Special Needs Network Condemns Deep Federal Cuts to Medicaid, Food Assistance

Los Angeles, CA, July 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the federal reconciliation spending bill, enacting the deepest cuts in history to Medicaid and essential food assistance programs. The bill will now advance to the President, who has indicated he will sign it into law.

These sweeping cuts include over $1 trillion from Medicaid and $300 billion from SNAP, dismantling vital services that millions of Californians rely upon, including families, older adults, women, children, and individuals with disabilities.

In California, the consequences could be catastrophic:

• Loss of $28?billion in health care funding
• $2.8 to $5.4?billion in lost food assistance
• Up to 3.4?million Californians losing health insurance

Equally alarming are the new Medicaid work-reporting requirements, which threaten coverage for individuals with disabilities and special needs who may not meet narrow federal definitions of “medically frail” or face barriers in proving exemptions. Parents caring for children with disabilities, adults with autism, and individuals with serious health conditions are at risk of losing access to life-sustaining services due to bureaucratic hurdles, not lack of need.

“This bill is a direct attack on the promise of health care for the most vulnerable among us,” said Areva Martin, President and CEO of Special Needs Network. “No parent should lose sleep worrying that their child will lose therapy because of paperwork. No individual with autism, developmental disabilities, or complex medical conditions should face a coverage cliff because of a reporting technicality. We will not stand by silently as lifelines for our community are dismantled.”

For the thousands of families served by Special Needs Network, these cuts translate to therapies lost, medications interrupted, and the collapse of support systems that make everyday life possible. These are not abstract policy shifts; they are life-and-death realities for our community.

Special Needs Network calls on federal and state leaders to reverse these devastating cuts and protect essential services for Californians with disabilities and their families. We urge our community to stay informed, contact your representatives, and join us in demanding policies that uphold dignity, health, and equity for all.

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Special Needs Network, Inc. (SNN) is a nonprofit grassroots organization responding to the crisis of autism and other developmental disabilities in underserved communities. We recognize the intersectionality of individuals with disabilities and that their fight for disability rights is inextricably tied to the fight for racial justice and the civil rights of all people.

Special Needs [email protected]