On Thursday, April 24 a Medicaid Cuts Hurt People with Disabilities Rally was held outside David Valadao’s office on M St.

The rally was attended by hundreds of people who rallied in front of David Valadao’s office, stressing the importance of not supporting these budget cuts. People were chanting outside the office, with “hands off Medicaid.”

There were multiple guest speakers from across the county who spoke at this rally that will be personally affected by Medicaid cuts, with BC Professor Dr. Chris Cruz-Boone in attendance as well.

Nicole Mench who has cerebral palsy, and currently works at the Bakersfield ARC (Advocacy, Respect and Community) which is a job program for people with disabilities states, “these programs are essential and without them they will have to be forced back into their homes.” Many individuals with disabilities were able to become more independent with these programs, but without them, it would hinder their progress.

Another speaker, Devon Newton says, “his son has access to the programs he needs, thanks to Medicaid and that we must build a country with faith.”

Speakers from Path Point, a non-profit organization for people with disabilities, were also there to speak about this issue.

Many people grew up on Medicare and without Medicaid, many people wouldn’t have survived without the help of this insurance.

The crowd continued to chant until their voices were heard, as many relied on Medicaid and Medi-Cal for supportive needs, not only for people with disabilities but also for people who don’t have other insurance options.

Medicaid has benefited many individuals and people just want their voices heard. The rally was a relatively calm event and there were no incidents that put others in danger.