted in the removal of the harmful moratorium on state laws regulating the use of artificial intelligence and included proposed amendments to strip the bill of some of the worst of the Medicaid cuts, remove onerous work requirements, prevent bans on Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming and reproductive healthcare, and preserve vital food assistance. Their tireless work to mitigate the harm of this bill and make our government responsive to the daily needs of the American people is deeply appreciated,” Town concluded.
This fight is not over. The bill now returns to the House of Representatives for a vote on the Senate’s version. We are encouraged that some House members have already indicated their opposition to this harmful legislation. We urge all concerned citizens to contact their Representatives immediately and demand they vote NO on this destructive bill. The AAPD is firmly against any legislation that undermines the rights and well-being of people with disabilities. We call on Congress to protect Medicaid and ensure that people with disabilities have continued access to the services they need to thrive.