From DC: Groups Oppose Medicaid Cuts, Tax Bill Threatens Older Adults, White House Releases FY26 Budget

June 6, 2025

From DC is Justice in Aging’s weekly roundup of national news and resources about issues impacting older adults. To receive From DC in your inbox as soon as its published, sign up for our mailing list.

Here’s what we’re watching in Washington:

1,100 Advocacy Organizations Tell the Senate to Reject Cuts to Medicaid

This week, the Disability and Aging Collaborative, the Consortium for Constituents with Disabilities, and allied organizations sent a letter to every U.S. Senator urging them to reject the House-passed budget reconciliation bill (H.R. 1) or any legislation that cuts Medicaid.

Justice in Aging joined the letter, along with more than 1,100 national, state, and local organizations, representing every state and D.C., to show we are united in opposition to the bill because of the harmful cuts and changes to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that will take coverage and benefits away from millions of people with disabilities, older adults, and their caregivers.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released new evaluations of the reconciliation bill’s impact. The bill itself will result in at least 10.9 million people becoming uninsured – the vast majority (7.8 million people) of the newly uninsured will have Medicaid taken away and includes millions of people with disabilities and older adults. When factoring in expiration of the enhanced ACA premium tax credits, the number of people who will become uninsured rises to 16 million.

CBO also estimates the bill will take away Medicare cost-sharing assistance from more than 1.3 million seniors and people with disabilities, leaving them underinsured and financially vulnerable. It would also strip Medicare coverage from many lawfully present older immigrants who have lived and worked in the U.S. for decades.

Senate Republicans are continuing to negotiate the bill behind closed doors. It is critical that the public be made aware of the grave harms to older adults in this bill and that Congress hear from their constituents.

Stay informed and learn more about what’s at stake and what advocates can do by visiting Justice in Aging’s Medicaid defense resources..

Evidence Mounts Showing Tax Bill Would Harm Older Adults

In addition to the CBO’s evaluation of the House-passed budget reconciliation bill (H.R. 1), new analysis from Manatt and KFF provide state-by-state impacts and coverage loss estimates. Analyses from Brookings and TCF show how these cuts are as deep and harmful as those the Senate rejected in 2017. This RWJF State Health & Value Strategies resource provides a collection of state agencies’ public analysis of the bill. The through line is that older adults and people with disabilities will be harmed, despite proponents of the bill claiming to want to protect them.

A new article, House SNAP Cuts Would Further Endanger Medicaid For Disabled People, Older Adults, explains how H.R. 1 will directly harm older adults and disabled people by taking away their Medicaid and food assistance, and how the bill’s shift of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) costs to states will increase the chance of states cutting optional Medicaid services like home- and community-based services (HCBS) to fill state budget holes.

As the authors conclude, “despite the rhetoric otherwise, the reconciliation bill would take away critical supports from some of the most vulnerable Americans while creating tax breaks for the very wealthy.”

White House Releases New Details for FY26 Proposed Budget

The Trump Administration recently released more details about its Fiscal Year 2026 budget request for Congress. The President’s budget proposes deep cuts for vital services that allow older adults and people with disabilities to remain safely at home and in their communities. Overall, the budget guts and eliminates critical federal programs by $163 billion, a historic amount, and effectively reduces funding for Social Security by not keeping up with increased costs.

The updated budget proposes to retain funding for the long-term care ombudsman, State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), and other elder justice programs. The Administration plans to continue certain Administration for Community Living (ACL) programs under a newly named Administration for Children, Families, and Communities.

While the President’s budget reflects the Administration’s funding recommendations, Congress must negotiate and approve all funding bills. The current spending bill for the federal government expires later this year at the end of September.

In the meantime, Justice in Aging will continue to monitor the budget situation and inform our network about how and when to take action.