Duckworth, Leader Schumer, Senate Democrats Urge Trump to Stop Attacks Against Seniors, Americans with Disabilities and Children Who Depend on Medicaid in Democratic-Led States

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) led their Democratic colleagues in urging President Donald Trump and the Trump Administration to stop their cruel crusade against Medicaid programs in Democratic-led states, which is undermining the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) that millions of Americans rely on to live safe and independent lives. Their letter to President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy, Jr. and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz comes after the Administrationwithheld$259 million in Medicaid funds from Minnesota, claiming to go after “fraudsters” but in reality targets a lifeline for seniors, Americans with disabilities and children. The Senators were joined by U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
“Your sudden ‘crusade against fraud’ is insulting to anyone paying attention to your actual record,”wrote the Senators.“If this administration actually cared about reducing fraud and protecting taxpayer dollars, why did youfire at least 15 independent Inspectors Generalduring your very first week in office? If program integrity is truly the goal, why is the administrationpardoning convicted fraudsters?
“Instead of policing corruption, you are weaponizing the federal government against seniors, people with disabilities, and hardworking families.”
The Senators slammed the Administration for falsely maligning HCBS—the very services that keep people out of institutions—as inherently fraudulent simply because a growing number of Americans depend on it. They wrote:“This is a success story, not a scandal. This growth is not evidence of weak oversight; it is the predictable, intended, and celebrated result of decades-long federal and state rebalancing policies that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) itself designed and promoted.”
In the letter, the Senators highlighted several real-life examples of American stories who have benefited from HCBS funding. Without HCBS, many Americans who need long-term services would be forced into nursing homes and institutions—a devastating rollback of civil rights that will ultimately cost taxpayers more.
A copy of the letter can be found onthe Senator’s websiteand below:
We write to you today on behalf of the millions of Americans who rely on Medicaid to live safely and independently in their communities. We demand an immediate end to the administration’s politicized crusade against states like Minnesota, California, Maine, New York, and other states led by Democratic governors.
Let us be clear: you are not going after the real fraudsters. Instead, under the guise of "program integrity," you are cutting off vital funding for services that seniors, people with disabilities, and children rely on to survive and thrive in their communities. This summer, you and Congressional Republicans enacted the largest Medicaid cuts in history. Your latest campaign to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars from blue states is a thinly veiled attempt to pull the wool over Americans’ eyes and shift the blame for your catastrophic cuts onto states.
Your sudden "crusade against fraud" is insulting to anyone paying attention to your actual record. There is no acceptable fraud, nor should Congress or the Administration tolerate any wasteful spending of taxpayer funding. Fraud against Medicaid programs has occurred in every state—both red and blue—and robust processes, including Medicaid Fraud Control Units (MFCUs), already exist to identify and address it. If this administration actually cared about reducing fraud and protecting taxpayer dollars, why did youfire at least 15 independent Inspectors Generalduring your very first week in office? If program integrity is truly the goal, why is the administrationpardoning convicted fraudsters? Instead of policing corruption, you are weaponizing the federal government against seniors, people with disabilities, and hardworking families.
The administration is falsely maligning Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS)—the very services that keep people out of institutions—as inherently fraudulent. Your characterization of spending growth in personal care and HCBS as evidence of program integrity risk is not based in fact. More people and families utilizing HCBS means that states have successfully implemented the federal mandate to shift away from institutional care toward community-based care.This is a success story, not a scandal.This growth is not evidence of weak oversight; it is the predictable, intended, and celebrated result of decades-long federal and state rebalancing policies that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) itself designed and promoted.
Your decision to arbitrarily withhold massive amounts of federal matching funds is a direct attack on older Americans, children and adults with disabilities, and the workers who deliver this essential home-based care. Funding freezes force states to halt payments and scale back programs. Without home care, Americans who need long-term services will be forced into nursing homes and institutions—a devastating rollback of civil rights that will ultimately cost taxpayers more. Furthermore, home care agencies and independent care workers, who already operate on razor-thin margins while following the law, will be forced to shut their doors.
Rather than vilify people with disabilities and seniors aging at home, Democrats have consistently proposed solutions to root out actual wasteful spending. While you fired the very watchdogs responsible for prosecuting fraud, Democrats haveproposeddoubling down on anti-fraud programs that return up to $11 for every $1 spent. Without a single Republican vote, Democrats secured nearly $40 billion in Medicaid support to expand access to home-based care, boost workforce recruitment amid dire shortages, and increase wages for workers.
Meanwhile, Republican cuts to Medicaid are already denying services to families, likecappingoccupational, speech, and physical therapy visits. These cuts harm Americans in communities all across the country and burden hardworking families. For example, Theresa and her sister Nellie, now in their 60s, were born with muscular dystrophy that weakened their muscles over time and now both use wheelchairs. Both rely on personal care services provided through California’s HCBS program, called the In Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program for their daily activities, including getting in and out of bed, dressing, showering, and preparing food. Because of HCBS, both Theresa and Nelly could start working. Their caregiving attendant helps them get ready every morning, including helping Nellie get to public transportation that takes her to her job. She then assists Theresa in settling into her home office where she can get onto her morning Zoom meetings.
HCBS is the lifeline that allows people with disabilities to live independently and participate in their communities. In Theresa’s words: “I don’t think I could be on my own without IHSS. I wouldn’t be safe at all and I don’t know how long I would last without an injury. And I wouldn’t be able to work. I would not be able to get ready for the day, or to eat, or to go to in-person work events. Because IHSS allows me to work, I don’t depend on SSI anymore and our life is decent. We don’t have a lot but we have enough--we have a cat, bird feeders, have a decent living room that’s wheelchair accessible, a little bit of furniture. We have the basics, everything we need to be happy.”
Just like Theresa and Nellie, Medicaid HCBS is a lifeline for Patty and Katina. Patty from Tigard, Oregon, left her career as a therapist to become a Personal Support Worker (PSW) so she could get paid to care for her adult daughter, Katina, who has Down Syndrome, and requires 24/7 support for her safety. Patty becoming a PSW after Katina graduated from high school not only allowed Katina to live in her community but has had an enormous impact on the family’s financial stability. Prior to becoming a PSW, Patty relied on Social Security disability payments as the family’s sole source of income, and they were barely able to make ends meet. At one point, the family went into foreclosure and almost lost their home. Becoming a PSW has meant that not only does Katina have full-time care that allows her to live as an adult in her community, but the family has become financially secure enough to not have to rely on Social Security payments to live. Patty worries that Medicaid cuts will mean that she will no longer be able to be paid to be Katina’s caregiver. This would force their family into financial ruin and Katina into a facility, which is much more expensive and not what either she or Katina want.
For millions, Medicaid HCBS prevents more costly and restrictive care in residential facilities. Jennifer from Harrison, NY has a young adult son, Philip, who has an intellectual disability and autism. In her words – “He is 24 and is living a fulfilling life due to the support he receives from Medicaid HCBS. Philip has received job training in the community, job coaching in the community, participates in the local YMCA, local riding programs, recreation programs and a day program. He would likely be doing none of these things if it weren't for Medicaid HCBS. He would be sitting in the house alone. My husband and I both work full time. His siblings are all either in college or working and living on their own, Philip would be sitting in the house staring at the walls. That would dissolve into depression and accompanying poor behavioral control. We've been there before and we don't want to go back to those days in and out of the hospitals. Now Philip has a full life. He has friends, a community, a social life, and he is working towards a work life. He has all of this because of Medicaid HCBS.”
Theresa, Nellie, Patty, Katina, Jennifer and Philip are not fraudsters, nor are the millions of older adults and people with disabilities who need care at home. The administration’s fraudulent campaign to label these families as “fraudsters” puts millions of lives in jeopardy. We urge you to immediately cease the weaponization of the federal government against our disabled and elderly constituents.
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