By skyforbes 
Despite assurances earlier this year from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer that the “Big, Beautiful Bill” would be stopped, the legislation advanced to the Senate floor and coincided with a federal government shutdown on Oct. 1st. While the shutdown briefly delayed its implementation, uncertainty over the Trump administration’s proposed $880 billion Medicaid cut is fueling alarm among millions of vulnerable Americans who rely on the program.
Two days after the shutdown, more than 600 policymakers, service agencies, and self-advocates gathered at the Hilton Long Island/Huntington for the 30th Annual Long Island Family Support Services Advisory Council (LIFSSAC) Legislative Breakfast. The bipartisan event became a rallying point for disability rights advocates demanding increased Medicaid funding and an immediate reopening of the government.
New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) Commissioner Willow Baer addressed the audience in her opening remarks as “the Fac es of Medicaid,” reminding them that although the federal cuts to Medicaid don’t directly target developmental disability services yet, she and Gov. Kathy Hochul remain in the fight for families on Long Island because the federal cuts will indeed have an impact on the State’s Medicaid program and Medicaid…