There is an urgent matter to be advocated for! On July 4th, 2025, a sweeping piece of legislation was signed into law, slashing over $1 trillion from Medicaid and Medi-Cal. This is the largest cut to these programs in U.S. history. The congressional Budget Office estimates that up to 11 million Americans could lose Medicaid coverage as a result. Among them are millions of Californians on Medi-Cal, including nearly everyone we serve. These cuts also threaten the essential services that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) rely on, including the ones we provide every day at Las Trampas.

As Andy Imparato, CEO of Disability Rights California, put it, “In my 34 years of disability advocacy, this is the most harmful bill for disabled people that I have ever seen.”

Here’s what’s at stake:

• All 20 participants in our Supported Living Services program rely on In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS), which is funded by Medi-Cal, to live independently.
• Nearly all of our 110 participants rely on Medi-Cal for their medical care, including prescriptions, therapies, and specialist visits.
• Nearly half of our participants live below the federal poverty line, receiving limited monthly income through Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
• The new law’s stricter work requirements and frequent eligibility checks could disqualify thousands, simply for having a disability and being unable to work.

Las Trampas strongly opposes this piece of legislation. Our community has endured underfunding for decades: the CA Department of Developmental Services has been shown to be underfunded annually by $1.9 billion, and this is the largest cut that we have seen. We are deeply concerned about the impact of this cut on access, equity, and quality of services for individuals with IDD.

Las Trampas firmly believes that:

• Every person with IDD should have access to the services they need and are entitled to
• Services should be available equitably to every person irrespective of their race, ethnicity, or regional center
• Services should be person-centered and high quality, with meaningful outcomes set by the person

It has been a goal of ours to create and support self-advocates from Las Trampas. We began this process back in January 2024 with advocating at the East Bay Legislative Coalition (EBLC) Legislative meeting on Zoom. Since then, staff have been supporting the advocates with follow-up visits to legislator’s offices.

We need all of you – individuals with IDD, their families, support staff, service providers, regional centers and advocates – to take action now! Join us in contacting your federal congressional representatives and senators directly, urging them to reject Medicaid/Medi-Cal cuts for the disability community. Thank you in advance for advocating and ensuring that quality services continue for all people with IDD.

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