Capitol Hill Protest Against Social Spending Cuts Leads To Advocates For Poor & Disabled Arrested

More than two dozen disability rights activists, including Rev. William Barber and members of ADAPT, were arrested in the U.S. Capitol during a direct action protest opposing a Republican-backed budget that proposes deep cuts to Medicaid and other social programs. The protest, which included a prayer demonstration in the Capitol Rotunda and a rally outside, challenged a spending plan critics say endangers the lives of poor and disabled Americans while offering billions in tax breaks to the wealthy. “Proposing to cut Medicaid is a death threat to me and my friends with disabilities,” said Sloan Meek, a disability rights advocate who depends on Medicaid for daily support and independence.

Julie Farrar of ADAPT emphasized that the fight is about survival: “We’re putting our bodies on the line [because] our bodies are on the line.” She described the proposed Medicaid changes as an attack on a system that’s already fragile: “It’s not a safety net; it’s a spider web.” Farrar, who has been active in the disability rights movement for decades, pointed out that services like Medicaid, affordable housing, and energy assistance are all under threat. “They are literally stealing money from poor people’s pockets to pay for billionaires’ rockets,” she said, calling attention to corporate subsidies and tax breaks for figures like Elon Musk.

The budget plan not only slashes funding but imposes more frequent income and work verifications, which Farrar described as punitive and unworkable for people with long-term disabilities. “Every six months, I have to prove that I’m disabled enough to qualify for Medicaid,” she said. “It’s going to kill people. It’s degrading. It’s demeaning.” She warned of bureaucratic failures that would cause eligible people to lose access to life-saving care due to outdated systems and administrative delays.

Farrar also highlighted programs like Money Follows the Person, which help people transition out of institutions and live in their communities, are at risk. “ADAPT is all about keeping grandma at home,” she said. The message of the protest was clear: “Our homes, not nursing homes.”

Link:  Democracy Now