Keep Your Eyes on the DC Budget and Medicaid

The wheels keep turning, and the news continues to be...only not as bad as it could be.

Based on this report, and in line with DDS director Reese's announcement at the meeting of DC's Project ACTION! meeting on Saturday May 17, DC's chief financial officer started his 10-day review of the mayor's FY2026 budget last Thursday, which by my count would put it into the DC council's hands by a week from today (although that's Memorial Day, so probably May 27 instead).  Mendelson reported that he expects the council to hold its final budget vote on August 1, so it's looking like a busy June and July for budget hearings.  Meantime, no word on a fix in the House of Representatives for DC's FY2025 budget, so $410 million in cuts can be expected before the end of September.

DDS director Reese also announced at Project ACTION! that the DDS forum on May 23 would focus on the IFS waiver and vocational rehabilitation state plan, with, hopefully, a briefing on the proposed DDS budget for FY 2026 on May 30.

The fate of Medicaid nationally continues to churn.  The House budget committee passed a budget reconciliation bill over the weekend, rumored to have gotten the votes of the House Freedom Caucus based on the promise that Medicaid work requirements would start in 2027 instead of in 2029 as agreed by the House energy and commerce committee the previous weekend.  And for some of the most conservative House representatives, even this isn't enough.

Still Plenty of Uncertainty Ahead

Tomorrow.  Friday, May 16.  That's when the House budget committee will be considering the steep cuts to Medicaid that were proposed by the House Energy and Commerce committee on Sunday (after the 24-hour vigil to protect Medicaid that took place last week).  The proposed cuts focus on work requirements and eligibility restrictions, which would likely result in fewer Medicaid recipients overall.  For the moment though, no targeted reduction in the percentage of DC's federal Medicaid funding is included in the cuts - though this could change.

Our DC officials are working overtime to protect DC, not only with respect to Medicaid, but also to encourage the long-delayed vote in the House to permit our planned local spending in this fiscal year.  Fortunately, it appears that the amount we stand to lose could now be lower than the $1.1 billion originally projected, but it's still the case that we are looking at significant cuts in our spending between now and the end of September, which also is affecting the mayor's presentation of the budget for next year.  The delay also obviously affects the DDS budget briefing, which could still take place this month but is far from certain.  DC council hearings on the FY2026 budget, which normally start in March, may now not happen before June.

So - Things are better than they might have been, thanks to fancy footwork by the mayor's team, but we still have a long road ahead.

Advocating through the Night for Medicaid

 

I was proud to join advocates from DC and around the country yesterday for part of the 24-hour vigil for Medicaid, which is still going on as I write this blog post.  Besides the cuts being considered nationwide, the Energy and Commerce committee of the House of Representatives, where we in DC have no voting representation, is considering shifting the federal funding for Medicaid in DC from 70% to 50%, which would have devastating consequences.  

For now, it appears that the House committee has postponed its voting on the Medicaid cuts, but analysis has shown that in order to cut the government's budget deficit by $880 billion over the next ten years as directed by the House budget resolution, the House will indeed be cutting Medicaid, which is unacceptable.  So when you ask your friends and family living outside DC to write or phone their representatives NOW in opposition to Medicaid cuts, remind them to protect the cuts to DC Medicaid as well.  

They're coming for DC Medicaid too

Well, the celebrating over the past few days has been about Mayor Bowser's tentative deal with the Commanders to return to RFK Stadium (which still needs DC council approval).  At about the same time she was announcing that breakthrough, though, the mayor was also holding a press conference warning of the "dire impacts" of changes in the federal contribution to DC's Medicaid program that are being proposed by some in Congress.  This DC-specific proposal is part of a package of potential Medicaid cuts that I wrote about in my latest blog post.  Even though the mayor understandably focused on the consequences for local hospitals and health care, she mentioned that there would be effects on other programs, and as we know, this could affect our local disability supports as well.

The House of Representatives committee overseeing Medicaid will meet day after tomorrow to finalize these cuts, as described in this article.  While - as usual - we in DC have little ability to affect decisions that affect us directly, one thing you can do is look at this list of members of the House Energy and Commerce committee, and see if you know anyone in the districts they represent that you can ask to write in opposition to this DC-specific change, as well as any Medicaid reductions being considered in their own state.

We'll all been focused on the House's failure to restore its $1.1 billion in cuts to local DC funding in the current fiscal year, which continues to affect the mayor's presentation of next year's budget.  But these looming Medicaid cuts, if they go through, are even more significant because the effects will extend long before this year and hit the most vulnerable people in DC most directly.

So again, look at that list of members of the House Energy and Commerce committee, and generate those calls, letters and emails to them today and tomorrow!  There's no time to waste!

You Can Help Save Disability Protections Nationwide

NORMALLY MY BLOG IS OF MOST INTEREST TO PEOPLE WHO RESIDE IN DC, BUT THIS TIME THERE'S ESSENTIAL INFORMATION - AND A CALL TO ACTION - FOR THOSE OF YOU LIVING IN ONE OF THE FIFTY STATES!  PLEASE READ ON!

I won't lie to you:  this morning's Project ACTION! (https://www.facebook.com/dcprojectaction/) meeting was pretty discouraging.  

That's in part because the House is still on recess and we still don't know where we stand with DC's FY2025 budget.

But it was also discouraging to learn about the impact the Trump administration's FY 2026 budget passback for the US Department of Health and Human Services could have for essential disability supports nationwide, as explained here by the American Association of People with Disabilities.  

And this is where you - in DC but especially in places where you have voting representatives in the US Congress - can make a big difference - go to this page, fill it out, and also send it to your voting representatives.  SAVE ESSENTIAL DISABILITY ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT THE US by making your voice heard NOW.

Here's Where We Stand with our Budget

 

Here I was with my message last Saturday (the other side of my sign said "Hands Off DC and Medicaid").  It was a good turnout, both here and in other cities around the country.

On the subject of our budget - The House of Representatives will go out on recess again today, for the next two weeks, without having passed the Senate bill protecting DC's FY2025 budget, so our relief continues to be postponed.  Hopefully things will look up for us when they reconvene toward the end of the month, but I can't help thinking the timing of this bill just passed by the DC council won't help us much.  This is a time for treading very carefully, not waving a red flag.  Hooray to Janeese Lewis George (who chairs the DDS/ODR committee) and Charles Allen for seeing that clearly!

From what I can tell, the mayor is still holding up presenting her FY2026 budget until we (hopefully) get House agreement on FY2025, so we really need to keep our eye on that ball.  

HANDS OFF DC APRIL 5!

 

The cherry blossoms were beautiful while they lasted, though most are sadly now gone with our recent rains.  Tomorrow, April 5, is the Petalpalooza celebration, but make sure you detour to the Washington Monument for the Hands Off rally starting at noon, and hold up high those "Hands Off DC Government" and "Hands Off Medicaid" signs!  

For the past couple of weeks, I had thought I would be writing about FY2026 budget hearings before the DC Council, but in light of the refusal by the US House of Representatives to pass the bill "allowing" DC to spend our own local tax dollars in this fiscal year (FY2025), everything about next year's budget has been postponed.  (If the House doesn't take action soon, we may be having to make abrupt cuts in this year's local spending.)

SO - GET OUT THERE TOMORROW AND SAY IT LOUDLY:  HANDS OFF DC GOVERNMENT!

The Upside and the Downside

Last night was a special evening, a time for celebrating community and recognizing the essential work of the Quality Trust in supporting DC residents with disabilities at their annual Better Together reception.  It was wonderful to spend time with Shawn Ullman, Quality Trust's CEO, and so many others involved in protecting and advancing disability rights every day - and it also was great to see Shawn's predecessor, Tina Campanella, who never misses an opportunity to visit us back here in DC when she can!

On a more sobering note, the DDS performance review last week, while examining DDS policies and actions over the past year, couldn't help but also touch on the nerve-wracking proposals, now making their way through the Congress, that could directly affect DC's overall finances as well as reduce federal Medicaid funding across the country.  Judging from today's news, risks to DC's budget may not even wait for next year, since the continuing resolution now under consideration would force DC to cut over $1 billion in spending between now and the end of September.

These risks to DC are the reason why I am so dismayed that different organizations concerned about our lack of national representation don't seem to be pulling together to fight the affronts to home rule that are right on our doorstep.  Each day I receive an email from a different organization, each wanting my support on behalf of DC's political rights.  But frankly it's dizzying - it's time, right now, for a united front among these various groups so I hope they will figure things out quickly, because our opponents are not waiting.  Here's a tip though:  The 51st continues to be a reliable source of information about our besieged future state (it WILL happen!), and it, at least, deserves your support if you're able to subscribe. Maybe they can do some research to help explain why we' have such a fragmented bunch of DC advocacy organizations...

Judy Heumann, Still Building Bridges!

In these trying times, it's a pleasure to get together with friends in a good cause.  So it was huge fun - not to mention informative - to be a part of Monday's event at UDC honoring Judy Heumann, national and local trailblazer for disability rights, who passed away on March 4, 2023.  Besides the inspiring videos and panels, there was an exciting announcement at the event, namely that Councilmember Frumin has introduced a bill to rename the Klingle Valley bridge on Connecticut Avenue in her honor.  Apparently a number of her neighbors at the Kennedy Warren apartment building had championed this idea.  DC's disability advocates, and the community at large, will want to turn out in support of this bill when it receives consideration by the DC council.  

Holding the Line on Home Rule

I promised in my February 11 blog post to give more air time to defending our DC democracy as well, and there are definitely efforts under way to undermine even DC's limited home rule. I'm doing my best to try to educate friends, especially in my home state of Tennessee, about the real DC and its longtime fight for democracy, but in this difficult moment, it helped me to get this encouragement from at-large DC Councilmember Christina Henderson:

Dear Neighbor,

“What have the people of the District done that they should be excluded from the privileges of the ballot box?” - Frederick Douglass, 1895 from his home in Anacostia 

It is not lost on me that at the same time our country is being thrust into a debate about the value of diverse and inclusive communities, and teaching the full scope of American history, that the District’s right to self-governance has also entered the chat. For over 130 years, this conversation about whether DC should have home rule has raged on, and though some are reluctant to admit it, race has always been a main character in the story. 

Most people do not remember that for much of the nineteenth century, Congress allowed residents in the District to elect their own local officials. At the time, however, only white, male landowners had the right to vote. Then in 1867, Black men were granted the right to vote in DC elections for the first time – yes, years before the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment. That was too radical for Southern members of Congress and elites in DC who were concerned about the growing political power of Black Washingtonians. And in 1874, they revoked home rule for everyone in the District. It was never about the Constitution. It was never about operations of government. Voting rights is always about power.  

What should you say to your family and friends who are probably asking your thoughts on the latest conversation? Tell them this – Washington, DC is a world-class city, home to 700,000 residents who are doing their best to live out the American dream just like everyone else. We are a beautiful mixed tapestry of cultures and lived experiences. We just had our 28th consecutive clean audit. Violent crime is down 30%. Our pensions are fully-funded. And our schools are award-winning. You’re always steps away from history, arts and culture, and the best libraries and parks in the country. And yes, our sports teams compete on the highest level. We relish in our role as host of national and international events, and fiercely protect the right of our residents and all Americans to exercise their First Amendment right in our town. No city is perfect and we do have some challenges to acknowledge, but this is my home – why shouldn’t I have the right to choose my representation and serve as a check on political power like all other tax paying Americans? 

The challenges that we currently face will not be our last, but we will continue to move forward and fervently hold onto the values and integrity of our city. Representing the District has been a profound honor and I will continue to defend her. I hope you will join me. 

And this from me again:  Don't sit on your hands!  We may not have representation (yet), but we have our voices, so use them to protect home rule right now!