April 11, 2025 | Vol. MMXXVVVII | Issue 107

Budget Reconciliation

On April 5, the Senate passed their budget resolution after vote-a-rama, a long process where Senators consider a bill for an extended period of time and can add as many amendments as they want. Senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and Susan Collins (R-ME) were the only Republicans to vote against it. Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) cosponsored an amendment to remove language in the budget resolution that came from the House of Representatives, which would direct the House Energy and Commerce Committee to cut $880 billion. That amendment was defeated 50-49. 

On April 10, the House of Representatives passed this updated budget resolution. Representatives Victoria Spartz (R-IN) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) were the only Republicans to vote against it. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) promised to make “at least $1.5 trillion in spending cuts to safety-net programs in the final package.” The reconciliation process is now unlocked, and Congressional Republicans will now instruct their committees to write legislation that will expand border security, increase defense spending, and extend President Trump’s 2017 tax cuts.

Key Takeaways

The Trump tax package from his first term—which Congressional Republicans want to extend—gave massive tax breaks to billionaires and corporations. Congressional Republicans want to cut into Medicaid and other important programs in order to extend those tax breaks for the richest Americans and corporations.

As Congressional Republicans plan to make cuts to Medicaid, it is vital that people let their Members of Congress know how detrimental any cuts to Medicaid would be. These cuts might be in the form of work requirements, per capita caps, decreasing the federal match, and beyond—they would all have negative consequences for people with disabilities. Read AUCD’s Medicaid fact sheet and talking points here.

• Action Item - Protect Our Care has an easy tool to find your elected official and some advice on what to say - https://www.protectourcare.org/hands-off-medicaid. Call your Member of Congress and educate them on the importance of Medicaid for people with disabilities and their families and caregivers. Reminder: AUCD Network members should educate rather than lobby when talking to Members of Congress and their staff. Learn more here.

Plain Language

Congress is in the middle of a long process of passing bills that that affect how the government spends money, which is called reconciliation. Now that both the Senate and the House of Representatives have passed their official plans to fund the government, they need to start telling Congressional committees what to do to pass the final bill. Committees are groups of lawmakers who work on a particular issue, like health care or farming. Some lawmakers are talking about taking money away from Medicaid. AUCD and other organizations will work to protect Medicaid.

• Action Item - Right now, people should let Members of Congress know how important Medicaid is for people with disabilities and their families. They can use this link to call them and talk about how Medicaid helps people get home and community-based services, employment support, and more. If you have a personal story, it is really helpful to share! Here is some more information about Medicaid in plain language.

Trump Administration Actions

• On April 2, President Trump released a proclamation commemorating World Autism Awareness Day.
  
  

• The Trump Administration had previously announced $4 billion in cuts to National Institutes of Health (NIH) medical research funding by cutting from the indirect expenses that NIH pays universities and grantees to cover administrative and overhead costs. A federal court ruling paused that motion. On April 8, the Administration appealed that court ruling.
  
  

• In a Cabinet meeting, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. pledged “by September we will know what has caused the autism epidemic and we’ll be able to eliminate those exposures.”

Key Takeaways

Many of the Administration’s actions reveal a concerning stance on people with disabilities, including the appointment of HHS Secretary Kennedy, who has long espoused the view that vaccines cause autism, promoted autism “cures,” and spread misinformation about autism. In addition to Secretary Kennedy’s nomination, there are multiple factors that show that the Administration is not serious about supporting the autistic community: the announcement that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will begin research into the debunked, so-called “link” between vaccines and autism, the hiring of vaccine skeptic David Geier to lead that research, and the enormous cuts to HHS agencies that support autistic people and conduct research about autism—including the NIH. The pledge that Secretary Kennedy made to end “exposures” to autism is especially concerning—autistic people do not need to be eliminated or cured, but supported and understood. As the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) has stated:

“Autistic people are neither a plague, nor the bogeyman. We have a right to exist, and we deserve a government that cares about our well-being, rather than one that spreads misinformation about us to score political points, attacks our civil rights, and cuts services that autistic people need to live full lives in our communities.”

You can read more from ASAN here.

• Action Item - Call your Members of Congress—your Representative and Senators—and reach out to your state officials, such as the governor’s office, to educate them on the important work that the Department of Health and Human Services does to protect and support people with disabilities. You can find AUCD’s HHS talking points here. You can reach your Members of Congress by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.

Plain Language

The President and the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., have said and done things that show they are not supportive of autistic people. The Trump Administration is taking away a lot of money from HHS, including programs that help people with disabilities, and saying that they want to stop people from having autism. This is not respectful of people who are autistic. The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) has said this: “Autism is a developmental disability — and disability is a natural part of human diversity. Autism is something we are born with, and that shouldn’t be changed. Autistic children should get the support they need to grow up into happy, self-determined autistic adults.”

• Action Item - Call your Members of Congress—your Representative and Senators—and reach out to the government officials in your state, such as the governor’s office, to educate them on the important work that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) does to protect and support people with disabilities and their families. You can reach your Members of Congress by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.

Department of Education

Letter from Senators to Secretary McMahon – on April 2, 23 U.S. Senators sent a letter to U.S. Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon about the Trump Administration’s recent actions to dismantle the Department. The Senators highlight how the Administration moved special education oversight from the Department of Education to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), noting that Education has the “statutory authority to implement and enforce IDEA [Individuals with Disabilities Education Act].” The Senators include a list of questions for Secretary McMahon to answer, including questions on how students with disabilities will be affected by these changes at the Department.

Key Takeaways

Secretary McMahon has made it clear that she supports President Trump’s goal to fully abolish the Department of Education. Students with disabilities, families, and educators will all likely be affected by these changes, which AUCD will continue to monitor.

• Action Item - Call your Members of Congress—your Representative and Senators—and reach out to your state officials, such as the governor’s office, to educate them on the important work that the Department of Education does to protect and support students with disabilities and their families. You can reach your Members of Congress by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.

Plain Language

A few Senators wrote a letter to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, Linda McMahon. The President and Secretary McMahon are making changes to the Department of Education, like moving special education from the Department of Education to the Department of Health and Human Services and starting to close the Department of Education. This could be bad for students with disabilities because the Department of Health and Human Services does not have the right resources to focus on special education. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act created important programs in the Department of Education that support students with disabilities and the Senators are very worried about how students with disabilities could be affected if the Department closes.

• Action Item - Call your Members of Congress—your Representative and Senators—and reach out to the government officials in your state, such as the governor’s office, to educate them on the important work that the Department of Education does to protect and support students with disabilities and their families. You can reach your Members of Congress by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.

Bill to Prohibit Discrimination in Organ Transplant System Marked Up in House Energy and Commerce Committee

On April 8, the House Energy and Commerce Committee marked up multiple bills, including the bipartisan Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act (H.R. 1520), which would prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities in the organ transplant system.

Key Takeaways

Marking up a bill moves the legislation forward and in this case, shows bipartisan support. Now that the bill has been referred by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, it will be sent for a vote by the full House of Representatives.

Plain Language

This bill would make it illegal, or against the law, to discriminate against people with disabilities when it comes to organ transplants. To discriminate means to treat people differently because of who they are. Organ transplants are a process of giving someone a new organ, like a kidney, because they are sick. A committee in the House of Representatives moved the bill forward, which means that the next step is for the full House of Representatives to vote on it.

New Legislation

• The IDEA Full Funding Act (S. 1277)

  • Introduced by Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA)

  • Would ensure Congress fulfills its commitment to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

  • You can read Senator Van Hollen’s press release here.
    
    

• The Pell Grant Flexibility Act (H.R. 2733)

  • Introduced by Representatives Joseph Morelle (D-NY) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA)

  • Would make Pell Grant eligibility more flexible so that college students with disabilities can also be eligible despite not always taking a full course load

  • You can read Representative Morelle’s press release here.
    
    

• The Ending PUSHOUT Act (H.R. 2738) (S. 1338) and the Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act (H.R. 2739)

  • Pair of bills introduced by Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) along with Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) (Ending PUSHOUT) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) (Counseling Not Criminalization)

  • Bills would work towards decreasing police presence in schools and reducing exclusion practices, both of which disproportionately harm students with disabilities of color

  • You can read Representative Pressley’s press release on the bills here.

Plain Language

There are a few new bills in the U.S. Congress.

• The IDEA Full Funding Act would make sure that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act has enough money to fund all of its programs to serve students with disabilities.
  
  

• The Pell Grant Flexibility Act would help college students with disabilities pay for college.
  
  

• The Ending PUSHOUT Act and the Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act would make students with disabilities safer in school and reduce exclusion, which is when students with disabilities get separated from students without disabilities.

Disability Policy for All with Liz

Join Liz on Instagram Reels, where she provides plain language updates on policy, highlighting current issues and hot topics in federal disability policy.

Liz Weintraub is AUCD's Senior Advocacy Specialist and the host of “Disability Policy for All with Liz.” She has extensive experience practicing leadership in self-advocacy and has held many board and advisory positions at state and national organizations, including the Council on Quality & Leadership (CQL) and the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Council.

Watch Liz’s most recent video on Medicaid.

Words to Know

Budget Resolution

Congress is in charge of funding the government. When they need to give the government more funding, or make sure that people have enough money to continue programs (like Medicaid, special education, food assistance, fixing roads and bridges, and more), they introduce a budget resolution. This is a plan for how they will fund the government. It is not the actual money, but a beginning step to guide lawmakers.

Pell Grant

Many college students need help to pay for college, because it costs a lot of money. A Pell Grant comes from the Department of Education and gives some money to college students who need it.