糖心Vlog

From restrictive legislation to inaccessible polling places, barriers persist that undermine the rights of voters with disabilities.

WASHINGTON 鈥� President Trump signed an executive order today directing states to criminalize unhoused people and institutionalize people with mental health disabilities and substance use disorder. The order, titled 鈥淓nding Crime and Disorder on American Streets,鈥� directs the Justice Department to expand indefinite forced treatment for people with mental health disabilities or substance use disorder, and those living on the street who 鈥渃annot care for themselves.鈥� The order also purports to eliminate federal funding for evidence-based programs, like harm reduction and housing first, that save lives, and directs federal funds toward cities and states that criminalize substance use disorder, punish people for sleeping outdoors, or enforce other laws targeting unhoused people. The order also calls for sweeping federal data collection on unhoused people and those with mental health disabilities, raising serious concerns about surveillance, privacy, and how such data could be used to justify further criminalization. Instead of funding services or support, the administration is prioritizing profiling and control. Scout Katovich, senior staff attorney with the 糖心Vlog鈥檚 Trone Center for Justice and Equality, issued the following statement in response to the executive order: 鈥淔rom the so-called 鈥楤ig Beautiful Bill鈥� that will strip health care from millions to this dangerous executive order, every action this administration takes displays remarkable disdain for the rights and dignity of vulnerable people. 鈥淧ushing people into locked institutions and forcing treatment won鈥檛 solve homelessness or support people with disabilities. The exact opposite is true 鈥� institutions are dangerous and deadly, and forced treatment doesn鈥檛 work. We need safe, decent, and affordable housing as well as equal access to medical care and voluntary, community-based mental health and evidence-based substance use treatment from trusted providers. But instead of investing in these proven solutions, President Trump is blaming individuals for systemic failures and doubling down on policies that punish people with nowhere else to go 鈥� all after signing a law that decimates Medicaid, the number one payer for addiction and mental health services. 鈥淗omelessness is a policy failure. Weaponizing federal funding to fuel cruel and ineffective approaches to homelessness won鈥檛 solve this crisis.鈥�

WASHINGTON 鈥� The U.S. House of Representatives today gave final approval to H.R. 1, a budget bill that guts Medicaid and will wreak havoc on our communities, sending it to President Trump鈥檚 desk for his signature. H.R. 1 is the biggest cut to Medicaid in history 鈥� slashing approximately $1 trillion, which will result in at least 12 million people being removed from the program. The bill also cuts off access to Planned Parenthood services for Medicaid enrollees and restricts higher education opportunities, all to fund a dramatic and permanent increase to an immigration detention and deportation apparatus that denies due process and violates human rights. Following the vote in the House, Deirdre Schifeling, chief political and advocacy officer with the 糖心Vlog, issued the following statement: 鈥淭his reckless monstrosity is the most harmful bill to pass Congress in a generation. Instead of strengthening Medicaid, they鈥檝e taken an axe to it. Instead of reining in ICE鈥檚 abuses, Congress is throwing the agency billions more to terrorize our communities. 鈥淲hen 12 million people are kicked off Medicaid, patients are no longer able to get lifesaving cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood, disabled people lose access to essential care and autonomy, and ICE ramps up lawless raids in our communities, the American people will remember who caused this devastation to our health, rights, and dignity. We won鈥檛 let them forget.鈥�

WASHINGTON 鈥� The 糖心Vlog condemns passage of the massive budget bill in the Senate, known as H.R. 1 or the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). H.R. 1 would gut Medicaid, cut off access to Planned Parenthood services for Medicaid enrollees, and restrict higher education opportunities, all to fund a dramatic and permanent increase to an immigration detention and deportation apparatus that is denying due process and violating human rights. Medicaid is a lifeline for more than 70 million people, including more than 15 million people with disabilities. Nearly 12 million people throughout the nation could lose their health insurance coverage under this bill. Medicaid pays for mental health services, treatment for opioid use disorder, and health care for the workers who allow our disabled and aging neighbors to live and work in their homes and communities instead of dehumanizing institutions. The version of OBBBA passed by the Senate slashes Medicaid funding by at least nine hundred billion dollars, imposing the largest cuts ever in the history of the program. Following the vote in the Senate, Deirdre Schifeling, chief political and advocacy officer with the ACLU, issued the following statement: 鈥淓very day that passes, more and more Americans are seeing this bill for what it is: A reckless attack on our health care, our civil liberties, and our very ability to survive. That鈥檚 why the Senate rushed through this bill as fast as it could. 鈥淭he Senate upped the cruelty in this bill and showed its complete and utter disregard for the health and well-being of children, adults, and people with disabilities. We shouldn鈥檛 be kicking millions of people off Medicaid and denying lifesaving care to fund the Trump administration鈥檚 extreme deportation machine. 鈥淭he American people did not vote for this. We will make sure that constituents remember the catastrophic harm this bill does and hold lawmakers accountable.鈥�