Rep. Barragán leads California Democratic Congressional Delegation in Letter to CMS, Urging Reversal of Decision to Freeze $1.1 Billion in Federal Funds to Home Care for Seniors and People with Disabilities
WASHINGTON, D.C. — California Democratic Congressional Delegation Chair Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), along with Representatives Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Doris Matsui (CA-07) and Derek Tran (CA-45), led members of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation in urging Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mehmet Oz to reverse a decision to defer $1.1 billion in federal funding for California’s In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program.
In the letter, Rep. Lofgren and her colleagues emphasize that IHSS serves more than 900,000 Californians and provides critical daily supports, including personal care, meal preparation, and medical assistance. The members raise serious concerns that CMS’s justification—allegations of waste, fraud, and abuse—lacks sufficient evidence and instead results in broad, indiscriminate funding delays that harm beneficiaries and caregivers alike. They underscore that California’s increased IHSS expenditures reflect deliberate investments to meet growing needs.
"In addition, Congressional Republicans and the Trump Administration are harming patients through $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act and undermining actual efforts to fight fraud, including the Administration’s decision to fire at least 17 inspectors general, including the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services,” the Members point out in the letter.
Members of the delegation warn that defunding IHSS could force individuals into more costly institutional care or homelessness, ultimately increasing federal spending and destabilizing care systems. The letter calls on HHS to immediately restore the funding in order to protect access to essential Medicaid services.
39 Members signed on to the letter, including: Pete Aguilar, Nanette Barragán, Ami Bera, Julia Brownley, Salud Carbajal, Judy Chu, Gil Cisneros, Lou Correa, Jim Costa, Mark DeSaulnier, Laura Friedman, John Garamendi, Jimmy Gomez, Josh Harder, Jared Huffman, Sara Jacobs, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Ro Khanna, Mike Levin, Ted Lieu, Zoe Lofgren, Doris Matsui, Dave Min, Kevin Mullin, Jimmy Panetta, Nancy Pelosi, Scott Peters, Luz Rivas, Raul Ruiz, Linda Sánchez, Brad Sherman, Lateefah Simon, Mark Takano, Mike Thompson, Norma Torres, Derek Tran, Juan Vargas, Maxine Waters, and George Whitesides.
For the full text of the letter, see HERE.
###
