Michigan disability advocates slam cuts to SNAP and Medicaid as attacks on autonomy

BY KYLE DAVIDSON, MICHIGAN ADVANCE

LANSING—Standing before the Michigan State Capitol on Tuesday, a group of disability self-advocates took Congress to task over cuts to Medicaid and SNAP benefits included in the Republican tax and spending law, while warning a new assault on the autonomy of disabled individuals is in force.

While multiple speakers gathered in downtown Lansing to share their experiences and call out the barriers that continue to impact the ways people with disabilities work, live and thrive, Michigan’s summer heat kept many individuals from attending said Renee Hall, advisor to the Self-Advocates of Michigan.

Alongside the concerns posed by the heat, several individuals had opted against attending “Breaking Barriers Day” at the Capitol out of fear, citing the federal effort like the US Department of Health and Human Services’ now-discontinued plan to create a new registry on autism, and President Donald Trump’s recent executive order instructing local governments to have homeless individuals facing mental illness committed to treatment facilities without their consent.

However, those threats did not stop other advocates from speaking out against cuts to social services, with one in three individuals with a disability receiving Medicaid, and the American Civil Liberties Union warning that work requirements imposed on the program—which is intended to offer healthcare services to low income adults and children—will harm disabled individuals who fall outside the government’s definition.

According to the left-leaning Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, more than 39% of Michiganders receiving food assistance through SNAP are in families with adults or individuals with disabilities, compared to more than 37% nationally.

Tonnieo Graves, a member of Self-Advocates of Michigan’s board, said individuals with disabilities can’t lose hope in the face of these cuts and must continue pushing to let Congress know they aren’t giving up.

Adam Hazlett, who serves as the group’s public relations chair, said Tuesday’s event is not just a celebration of disability pride and breaking barriers, but a call to rise, organize and resist.

“They are coming for us, and it’s not just with paperwork and policies, but with barriers, bans and blitzkrieg marches backwards,” Hazlett said.

The liberal Center for American Progress points to several Trump administration policies that harm disabled individuals, including eliminating diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs; barring enforcement of disability civil rights laws; decreasing protections in employment and slashing services, benefits and regulations that help keep disabled people in their communities.

“Every cut to services, every attack on autonomy, every whisper that we’re too expensive isn’t just an insult. It’s a warning, a warning that they’re not slowing down,” Hazlett said.

However, people with disabilities will not be pushed quietly back into the shadows, Hazlett said,

“They may try to erase us, they may try to silence us, but together, we are louder than their silence. Together, we are brighter than their shadows, and together, we are never, ever, ever going back,” Hazlett said.

READ MORE: Here’s how many Michiganders in the Lansing area will lose SNAP benefits in 2025

This coverage was republished from Michigan Advance pursuant to a Creative Commons license.