 |
November 14, 2025 | Vol. MMXXV | Issue 138
|
|
|
|
In this edition:
|
|
|
Appropriations |
The government shutdown ended on November 12 with the passage of a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government through January 30. This past weekend, Senate Republicans made a deal with a group of Senate Democrats—passage of the CR in exchange for a Democrat-backed healthcare bill vote in December as well as protections for federal workers (including reversing more than 4,000 layoffs that occurred during the shutdown) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) assistance funded through September 2026. The Senate Democrats who voted for the package are Senators Cortez Masto (NV), Durbin (IL), Fetterman (PA), Hassan (NH), Kaine (VA), Rosen (NV), and
Shaheen (NH). Senator King (I-ME) also voted for it. On November 12, the House voted 222-209 to pass the CR and President Trump signed the bill into law shortly after.
The full package includes three full-year spending bills—Agriculture-FDA, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, and Legislative Branch. Senate and House Democrats plan on addressing the expiring Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits, an extension of which is not in the CR.
|
|
|
Key Takeaways |
The legislation the President signed brings back thousands of laid off federal workers, including the staff who were fired from the Department of Education in the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), and the Office for Civil Rights (OCR). These offices are responsible for making sure that students with disabilities receive the education and services they are guaranteed under IDEA,
and that people with disabilities are protected from discrimination under the Rehabilitation Act, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Many Democrats in Congress wanted the bill to include an extension of ACA tax credits, so there is a lot of anger and division within the Congressional Democratic caucus. The promise from Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) to allow a December vote on a Democrat-led healthcare bill applies only to the Senate; House Republican leadership has made no such promise. There is some interest from House Republicans to work on an ACA subsidy extension compromise. Meanwhile, President Trump and other Republicans have been
pushing an alternative healthcare proposal that some experts say could undermine the ACA marketplace as a whole: sending direct cash payments into special accounts for people to use on healthcare.
|
|
|
Plain Language |
The government is open again after the shutdown. A shutdown means that government departments and agencies are not working. The government shut down because Congress did not pass a spending bill on time. This process is called "appropriations." Appropriations means money that is set aside by Congress for a particular use. The government shutdown lasted longer than any other government shutdown in U.S. history.
First, the Senate passed a continuing resolution (also called a CR), which is a funding bill that makes sure the government has enough money for a few more months. Then, the House voted to pass the CR. Finally, the President signed it into law. Senate Republicans made a deal with a group of some Senate Democrats, but most Democrats in Congress didn't like it. The deal included these parts:
The CR will make the government rehire the government workers that the Administration fired during the shutdown -- more than 4,000 people. This includes the people who were fired from these offices that support students with disabilities: the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), and the Office for Civil Rights (OCR).
The CR will include money for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is a program that helps people who don't have very much money to buy food.
The Senate leader, Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota), will make sure that the Senate votes on a bill on healthcare issues in December.
The CR will fund the government through January 30. It includes some appropriations bills for defense (the army and military), agriculture (farms and food growing), and the legislative branch (Congress). The Senate Democrats who voted for the CR are Senators Cortez Masto (Nevada), Durbin (Illinois), Fetterman (Pennsylvania), Hassan (New Hampshire), Kaine (Virginia), Rosen (Nevada), and Shaheen (New Hampshire). Senator King (Independent from Maine) also voted for it.
Most Democrats in Congress wanted something called "tax credits" for healthcare to be in the CR or appropriations bill. Many people are able to pay less for healthcare every month by using tax credits. Democrats in Congress wanted to make sure people can still use these tax credits, which will stop working at the end of 2025. Senator Thune said that he will make sure that the Senate votes on a healthcare bill that Democrats want in December. But the leader of the House, Representative Mike Johnson (R-LA), did not promise the same thing. There are some House Republican who want to work on the tax credits problem, and other Republicans, including the President, want to try a new way for people to get healthcare. Some people say that this new way could hurt
the healthcare system.
|
|
|
|
|
|
SNAP Benefits |
During the government shutdown, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding has lapsed for the first time in its history. The federal government pays the full cost of SNAP benefits and shares the cost of administering benefits with state governments. Because of this lapse in funding, getting SNAP benefits out to the more than 40 million low-income people, including about 4 million people with disabilities, who rely on SNAP
has been complicated. The following is a brief timeline of the recent activity in the courts and shifting policy from the Administration regarding the release of SNAP benefits:
Friday, October 31: U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. ordered the Administration to fund SNAP benefits by pulling from an emergency reserve fund within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Saturday, November 1: Judge McConnell issued a written ruling, saying the Administration has to make full payments by Monday or partial payments by Wednesday
Monday, November 3: The Administration said it will partially fund SNAP with $4.5 billion but it will take a few weeks to months to disburse it.
Tuesday, November 4: President Trump said that SNAP funding will be sent out only when the government reopens.
Thursday, November 6: Judge McConnell said that the Administration's partial payment didn't comply with his original court order, and he ordered the Administration to fully fund SNAP by Friday. Some states began the process of issuing full SNAP benefits because of this order. The Administration filed a notice of appeal to challenge the order.
Friday, November 7: USDA said it will issue full benefits. At this point, at least 20 states had started to issue full SNAP benefits; some people started to receive payments on their EBT cards, which are used to buy groceries. The First Circuit Court of Appeals denied the Administration's request for an administrative stay, but then the Supreme Court issued a stay of the ruling.
Saturday, November 8: USDA told states they must not transmit full benefits and they have to "undo any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits for November 2025." The Department says states will be "liable for any over issuances that result from the noncompliance."
Sunday, November 9: The Administration says in court that any full SNAP payments by states were "unauthorized and states are responsible for the consequences of that action."
Monday, November 10: U.S. Judge Indira Talwani said she will continue to block the Administration from enforcing their memo to states to "undo" SNAP benefits. The President makes comments to the press about reforming SNAP, saying too many people are getting SNAP benefits.
Tuesday, November 11: The Supreme Court extended an order blocking full SNAP payments until Thursday at midnight.
Wednesday, November 12: The President signed a continuing resolution (CR) into law, funding SNAP through next September, when the next fiscal year begins.
Thursday, November 13: The Administration dropped its request for the Supreme Court to block the original order for USDA to pay full SNAP benefits.
Now that the government has reopened, states are rushing to get benefits out, which still might take some time.
|
|
|
Plain Language |
During the government shutdown, the government ran out of money for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is a program that helps people who don't have very much money to buy food. A judge told the Administration it has to use some money in an emergency fund to send some money to people who have SNAP. The Administration didn't want to do this, and they asked a court to stop this order from going through so that they don't have to send the money out. There has been a lot of back and forth between the Administration and the courts. States started to send out some money to people who use SNAP because of the judge's order. But then, the Administration told
states they had to undo those payments and get the money back. It has been really confusing because the President and the people who work for him have sometimes changed their minds about what they are going to do about SNAP.
Now that the government is open, states are trying to get SNAP benefits to people really quickly. There are about 4 million people with disabilities who use SNAP to buy food.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Letter to Department of Labor
|
On November 11, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Representatives Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Lateefah Simon (D-CA) led a letter to Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer demanding information about why the Department has cut and weakened disability programs and how the Department will be able to fulfill its obligations under disability and workforce statutes without some of its key programs. The
Members emphasize that overall, the Administration's actions are damaging the government's ability to expand and improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities. You can read Rep. Simon’s press release here and Senator Warren’s press release here.
|
|
|
Key Takeaways |
Section 503: Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act prohibits federal contractors and subcontractors from discriminating against people with disabilities. It sets a hiring goal for contractors to aim for a workforce where at least seven percent are workers with disabilities. Section 503 also sets data collection requirements so the government has information on how many people with disabilities are being employed by federal contractors. In their letter, the Members of Congress reference the Administration's proposal of a rule that would eliminate the Section 503 hiring goal and data collection requirements. They refer to the layoffs at the Office of Federal
Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), where nearly 90 percent of staff were fired, and express concern that this reduction in staff will weaken efforts to enforce Section 503. Read more about the proposed rule elimination in this past issue of Disability Policy News.
Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP): The Members write that the President’s FY26 budget proposal would cut ODEP's budget by 21 percent, which they say would be extremely harmful for workers with disabilities. ODEP provides services like the Job Accommodation Network, which provides "free guidance on workplace accommodations and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance to employers." ODEP coordinates across the federal government to promote policies that increase employment
opportunities for people with disabilities.
Subminimum Wage: The Biden Administration had begun a federal rulemaking process to phase out the use of subminimum wage for people with disabilities, but when the Trump Administration took office, the Department of Labor ended the process before it could move forward. The Members note that the Department's Wage and Hour Division continues to issue certificates that allow businesses to still pay people with disabilities a wage below the federal minimum wage, which is $7.25 an hour. They write that "[t]his exploitative practice undermines the dignity and economic security of people with disabilities while creating perverse incentives for employers to segregate disabled workers in sheltered workshops, where most employees are people with
disabilities." Read more about the removal of the subminimum wage rule in this past issue of Disability Policy News.
Job Corps: Job Corps is a program that provides free residential career training and education for young adults, including apprenticeships, helping people begin on a career path. In the past, DOL has ensured these opportunities are equally available to all applicants: they have stipulated that "sponsors with more than five apprentices must develop and maintain a program that includes hiring goals for individuals with disabilities." The Members write that the Department’s proposed rule to eliminate equal opportunity regulations may decrease apprenticeship and job training opportunities for young people with disabilities.
|
|
|
Plain Language |
Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Representatives Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Lateefah Simon (D-CA) led a group of Members of Congress and wrote a letter to Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer. They wanted information about why the Department has cut money for disability programs and made changes that they think are bad. They ask the Secretary how the Department will be able to follow the rules under disability laws without some of its important programs. The Members say that overall, the Administration's actions make it harder for the government to work on employment policy for people with disabilities.
Section 503: The Administration wanted to change how companies that work with the federal government treat employees with disabilities. Companies that work with the federal government are called contractors. The Administration wants to change parts of Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act. Section 503 says that it is illegal for contractors to discriminate against people with disabilities who work for them or who want to work for them. Section 503 also says that these companies should make an effort to hire and promote people with disabilities. The Administration wants to stop making contractors set goals to hire more people with disabilities. The Members of Congress are concerned about this because we need more companies hiring people with
disabilities, and the government should try to help with that.
Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP): ODEP helps people with disabilities in the workplace. They provide services including the Job Accommodation Network, which has information and advice on how to get changes in the workplace that help you work if you have a disability. ODEP also tries to get more employment opportunities for people with disabilities. The Members of Congress write about how the President's budget proposal would cut funding for ODEP by 21 percent, which is a lot of money. The President's budget proposal has suggestions for what the President and his Administration want each department and agency to spend.
Submininum Wage: Currently, employers can pay people with disabilities less than minimum wage because of something called section 14(c) certificates. The Biden Administration wanted to stop this from happening, so they started a rule process to end the use of 14(c) certificates. The Trump Administration has stopped this process. The Members say subminimum wage is unfair for people with disabilities. They also say that it makes it harder for people with disabilities to save their money or be independent. It also keeps workers with disabilities away from workers without disabilities.
Job Corps: This program offers free training for different jobs and careers. It has rules that make sure that some workplaces try to hire more people with disabilities. The Department of Labor wants to get rid of those rules.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vaccine Panel to Meet in December
|
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced that the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will reconvene on December 4 and 5. ACIP makes recommendations to the CDC about how vaccines are used. They had previously met on September 18 and 19. ACIP is expected to discuss "vaccine safety, the childhood and adolescent immunization schedule, and hepatitis B vaccines." Last month, ACIP formed a new
working group to consider the safety of vaccine ingredients, such as aluminum. Last time ACIP met, the panel voted to make changes to vaccine guidance—you can read more about these changes in this past issue of Disability Policy News.
|
|
|
Key Takeaways |
ACIP's recommendations affect vaccine access across the country because nearly all insurers will cover vaccines recommended by ACIP. ACIP also decides which vaccines will be in the Vaccines for Children program, which provides free vaccines to eligible children.
The hepatitis B vaccine is typically administered at birth, but the Administration has implied that the recommendations for when to administer the vaccine may change. After a CDC hearing in September, Senate HELP Committee Chair Bill Cassidy (R-LA) said that "if the ACIP later this
week rescinds its recommendation for universal hepatitis B vaccination of newborns, the American people should not trust the recommendation," according to reporting from Politico and ABC News.
In June, Secretary Kennedy fired all 17 members of the ACIP at CDC and replaced it with 8 new advisers. Public health advocates were concerned by the new advisers, because many have expressed vaccine skepticism in the past, spread vaccine misinformation, or disagreed with the public health measures taken to keep people safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The President has said that he wants aluminum to be removed from vaccines and Secretary Kennedy has long questioned its safety. There is no evidence that aluminum is linked to developmental disabilities or other health conditions. In fact, a large-scale study of 1.2 million Danish children concluded that there was not evidence supporting a link between exposure to aluminum in vaccines and autoimmune diseases, allergies, or neurodevelopmental disorders.
|
|
|
Plain Language |
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is a group of people who help the government make choices about vaccines. Vaccines are shots that keep people from getting sick. They will meet on December 4 and 5 to talk about making changes to some vaccines and vaccine advice. They will probably talk about vaccine safety and the childhood vaccine schedule. The childhood vaccine schedule is an official list of what vaccines children should get and when they should get them. They want to look at the timing of vaccines and the ingredients, or different things in vaccines. There is something called aluminum in some vaccines. The President and Health Secretary Kennedy
think it is not safe, but there isn't really proof that it is bad for you. There are people who are still say that certain ingredients in vaccines might cause allergies or autism, but that is not true, and there has been a lot of research showing that it is not true.
ACIP will probably look at the hepatitis B vaccine, which is a vaccine that stops people from getting hepatitis B, an illness. It is usually given to babies, but some people think it should be given later. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who is in charge of a Senate committee on health, says that the vaccine should still be given to babies.
In June, Secretary Kennedy fired all the people in ACIP and hired all new people. These new people all have said things that show they aren't supportive of vaccines and sometimes said wrong information about vaccines.
ACIP had a meeting September 18 and 19 where they decided to change the vaccine advice about COVID vaccines and the vaccines that stop people from getting a few diseases, including measles and chickenpox. You can read more about these changes in this past issue of Disability Policy News.
|
|
|
|
|
|
New Legislation
|
H.Res.875
Introduced by Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA)
A resolution recognizing the 75th anniversary of The Arc of the United States, a leading organization promoting and protecting the civil and human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and actively supporting their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes.
You can read Representative Fitzpatrick's press release here.
H.R.6027
Introduced by Representative Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ)
Would provide for an annual increase in the rates of compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities and the rates of some compensation for the survivors of certain disabled veterans
|
|
|
Plain Language |
There are a few new bills in the U.S. Congress.
Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) introduced a resolution, which is like an official agreement. This resolution is about celebrating the 75th anniversary of The Arc of the United States. The Arc is an organization that supports disability rights and advocates for people with disabilities.
Representative Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) introduced a bill to increase how much money veterans with disabilities get. Veterans are people who used to be in the army or military.
|
|
|
AUCD Story Collection |
AUCD is collecting stories from the Network on a variety of topics to amplify the effects of this Administration on real people and our programs. If you have a story, we want to hear it.
We are interested in stories about:
Medicaid and its impact on people's lives
The impact of dismantling ACL
The important work of UCEDDs, LENDs, IDDRCs, PNS’s, DD Councils, P&As
The impact of zeroing out UCEDDs, LENDs, IDDRCs, PNS’s, DD Councils, P&As
Impact of grants that are being cut
Stories responding to RFK Jr.’s claims about autism or the autism registry
You can use this link to provide information and let us know if you are comfortable sharing your story with Members of Congress and their staff.
|
|
|
|
|
|
AUCD Policy Blog
|
AUCD invites Network members to fill out this form if you’re interested in writing for the AUCD policy blog. We are open to a variety of issues areas, and we will follow up with you as relevant issues come up that we’d like you to write about.
This November, we are celebrating 50 years of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) with a post from Jessica Molloy, LEND Training Director of the Maine LEND Program at the University of New England, Special Education Leader, and Founder of WHILDE: How Federal Education Funding Gaps Disproportionately Affect Students with Disabilities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Words to Know
|
Appropriations
This is money that is set aside by Congress for a particular use. The appropriations process happens once a year. Money is sometimes requested by the President’s Administration or by Congress for a specific use.
Veterans
Veterans are people who used to be in the army or military.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
This is a government program that helps people who don't have very much money to buy food.
|
|
|
|
|
