On this day in 1990, George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act:
Yet, as we celebrate the ADA's enduring legacy this year, the future for people with disabilities looks less certain. The ADA’s vision is not self-sustaining. Its promise is fulfilled through an ecosystem of vital support services, many of which rely on Medicaid funding. For millions of Americans living with disabilities, Medicaid is a lifeline that provides access to essential home- and community-based services (HCBS). These services include the most basic activities of daily living like bathing, dressing, eating, and more, as well as the residential programs, employment supports, and assistive technologies that allow people with I/DD to live with dignity in their own homes and communities. These services are at the heart of the ADA and crucial to making inclusion a reality.
Following the passage of President Donald Trump’s tax bill, which will cut aproximately $1 trillion from Medicaid over the next several years, these support systems are in jeopardy. This attack on Medicaid threatens to unravel decades of progress toward equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities, as access to these services will undoubtedly become more limited.
Trump wants to criminalize and institutionalize the unhoused while slashing funding for housing, mental health care, and veterans’ services. You don’t get to gut the social safety net AND cage the fallout.
— Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (@repcleaver) July 25, 2025
This executive order is just cruelty masquerading as policy. https://t.co/bnh0MGmzus
