To those who pushed this bill forward: your cowardice and indifference have only made us stronger.
This fight has awakened something powerful. Across communities, across issues, across movements: people showed up, spoke out, and built something real. The way we came together to oppose H.R. 1 is the way we must keep showing up: in coalition, in resistance, and in care.
We will not forget the 12 members, including Representative Valadao, who urged leadership to prioritize Medicaid and reiterated their strong support in April. Shame on them and every other elected official who voted against the interests of their constituents who need and rely on Medicaid for access to life-sustaining healthcare and supports and services to remain in the community. People in our community, people that these officials were elected to represent.
This campaign fighting against the passage of H.R. 1 has deepened existing relationships and forged new bridges, and we’re holding onto them. New relationships, stronger coalitions, more power. To all those in and outside of the disability community who fought alongside us and led the way, thank you. To those in our community who will be impacted, you are not alone. You belong in this fight. You belong in the community.
Our advocacy will not be solely rooted in identifying discrimination and attacks on people with disabilities. We will fight misinformation, and make sure the country knows what this bill takes away, and who is doing it. We will remain committed to LGBTQIA+, immigrant, and Black and Brown people, and acknowledge the lived experiences and ongoing oppression of those in our community with intersectional identities and struggles. Our work is rooted in the commitment to justice for all of us. We will continue to fight for racial equality. We will continue to support immigrant members of our community, and speak out against our neighbors, friends, families and caregivers being rounded up, disappeared, and locked in camps. We will continue to support our trans and non-binary siblings being targeted by hate. Our struggles are connected, and we move forward, together.
We’re just getting started.