Councilmember Nadeau made the following remarks ahead of the Committee on Health Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Markup on Wednesday, May 20.

Thank you, Chairperson Henderson, for all the work you and your staff have done on the FY27 budget and your partnership on many of our shared priorities. The proposed budget that we received made devastating cuts to many of our critical programs in the District. The budget that you and your team have prepared show that even when faced with these financial pressures, we can still find ways to support some of our most vulnerable communities. I am excited to see funding for so many critical programs and supports, including the millions for the crisis response programs, school-based behavioral health, remote patient monitoring during pregnancy, chronic illness screenings for uninsured residents, and medical debt mitigation.  

The reversal of cuts to the Healthcare Alliance and expansion of the DC Health Benefit Exchange will support life-saving care for so many residents, however I remain concerned that we continue to be unable to reverse some of the most devastating cuts to the Healthcare Alliance, leaving thousands without medical coverage for the second year. We’ve seen the devastating impacts of the cuts in our communities and our clinics, and these will only get worse as these families are forced to continue without healthcare. I was pleased to be able to transfer $800,000 to fund a grant program for clinics who are continuing to provide care to these families despite their lack of coverage, and $450,000 to help restore coverage for residents impacted by federal Medicaid eligibility changes. These transfers will not plug all of the gaps that remain, and I urge the Committee of the Whole to prioritize restoring this coverage this year.   

Thank you, Chairperson for accepting my transfers in support of food access programs across the District. I am delighted that I was able to send $800,000 recurring funds to support several grants at DC Health to expand food access across the District, as well as funding to support the continuation of the Grocery Access Pilot program in FY27 and to restore funding to the Food Policy Council starting in FY28. No one should have to worry about where their next meal is coming from, and these programs are critical for ensuring that residents across our city have access to enough food and food that is healthy for them and their families.  

Finally, I am so pleased that I was able to send funds to support the implementation of my Place-Based Substance Use Disorder Outreach Amendment Act, which permanently establishes a successful Council-funded pilot that has resulted in community improvements and life-saving reductions in overdoses in target areas around the District. Thank you, Chairperson Henderson for your partnership on that work and for all of the improvements in the version of the budget before us today.