This Congressional Budget Cycle Could Reshape Our Future. Here’s How We Fight Back.

As we settle into the second month of President Trump’s second term, we’re already seeing substantial shifts in the direction of national policy. Congress is returning from recess to begin the process of budget reconciliation. The White House agenda is on the menu to fund an $880 billion tax incentives package.

Medicaid is one of the few federal programs large enough to become the engine for delivering on that promise. It’s also the single largest payer of healthcare services in the country.

That deeply matters for the communities I come from, serve, and stand with.

Why This Work Is Personal

After the staggering loss of life and the disproportionate impact COVID-19 had on communities of color, I made a vow:

To dedicate my time and talent to amplifying the voices of healthcare heroes who show up every day to fill the gaps left by systemic failure.

If you haven't seen The Color of Care, I highly recommend it. This documentary outlines the history of disparities in our healthcare system and includes the stories of real families who are navigating life after this public health crisis.

https://www.amazon.com/Color-Care-Various/dp/B09SFK8D83

The pandemic didn’t just expose cracks in our public systems—it widened them into stress fractures.

The most predictive factor in how someone fared during COVID wasn’t pre-existing health conditions. It was their zip code.

In the wealthiest, most medically advanced nation in the world, that should never be the case.

That realization became my personal catalyst to understand our public healthcare system more deeply—and work to transform it so that it actually serves all Americans.

Why Medicaid Is at the Center of This Conversation

There is no one Medicaid story. Medicaid covers:

• People with disabilities

• Working adults in low-wage jobs

• Older adults who are dual-eligible for Medicare

• Nearly 50% of all births in the U.S.

• 65% of all Black births—a number I didn’t believe until I traced it back to the CDC

This isn’t just a statistic. It’s a reflection of a broader reality:

A reality where the majority of our children are born into resource-constrained homes. Where access to prenatal care, healthy food, and developmental supports is shaped by workplace status, zip code, and policy choices made far from the neighborhoods they affect.

It’s also a reflection of occupational segregation.

Despite persistent stereotypes, communities of color are overrepresented in the very jobs that kept this country running during a global pandemic—grocery workers, aides, transit drivers, home health workers.

We’re not underemployed by choice. We’re underserved by design.

Why Workforce Equity Is the Next Battleground

Let’s be clear: the healthcare workforce shortage is not just a pipeline issue. It’s a placement issue. It’s a policy issue. It’s a visibility issue.

And it’s personal.

Imagine a young student in a resource-poor zip code.

She completes public school against the odds, earns a college acceptance, finishes medical school under crushing debt—and then returns to care for the very community that raised her.

That’s not a hypothetical. That’s what the data shows. Most physicians practice within 100 miles of where they complete their residency.

That’s why we must invest in pathways for advanced practice careers within historically marginalized communities—because those providers are the most motivated to return and serve.

And while we do that, we must also expand non-degree pathways in healthcare and tech.

At Powered to Rise, we believe technology is the great equalizer. You don’t need a four-year degree to build digital ecosystems or learn to code.

What you need is training, mentorship, and access to opportunity.

Why Special Education Is Innovation Infrastructure

If we want to unlock America’s full economic and creative potential, we have to start with how we treat our learners.

Fairness assumes we all began at the same starting line.

Yet anyone who has grown up in a disinvested school district, or had to advocate for a child’s learning needs across multiple states, knows otherwise.

Every learner has unique needs.

Our system was built around a uniform model—designed for a narrow few and expected to fit everyone.

That’s why we’re pushing for funding pathways that support curriculum reform and inclusive classroom design in both K–12 and adult education.

Innovation doesn’t come from conformity. It comes from unlocking the brilliance that exists within our neighborhoods while breaking down borders to build global pathways.

What We’re Doing—and Who We’re Doing It For

Powered to Rise is proud to support the leaders and organizations working to build better health and economic opportunities for historically underserved communities.

Our advocacy priorities are simple and actionable:

• Policy that builds sustainable health access and family economic stability

• Education systems that meet the needs of real learners—not just ideal ones

• Workforce development pathways that support cultural concordance and long-term care capacity

We work across party lines because our communities can’t afford to wait for perfect political alignment.

We’re here to connect grassroots organizers, decision-makers, and institutions that are ready to move forward—even in challenging seasons.

What We’re Releasing Now

As part of this launch, Powered to Rise is releasing the first in a series of policy briefs designed to advance people-first solutions at the intersection of health, equity, and economic mobility.

These tools are built for grassroots advocates, care providers, coalition leaders, and decision-makers—anyone working to close gaps and build stronger systems.

🔎 Available Now:

• Protect Medicaid: Access, Outcomes, and System Stability

• Expand Provider Pathways: Building a Health System That Reflects and Serves

📥 Download both briefs here:

🗓️ Coming in April:

• Urban Workforce Development: Health and Tech Careers for Economic Mobility

• Fund Special Education: Unlocking Learning as Innovation Infrastructure

We’ll be rolling out new briefs throughout the month, each with actionable insights, real-world examples, and recommendations that speak across political lines.

💬 What We’re Asking You to Consider

As we enter this critical budget cycle, ask yourself:

• What kind of future do we build when we cut the programs that hold communities together?

• What if the people closest to the challenges were also closest to the solutions?

• What might happen if we treated health care, education, and job training as the interconnected systems they’ve always been?

We believe it’s possible to do better.

We believe communities know what they need.

We believe we must build global partnerships.

We know this moment demands action.