For Immediate Release
7/4/2025
Contact: David Card
202.408.9514 x122 | [email protected]
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) is deeply disappointed by the passage of the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” a sweeping legislative package that includes devastating cuts to Medicaid and other essential programs that millions of people with disabilities rely on for their health, independence, and quality of life.
Despite its name, there is nothing beautiful about a bill that slashes funding for home- and community-based services, weakens protections for people with disabilities, and threatens to roll back decades of hard-fought progress toward equality and inclusion. These cuts are not just numbers on a page—they are lifelines being pulled from individuals who depend on Medicaid for personal care attendants, medical equipment, therapies, and the ability to live safely and with dignity in their own homes.
“We are outraged that Congress has once again chosen to abandon people with disabilities,” said Marlene Sallo, Executive Director of NDRN. “Medicaid is not wasteful spending—it is a vital program that enables people with disabilities to live full and productive lives in the community, rather than being forced into institutions.”
NDRN also condemns the rushed and opaque process by which the bill was passed, which left little opportunity for public input, especially from the disability community. This lack of transparency only deepens our concern that the voices of people with disabilities are being ignored.
While we are discouraged by today’s vote, we are not deterred. NDRN and the nationwide Protection and Advocacy (P&A) Network remain committed to defending the rights of people with disabilities and fighting to protect and expand access to critical services.
“We have faced setbacks before, and we will rise again,” Sallo said. “Our mission has not changed. We will continue to advocate—loudly and persistently—for a nation where people with disabilities are treated with dignity, have access to care, and can live independently in the communities of their choice.”
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The National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) is the nonprofit membership organization for the federally mandated Protection and Advocacy (P&A) Systems and the Client Assistance Programs (CAP) for individuals with disabilities. Collectively, the Network is the largest provider of legally based advocacy services to people with disabilities in the United States.
