FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 28, 2025
CONTACT: Daniela Perez, dperez@domesticworkers.
Washington, D.C. — In response to reports that the Trump Administration is attempting to freeze funding for key federal programs, National Domestic Workers Alliance President Ai-jen Poo issued the following statement:
“Medicaid is a lifeline for millions of families and workers, seniors, and people with disabilities. A federal funding freeze is dangerous and potentially deadly. The chaos following the administration’s announcements was immediate: Medicaid payment portals went down nationwide, delaying care and sowing fear and confusion, including among the caregivers we represent.
Blocking access to Medicaid, as the Trump Administration’s actions appeared to do, would harm seniors and people with disabilities who rely on Medicaid for their care, disrupt healthcare access in rural communities, and create a crisis for both working family caregivers and the care workforce—dedicated workers who enable dignity and quality of life for some of the most important and vulnerable people in our lives.
Decades of progress in expanding access to care and improving conditions for care workers are now under threat, despite the growing need for care on the part of our aging nation. We remain determined to protect our care and our caregivers. And we know the country is with us.”
The National Domestic Workers Alliance is urging elected officials to remember that care is not a partisan issue, it’s a universal need. Seventy-seven percent of voters support protecting Medicaid, including strong majorities of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans. And Medicaid covers 72 million Americans including 1 in 5 Americans across the country. Across party lines, Americans overwhelmingly agree that care is essential.
Elected officials have a responsibility to protect and strengthen the programs that millions of families rely on—because care is not a luxury, it’s essential.
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