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On March 14, the Senate approved a continuing resolution to fund the government through September and avoid a shut down. As we shared in our February 5 and March 4, and March 11 advocacy alerts, The House and Senate are still in the process of negotiating a joint budget reconciliation resolution, which may include how to reduce federal spending by approximately $1.7 Trillion. Most of those savings are expected to come from the Medicaid program — Medicaid cuts could exceed $880 Billion.
While this fight continues, we want to remind our stakeholders that we need everyone receiving our updates to take the following steps (and encourage others in your network to do the same):
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Send a letter to your Congressional representative through The Arc US one-click campaign
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Make a phone call to your representative (find your representative)
- Request and hold a meeting with your representative (either virtual or in person)
- Provide feedback to The Arc New York about your efforts and what you’ve learned
If you are not receiving a response or receive a flat out NO on your request to meet, please contact Philip Aydinian to discuss ways we can elevate your request.
If you have been able to meet with your representative, we would like to hear the feedback you received. Please contact Philip Aydinian to share.
With close to 100,000 members, 30,000 staff, and hundreds of board members, we have the power to apply pressure to our delegates to make sure they understand how devastating cuts to Medicaid will be for the people we support. We also have a responsibility to make sure they are clear that cuts to funding received by New York state, even if not specifically targeted at our field, will have an adverse impact on our supports and services.
Legislative Connections
On March 18, The Arc New York followed up with Rep. Mike Lawler on our previous letter to each of the seven Congressional delegates who voted in favor of the budget resolution to reduce spending, asking for their specific commitment to preserving Medicaid funding for people with intellectual, developmental, and other developmental disabilities. We had a productive discussion that emphasized the needs of people with disabilities, and will inform our advocacy moving forward.
Some of our Chapters also participated in a telephonic town hall with Rep. Nick Langworthy on March 11 and shared feedback from that event with the State Office.
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