A video appears to show U.S. Capitol Police officers arresting disabled protesters in wheelchairs as the Senate debates cuts to medicare funding.
The video, posted to Bluesky by Aaron Black, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)’s senior political advisor, shows Capitol Police swarming the Russell Senate Office Building, escorting disabled protesters from the building, with zip ties around the protesters’ wrists.
People in wheelchairs are getting arrested right now in the Russell Senate Office Building in DC. They showed up to tell Congress not to cut their Medicaid, because they cant afford health care without it. If you look closely you can see the zip ties on their hands. #WeWontGetOverLosingMedicaid
— Aaron Black (@aaronblack.bsky.social) 2025-06-25T18:26:25.367Z
“People in wheelchairs are getting arrested right now in the Russell Senate Office Building in DC. They showed up to tell Congress not to cut their Medicaid, because they cant afford health care without it. If you look closely you can see the zip ties on their hands,” Black wrote alongside the video clip.
READ MORE: Bernie Sanders Says ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Would Strip Health Insurance From 16 Million People
The people in the clip were protesting the proposed budget cuts to Medicaid spending in Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” The president’s proposed budget would cut Medicaid spending by $793 billion across 10 years. Medicaid currently costs the U.S. government about $606 billion per year, covering 69% of its total funding. The additional 31%, $274 billion, comes from individual states, according to health policy organization KFF.
The House saw similar scenes as disabled protesters protested the Big Beautiful Bill in May. During that protest, one person shouted “You will kill me!” while police escorted her from a meeting of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, according to the Independent. In addition to cuts, the bill requires states decide every six months on whether or not individual patients are eligible for Medicaid.
“There are lots of people with disabilities … who may not meet the specific social security definition, but who absolutely do have disabilities,” Katy Neas, the CEO of the Arc, a disability advocacy group, told The Independent.
During that protest, 26 people were arrested, according to WJLA. Capitol police said protesting inside congressional buildings is illegal. The law also prohibits protesting on the steps of the U.S. Capitol.
The proposed cuts to Medicaid are controversial. An analysis published by the Annals of Internal Medicine said they could result in the additional deaths of as many as 24,600 people per year. According to a new report by Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) office, the cuts would also result in, on average, 65% more uninsured people per state.