Nick LaLota cast an aye on July 3, 2025 for a law whose Medicaid work rule the federal government projects will shrink enrollment 2.3 million in fiscal 2027. Expansion adults with disabilities fall under it unless they meet one of its exemptions, such as the one for people disabled under section 1614. LaLota had also been one of the 215 who got the House version through in May.
In February and April 2025, LaLota's votes decided the budget resolution behind the $880 billion savings target for the committee over Medicaid. Experts expect the law to roll back home care gains. Medicaid covered 11,700 disabled people in New York's 1st District in 2025.
Nick LaLota's Votes on Medicaid for People With Disabilities
- LaLota Voted for a Work Rule That Reaches Expansion Adults With Disabilities. H.R. 1 passed the House for good on July 3, 2025, 218 to 214, with Nick LaLota's aye. He had voted for the May version, which squeaked through 215 to 214. Covered expansion adults must log 80 hours a month of jobs, school or service, with states starting no later than January 1, 2027. The law exempts anyone who is "blind or disabled (as defined in section 1614)" and anyone "with a physical, intellectual or developmental disability that significantly impairs their ability to perform 1 or more activities of daily living." Federal Medicaid officials, writing the rule, said they "project that enrollment would be reduced by 2.3 million individuals in FY 2027." After that first year, they expect 3.1 to 3.3 million fewer enrollees each year.
- LaLota's Two Deciding Budget Votes Set an $880 Billion Target for the Committee Over Medicaid, Which Pays for Home Care. Each House vote on H.Con.Res. 14 had a two-vote margin, and LaLota was in the yes column each time: 217 to 215 on February 25, 2025, then 216 to 214 on April 10, 2025. A no from him would have tied either one, and a tie fails. The resolution told the Medicaid committee to "reduce the deficit by not less than $880,000,000,000" over ten years. Home and community care, which lets disabled people get care at home, is "largely an optional Medicaid benefit." The Bipartisan Policy Center says that makes it "more vulnerable to reductions during periods of state or federal budget constraints." Experts it cites expect the law to "slow or reverse recent HCBS expansion efforts" in the states.
How Nick LaLota's Votes Reach Disabled New Yorkers
- 11,700 disabled residents of New York's 1st District are on Medicaid. KFF's 2025 district data put 11,700 people with disabilities on Medicaid in New York's 1st District. Their aides, therapy and equipment are paid partly with federal Medicaid money. The law reduces that money for New York by $102.2 billion over ten years.
- 465 New Yorkers wait for Medicaid home care as the law shrinks the budget for it. KFF's 2026 count shows 465 people waiting for New York's Medicaid home and community care. Home care is optional for states. Optional care is more exposed to cuts when budgets tighten, so that wait can grow.
Frequently Asked Questions About Nick LaLota on Disability rights
What is Nick LaLota's record on disability rights under Trump?
Nick LaLota voted in May and July 2025 for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Starting by January 1, 2027, its Medicaid work rule covers expansion adults, including those with disabilities who do not meet one of its exemptions. His deciding votes on the 2025 budget resolution set an $880 billion target for the committee over Medicaid. That program pays for home care, which states are not required to offer.
Can a disabled Long Islander be held to the Medicaid work rule Nick LaLota voted for?
Only an expansion adult can be, under the law Nick LaLota voted for: people enrolled in Medicaid because of a disability are outside the work rule, which starts by January 1, 2027. The law exempts expansion adults who are medically frail, including anyone disabled under section 1614 or with a disability that significantly limits daily activities. One whose condition fits none of the exemptions may still have to log 80 hours a month. Anyone dropped under the rule is also barred from subsidized marketplace coverage, KFF notes.
Did Nick LaLota's votes decide the budget target for the committee over Medicaid?
Yes. Nick LaLota's yes on February 25, 2025 decided the 217 to 215 result, and his yes on April 10 decided the 216 to 214 result on the final text: had he switched, either vote would have tied, and a tie fails. That resolution gave Energy and Commerce, which oversees Medicaid, its $880 billion target. The law that followed cut Medicaid by $911 billion, by CBO's estimate.
Last updated: 2026-10-27