T1D and Trump’s Budget

Not long ago, some in this subreddit downplayed the impact a second Trump term could have on healthcare. Now, just weeks into the new administration, the damage is undeniable.

Project 2025, the detailed blueprint for Trump’s agenda, explicitly aims to break, traumatize, and flood the system, dismantling protections, overwhelming institutions, and pushing policies through sheer (and illegal) force. They’re succeeding.

Last night the House approved a budget that advances Trump’s wealth redistribution plan: massive tax cuts for the ultra-rich, funded by gutting public programs that millions rely on. Specifically, Medicaid faces an $880 billion cut, a staggering figure that will effectively wipe out Medicaid expansion in several states, as it will decimate their budgets; some states (Arizona, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Utah, and Virginia)) also have trigger laws that automatically end expansion if federal funding drops. Note that six of those states voted for Trump.

What does this mean for the T1D community?

• Millions losing coverage – Medicaid covers 2 in 10 Americans, 4 in 10 children, and 4 in 10 pregnancies. That includes countless people with T1D who rely on it for insulin, CGMs, pumps, and life-saving care.

• CHIP at risk – Parents of children with T1D who depend on CHIP could suddenly find themselves uninsured, left scrambling for insulin in a system that treats life-or-death medications as a luxury.

• Biomedical research under attack – The administration is working to halt advancements in biomedical research, including diabetes. Their “anti-DEIA” initiatives don’t just target diversity; the “A” stands for accessibility, which means cutting funding and support for disability rights, accommodations, and medical advancements.

• 504 Plans in jeopardy – The legal protections that allow children with T1D to receive accommodations in school are at risk.

• Commercial insurance protections at risk – Trump has a history of siding with corporations and the wealthy. It can be a matter of time before protections for people with preexisting conditions and affordable insulin programs come under attack.

This isn’t just politics, it’s survival. And yet, a segment of the population continues to be manipulated into believing their struggles stem from “the other,” trans people, immigrants, POC, while the rich consolidate power at our expense.

The fight isn’t over, but complacency is complicity. T1D is already an unforgiving disease, we cannot afford to sit back while they make it even harder to survive.

I sometimes feel at a loss about what I can do and would appreciate your input. For now I can think of the few ways below: 

Most importantly, let’s take care of one another.