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WPCNR THE LETTER TICKER JULY 1, 2026
GILLIBRAND, COLLEAGUES DEMAND ANSWERS ABOUT IMPACT OF TRUMP’S MEDICAID CUTS
Because of Republicans, New York is facing $63 billion in Medicaid cuts
Washington, D.C. – Today, Ranking Member Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) led her Democratic colleagues on the Senate Aging Committee in demanding answers about the impact of President Trump’s Medicaid cuts on seniors and people with disabilities.
A year ago this week, the president signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which slashed Medicaid funding by nearly $1 trillion to give tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans.
In a letter to the Government Accountability Office, the senators demanded answers about exactly how these cuts will hurt Americans and about what cuts have already been made.
“When federal funding for Medicaid is cut, states are forced to choose between cutting Medicaid spending or using more state money to maintain existing Medicaid services,” the senators wrote. “Ultimately, Medicaid services for older adults and people with disabilities may be cut, even if federal cuts do not directly target those services.”
According to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office, the cuts will result in 7.5 million more people becoming uninsured by 2034. New York alone is facing $63 billion in Medicaid funding cuts by 2034—the second largest cut in the nation. According to Governor Kathy Hochul’s office, this could cause 1.5 million New Yorkers to lose their health coverage and tens of thousands of New York healthcare professionals to lose their jobs.
“Unfortunately, individual states have already discovered that the OBBBA is ‘making their problems worse,’” the senators continued.
In their letter, Gillibrand and her colleagues demand answers about exactly what changes states have made so far regarding Medicaid coverage for older adults and people with disabilities in calendar years 2026 and 2027. They also request answers about the effects that these changes will have on those served by Medicaid.
In addition to Senator Gillibrand, the letter is signed by Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), and Mark Kelly (D-AZ), all members of the Senate Aging Committee.
The full text of the letter can be found here or below:
Dear Acting Comptroller General Brown:
We write concerning the effects of Medicaid cuts for older adults and people with disabilities. On July 4, 2025, President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) into law. The OBBBA slashed Medicaid funding by nearly $1 trillion to cut taxes for the wealthiest Americans. President Trump’s cuts to Medicaid include new red tape for certain adults who wish to enroll in Medicaid and limits on how states can fund their own Medicaid programs.
The cuts particularly target states that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, and will be particularly devastating for older adults and people with disabilities who depend on Medicaid for their health and independence. Given that adults age 50 or older make up 23 percent of Medicaid enrollees and older adults are more likely to have a disability, the Senate Special Committee on Aging (Aging Committee) must understand the multi-year consequences of Medicaid cuts for those populations.
Millions of older adults and people with disabilities rely on Medicaid to pay for their health care services. Medicaid is the largest payer of long-term care in the United States, and in 2023 covered roughly 46 percent of long-term care costs for institutions like nursing homes. Medicaid covers home and community-based services (HCBS) for eight million older adults and people with disabilities, helping them to live and age in the setting of their choice.
Nearly five million adults who are nearing retirement age – those between the ages of 50 and 64 – rely on expanded Medicaid coverage for services like primary care and cancer screening. Meanwhile, roughly 13 million “dual eligible” enrollees rely on Medicaid to pay for essential services they cannot obtain through their Medicare coverage. People who are dual eligible for Medicaid and Medicare are more likely to be lower income, have long-term disabilities, or have multiple chronic conditions.
Medicaid is administered by the states within federal standards, meaning that states may choose, but are not required, to cover many services that benefit older adults and people with disabilities. When federal funding for Medicaid is cut, states are forced to choose between cutting Medicaid spending or using more state money to maintain existing Medicaid services. Ultimately, Medicaid services for older adults and people with disabilities may be cut, even if federal cuts do not directly target those services.
For example, following a 2011 reduction in federal Medicaid matching funds, every state cut HCBS services. Services for older adults and people with disabilities will again be on the chopping block as states confront the harsh reality of President Trump’s cuts. Because the OBBBA implements President Trump’s cuts to Medicaid over multiple years,19 the effect on states will also play out over more than one year.
Unfortunately, individual states have already discovered that the OBBBA is “making their problems worse.”
Early this year, Missouri and Idaho began considering cuts to programs for people with disabilities, while Georgia faces a roughly $8 billion cut in Medicaid funding over the next ten years. Massachusetts approved $1 billion less in state spending than initially proposed for fiscal year 2026 in anticipation of federal cuts.
Ohio is “expected to lose about $33 billion over the next decade for its Medicaid program” and is facing the possibility of “additional program cuts.” Arizona is facing a 19 percent reduction to its Medicaid funding, with no clear way for the state to make up for the cut. Maryland is facing a nearly $3 billion drop in annual Medicaid funding, while New Jersey is considering new spending to try to keep as many as 350,000 people from losing coverage. California and New York, meanwhile, are facing Medicaid cuts of $112 billion and $63 billion by 2034 – the largest decreases in the nation.
The Senate Aging Committee is charged with “a continuing study of any and all matters pertaining to problems and opportunities of older people.”
To properly carry out that mission, the Aging Committee must understand how Medicaid coverage for older adults and people with disabilities changes in the years following President Trump’s cuts. Accordingly, we ask the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to examine the following questions for calendar years 2026 and 2027. When studying the questions, we ask that GAO focus on older adults age 65 or older, older adults between the ages of 50 and 64, and people with disabilities:
- What changes did select states make to their Medicaid coverage for older adults and people with disabilities in calendar years 2026 and 2027?
- What effects did the changes selected states made to their Medicaid coverage have on older adults and people with disabilities served by the program?
We appreciate your attention to this request.
Sincerely,
