Mike Rogers, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Michigan, praised the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on July 3, 2025, and later said its Medicaid work requirement asks people to help themselves "if you're an able-bodied worker." Under the federal rule carrying out the law, fewer people will qualify as medically frail, and in Nebraska, the first state to start, over 1,000 people lost or were denied coverage in four months.
The law's Medicaid cuts put optional home care for people with disabilities at risk, and Rogers said "I love it" about DOGE's cuts while Social Security disability appeals grew. In Michigan, hundreds of thousands of people are projected to lose Medicaid coverage under the law.
Mike Rogers's Support for the Medicaid Changes and Cuts That Hit People With Disabilities
- Rogers Praised the Law Whose Medicaid Work Requirement Will Push Disabled Adults to Prove They Are Exempt. Mike Rogers posted "Historic tax cuts for hard-working families! It's a great day to be an American!" on July 3, 2025, the day the House gave the One Big Beautiful Bill Act final approval. The law requires adults covered through Medicaid expansion to show 80 hours of work or other activity a month, exempting people who are medically frail, and states must start by January 1, 2027. Under the federal rule carrying out the law, fewer people will qualify as medically frail because the condition must significantly impair their ability to work, and verifying it will place an enormous administrative burden on individuals, health care providers, health plans, and states, the Georgetown Center for Children and Families found. The rule projects that enrollment would be reduced by 2.3 million individuals in FY 2027.
- Rogers Described the Work Requirement as Aimed at "Able-Bodied" Workers; in the First State to Start It, a Man in Cancer Treatment Lost Coverage. Mike Rogers told The Washington Reporter in August 2025 that "we also have to ask you to help yourself, if you're an able-bodied worker", as MIRS reported on January 13, 2026, describing the law's Medicaid work requirement. In Nebraska, the first state to start the requirement, over 1,000 people lost or were denied Medicaid coverage under the new requirements between May and August 2026, Human Rights Watch reported; one 64-year-old man said he lost his Medicaid coverage while undergoing treatment for kidney cancer.
- The Law Rogers Praised Cuts Medicaid in Ways That Put Home Care for People With Disabilities at Risk. The law Mike Rogers praised is projected to reduce federal Medicaid spending by an estimated $911 billion over 10 years, and Medicaid home and community-based services, which let people with disabilities live at home rather than in institutions, are largely an optional Medicaid benefit. Many policy experts anticipate that the law will slow or reverse recent HCBS expansion efforts in states, the Bipartisan Policy Center reported, and across nearly 30 states limits on hours or visits, reduced provider payment rates, and new or lower spending caps are the most commonly enacted or proposed restrictions.
- Rogers Said "I Love It" About DOGE's Cuts as Social Security Disability Appeals Piled Up. At an April 2026 campaign event in Saginaw County, Mike Rogers said of his early talks with DOGE officials, "you're going to cut it, and that's great, and I love it", the Detroit Metro Times reported; the outlet noted that the cuts affected Social Security and other programs in Michigan. Disability hearings pending at the Social Security Administration rose by more than 73,000 from January 2025 to February 2026, to nearly 344,000, as SSA lost 13 percent of its administrative law judges, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found, so people appealing a denied disability claim wait longer for a decision.
What the Medicaid and Social Security Changes Mike Rogers Backed Mean for Michiganders With Disabilities
- Medicaid coverage. Between 171,000 and 355,000 Michiganders are projected to lose Medicaid coverage under the law's work requirements and more frequent eligibility checks, the Urban Institute estimated (Michigan Public, March 2026).
- Home care waiting lists. Michigan had 2,994 people on waiting lists for Medicaid home and community-based services waivers in 2026, KFF reported, before any further state cuts.
- Social Security disability. In Michigan, 285,308 disabled workers received Social Security disability benefits in December 2024, and the state's Social Security staff fell by 136, or 11%, from January 2025 to April 2026 (SSA; Center on Budget and Policy Priorities).
Frequently Asked Questions About Mike Rogers on Disability rights
What is Mike Rogers's record on disability rights under Trump?
Mike Rogers, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Michigan, praised the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, whose Medicaid work requirement exempts medically frail adults only if they can prove it, and said the requirement asks able-bodied workers to help themselves. The law's Medicaid cuts put optional home care services at risk, and he said he loves DOGE's cuts as Social Security disability appeals grew. Up to 355,000 Michiganders are projected to lose Medicaid.
Are people with disabilities exempt from the Medicaid work requirement Mike Rogers supports?
Mike Rogers praised a law that exempts people who are medically frail, but under the federal rule a condition must significantly impair a person's ability to work, and people must document it; in Nebraska, the first state to start, people lost or were denied coverage within four months.
How long do Social Security disability appeals take after the cuts Mike Rogers praised?
Mike Rogers praised DOGE's cuts, and the Social Security Administration's staff fell by roughly 7,500 employees, or 13 percent, from January 2025 to January 2026, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found. With fewer judges, the backlog of pending disability hearings grew by more than 73,000 in that period.
Last updated: 2026-10-25