title:  Sarah Palin Silent As Texas Republicans Strip Medicaid Funding From Children With Disabilities
text: If Sarah Palin really cares about children with disabilities she ll stand up for them in Texas.Because Texas Republicans just initiated a major $350 million cut in Medicaid funding that federal agencies warn will particularly hurt children with autism and other disabilities.According to the Herald Democrat,The U.S. Department of Education told U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, in a Dec. 9 letter that up to 12 of the 47 providers in the state s Early Childhood Intervention program could stop offering services because of financial uncertainty. Texas health officials originally told the federal government about the number of providers at risk on Dec. 2, according to the letter, which was obtained by The Texas Tribune on Thursday.Texas Republicans slashed the Medicaid funding last year but the cuts were blocked by a lawsuit that has been dismissed, paving the way for the cuts to take effect now as the Christmas season goes into full swing. And because of the cuts, thousands of children could be denied healthcare because many childcare groups could be forced to shutter their programs that are covered by Medicaid. If these groups do pull out of the program, it will be devastating for kids with autism, speech delays, Down syndrome, and other disabilities and delays,  child advocate Stephanie Rubin said.  We know that these groups want to keep serving children and we know staff at [the Texas Health and Human Services Commission] is working hard on this, but the Legislature needs to make sure the funding is in place. The lack of compassion for children after they are born is right out of the Texas Republican playbook. They crusade to ban abortion but don t give a damn about the child once it is out of the womb.What s truly hypocritical is that Sarah Palin isn t in Texas giving Republicans a public thrashing. After all, she s often bragging about being an advocate for children with disabilities, especially kids with Down Syndrome because her youngest son struggles with the disability every day.So far, Palin has not uttered a word in opposition to the Medicaid cuts that would affect disabled children the most. But she was more than happy to raise hell over a coffee mug Walmart was selling online that said  got retard?  on them.Instead of focusing her efforts on a cup, perhaps Sarah Palin could go to Texas and take her own party to task for doing something truly despicable to children with healthcare needs. Because while bitching about a cup won t do much to help disabled kids, crusading for their right to get the healthcare they need and deserve would actually help tremendously.Featured Image: Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images