Share

Affordable Care Act extended tax credits expire at the end of the year.
 ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌
Image of Capitol building on left side. AUCD globe with a burst of lines sits in the center of the image. Right side of image is dark blue with text that reads: Disability Policy News

December 5, 2025 | Vol. MMXXV | Issue 140

In this edition:

  • Healthcare

  • Department of Health and Human Services

  • Congressional Hearings

  • Department of Education

  • President Trump Uses R-Word

  • New Legislation

  • AUCD Materials

  • Words to Know

Healthcare

Senate Democrats are introducing a proposal for a clean three-year extension of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) extended tax credits. The tax credits expire at the end of the year, and have been a wedge issue between Congressional Republicans and Democrats for months. If the tax credits expire, ACA marketplace premiums will more than double on average starting in 2026. Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson is working to finalize a healthcare plan that will likely propose an alternative framework to the ACA.

Key Takeaways

It is not looking likely that Congress will pass an extension of the ACA tax credits before they expire. While most Congressional Democrats have been pushing for an extension, Republicans have been more interested in alternative proposals to save money on healthcare, with broad interest in letting the tax credits expire. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Thom Tillis (R-NC) have signaled interest in a two-year extension, but want to include income caps to narrow eligibility for the tax credits. Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) is also working on a proposal to extend the subsidies. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) sent a Dear Colleague letter in which he wrote that House Democrats have introduced a discharge petition that will trigger an up-or-down vote on a three-year extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits. The White House was previously working on a proposal but that hasn’t been finalized yet.


Democrats established enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits under the American Rescue Plan, which increased enrollment in ACA Marketplaces. The enhanced provision made more people eligible for the tax credits and increased the amount of tax credits. The enhanced version will expire on December 31, and their expiration could result in millions more uninsured people and higher premiums. Learn more from KFF here.

Plain Language

Many people are able to pay less for healthcare every month because of something called "tax credits." A tax credit is an amount of money that people can save when they file their taxes. Usually, they are a reward from the federal government. For example, if the federal government wants more people to get health insurance, they might offer a tax credit to people who get health insurance. The Affordable Care Act has special tax credits that will end on December 31, 2025. Democrats want to make sure that people can still use these tax credits in the future so they can save money and afford healthcare.


Senate Democrats want to pass a bill to make sure people can still use these tax credits for three more years. They know that a lot of people will have to spend more money on healthcare if the tax credits go away. House Democrats are trying to force Republicans to vote on a bill to keep using the tax credits. Republicans in Congress are not as supportive of these tax credits, and they want to try different ideas to save money on healthcare. The leader of the House of Representatives, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) has his own plan, and the Administration also has said the President has a plan. It might not be possible for Congress to pass a bill so that people can still use the tax credits before time runs out. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) have talked about how they might be interested in a bill to help people use the tax credits for two more years. They want to decrease the number of people who can use the tax credits. They would make the tax credits available for people depending on how much money they make. Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pennsylvania) is also working on a proposal to extend the subsidies. Democrats are worried that people will have pay a lot more for their healthcare starting at the beginning of 2026.

Department of Health and Human Services

Vaccine Injury Compensation Program – Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is considering changes to the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), which is a no-fault alternative for people who believe they’ve been injured by a vaccine to get compensated. The VICP injury table includes the vaccines and associated injuries that could be considered reimbursable by the VICP within a certain time frame after vaccination. Although evidence has shown that vaccines do not cause autism, Secretary Kennedy and his team have publicly mentioned that they are interested in including autistic people in the injury table. To do this, HHS advisors are looking at redefining “encephalopathy,” which is a type of brain injury.


Food and Drug Administration – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is making changes to how the agency approves and regulates vaccines, making guidelines for approval stricter. The changes were revealed in a new memo from a top vaccine regulator at FDA, which alleges that “at least 10 children have died after and because of receiving COVID-19 vaccination.” The memo doesn’t provide evidence for this claim, but cites the FDA’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), which is a database to which anyone can submit a report about side effects they believe are related to a vaccine. The memo also lays out a plan for the FDA to reevaluate and revise the annual flu vaccine guidance process, reconsider whether Americans should get multiple vaccines at once, and require vaccine manufacturers to show much more data and information to prove that their vaccines are safe.


Twelve former FDA chiefs wrote a piece in the New England Journal of Medicine expressing concern that the FDA’s recent actions “will undermine a regulatory model designed to ensure vaccine safety, effectiveness, and availability.” The signers, including FDA chiefs who served under both Democrat and Republican Administrations, wrote that the changes outlined in this new memo could make it harder to keep vaccines updated as diseases evolve over time and could “disadvantage the people the FDA exists to protect, including millions of Americans at high risk from serious infections.”


Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices – On December 4 and 5, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met to discuss changes to the childhood vaccine schedule. They voted to change the guidance for the hepatitis B vaccine, recommending that only infants whose mothers have tested positive for hepatitis B or have unknown status get the vaccination at birth. They suggest that infants whose mothers test negative for the disease get vaccinated no earlier than two months. Previously, it was recommended that all infants get vaccinated against hepatitis B at birth.

Key Takeaways

These actions reshape federal vaccine policy—they will narrow vaccine production and restrict vaccine access for the public.


VICP – To include autistic people in the VICP’s injury table would be to ignore decades of scientific evidence that demonstrates the lack of connection between autism and vaccines. It could also bankrupt the VICP’s trust fund, which currently holds more than $4 billion, and could jeopardize the efficacy of the entire vaccine manufacturing system in the U.S.


FDA – The FDA memo follows a pattern now familiar under Secretary Kennedy’s tenure—proposing major changes to hinder vaccine production and introduce new barriers to getting vaccines to Americans. Making vaccine manufacturers demonstrate that their products reduce illness, instead of requiring the affirmation that the vaccines generate antibodies to fight infection, is a much higher burden of proof, one that is not necessary for many vaccines that have already been effective in reducing transmission and illness for decades.


Vaccine experts express that the rationale behind the changes is flawed, as vaccines are safe and effective. They are concerned these changes will lead to fewer vaccines being produced and thus broader spread of vaccine-preventable illness. They have also pointed out that the new rules would make it harder for vaccine manufacturers to quickly react to new strains of viruses. Additionally, the language used in the memo—such as, “Did COVID-19 vaccine programs kill more healthy kids than it saved?” use alarmist rhetoric to pose questions that have already been answered. These beliefs are typically found in fringe anti-vaccine organizations.


ACIP – This change could result in fewer children getting vaccinated against hepatitis B and may precipitate the need for vaccine manufacturers to create new single-antigen vaccines to satisfy different vaccination schedules. ACIP’s move to change the hepatitis B vaccine guidance again reflects the broader trend at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under Secretary Kennedy, who has pushed anti-vaccine policy and brought vaccine skeptics into ACIP and other influential positions.


Many vaccine and public health experts—including some within ACIP—have warned that this decision was not based on scientific evidence, and that these meetings did not include subject matter experts. A climate and autism researcher with anti-vaccine history presented to the committee; she had previously published a study on autism rates that was retracted by a medical journal for misrepresenting data. In September, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chair Bill Cassidy (R-LA) had said that “if the ACIP … 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. This week, Senator Cassidy followed up with social media posts where he said that [t]he ACIP is totally discredited” and that “this change to the vaccine schedule is a mistake.” He urges Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill not to approve the new recommendations.


ACIP first began recommending hepatitis B vaccinations at birth in 1991, and since then, there has been a drastic reduction in cases (98 percent decline from 1990 to 2006) in children under 15. The vaccine is administered at birth because even if a pregnant mother tests negative for the disease, tests can sometimes fail to detect infections contracted late in the pregnancy and family members may not know they are infected before interacting with infants.

Plain Language

There are a few new government actions and plans that will make it harder for people to get vaccines. Vaccines are shots that keep people safe from diseases. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has been working on changing a lot about vaccine policy. He says a lot of things about vaccines and disability that are not true.


Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) - This program helps people get money if they think a vaccine hurt them.  Secretary Kennedy wants to allow some people with autism on a special list that would let them get money from the VICP. This doesn't make sense because vaccines do not cause autism.


Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - The FDA is changing the rules about how they approve or disapprove vaccines. The FDA gets to decide if they approve a vaccine and if they say it is safe for people to get. They are going to make companies that make vaccines do extra tests even though vaccines already work well and are safe. They say that at least 10 children died because of the COVID vaccine. They don't give any proof based on science about that claim. They got information from something called the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), which is a system where people write about their own experience if they think they were hurt by a vaccine.


Twelve people who used to be in charge of the FDA wrote an article saying that these changes at FDA will be bad for vaccine safety and will make it harder for people to access vaccines. They include people who were FDA directors under both Democratic Administrations and Republican Administrations. Many vaccine experts say that these changes at FDA might make it harder for people to get vaccines, which might mean that more people get sick with diseases.


Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) - ACIP is a group of health officials who make decisions about vaccines and when people should get them. They made a big change for a vaccine for a disease called hepatitis B. Before, the government said that all babies have to get the vaccine when they are born. Now, ACIP is saying that if a baby's mother has hepatitis B or hasn't gotten a test to see if they have it, then the baby has to be vaccinated. If the baby's mother takes a test to see if she has hepatitis B and the test says she doesn't have it, that baby doesn't have to be vaccinated yet. ACIP suggests parents should wait until the baby is two months before the baby gets vaccinated.

 

This is a very big change. Giving this vaccine to a baby is safe, and sometimes hepatitis B tests are wrong, so it is better to be careful and give the vaccine early, just in case. In 1991, the government officially started saying that babies should get the hepatitis B vaccine at birth. Since then, there was a big decrease in the number of children who get the disease. Many vaccine and public health experts are worried that this new change will mean fewer children will be protected against the hepatitis B disease. ACIP did not meet with hepatitis B vaccine experts and didn't have good science-based information at their meeting. They did have a researcher who has done bad research on autism. The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chair Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) said that ACIP should not make this change and that he doesn't trust what they are doing. He says that the current Director of the CDC should not approve these changes.

Congressional Hearings

Senate HELP Committee – The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing on December 3 entitled “Making Health Care Affordable Again: Healing a Broken System.” Members reacted to the ongoing debate around extending the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits or allowing them to expire and finding alternative legislation to bring down healthcare costs. Both Members and witnesses agreed that the country’s healthcare system is broken, greater transparency is needed, and healthcare costs are far too high.


Senate Aging Committee – The Senate Aging Committee held a hearing about helping older adults and people with disabilities live in the community called “Aging in Place: The Impact of Community during the Holidays.” Ranking Member Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) announced that the Committee had received more than 600 statements to be entered into the Congressional Record about the impact of home and community-based services (HCBS) from people with disabilities, older adults, families, and organizations.

Key Takeaways

HELP – The hearing broadly touched on various health-related policy proposals and federal actions. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) referenced the changes to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) webpage on autism and vaccines, urging the HELP committee to hold an oversight hearing on Secretary Kennedy’s anti-vaccine agenda. Additionally, Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) referenced the benefits of the ACA’s Medicaid expansion for people who provide and need caregiving.


Aging – Members of Congress and witnesses discussed the caregiving crisis and the importance of family caregivers, the challenges posed by the Medicaid institutional bias and waiver program, and the importance of the Older Americans Act. Below are some takeaways regarding which issues were raised by Senators on the Committee:


  • Chairman Rick Scott (R-FL) talked about the financial strain that family caregivers experience and a proposal for a targeted tax credit for adults caring for aging parents.

  • Senator Gillibrand reintroduced her Strategic Plan for Aging Act, which would provide grants to states to create or implement multisectoral plans for aging and aging with a disability. She questioned witnesses about how potential cuts to the Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) will affect older adults and people with disabilities who may be more vulnerable when heating and cooling issues arise. Senator Gillibrand also talked about the connection between changes at the Department of Education and HCBS, as access to home care and free and appropriate public education are both important to ensure children and youth with disabilities aren’t segregated or left behind. Witnesses emphasized how the Administration’s proposal to move special education offices to HHS is problematic; hearing witness Emily Ladau emphasized that this move could send the country backwards, “segregating students by diagnosis rather than expanding educational opportunities.”

    Senator Gillibrand discussed caregiving, including the 80% turnover rate for direct care workers. She expressed concern that the Department of Labor published a proposed rule excluding direct care workers from minimum wage and overtime pay protections. She forecasted the upcoming introduction of her Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act to patch the flaws in labor laws to ensure workers who provide HCBS have the same protections as other workers.

    Senator Gillibrand also addressed accessibility issues that many people with disabilities face with air travel around the holidays, expressing disappointment that the Department of Transportation is delaying implementation of a regulation that would support people with wheelchairs or other mobility aids during air travel. She referenced the lack of web accessibility across the Internet broadly, which is also a hindrance during holiday travel, and referenced a report from 2022 that found broad web inaccessibility across federal government technology.

  • Senator Ashley Moody (R-FL) asked witnesses about the potential cost savings from reversing the Medicaid waiver system to automatically provide funding for HCBS instead of institutional care.

  • Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) discussed how looming Medicaid cuts will negatively affect older adults and people with disabilities; former Administration for Community Living (ACL) Administrator Alison Barkoff, a hearing witness, described the challenges that states will face in balancing budgets while facing decreased funding from Medicaid, and how HCBS services will suffer as a result.

  • Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) mentioned the sweeping layoffs at ACL and how gutting this agency will negatively impact ACL’s ability to coordinate across HHS and other federal bodies to make sure people with disabilities are involved in federal policy decision-making that will affect them.

Plain Language

Senate HELP Committee - The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee had a hearing, or a public meeting, about making healthcare less expensive. The Senators on the committee talked a lot about the Affordable Care Act tax credits we wrote about in the "Healthcare" section above. Senator Patty Murray (D-Washington) talked a little about some issues at HHS, like how HHS Secretary Kennedy changed a webpage about vaccines and autism to show incorrect information. She said the HELP Committee should have a hearing to talk about Secretary Kennedy's anti-vaccine changes at HHS. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-New Hampshire) talked about how Medicaid was changed in some states to include more people. She said this was really helpful for people who receive home care and for people who provide it.


Senate Aging Committee - The Senate Aging Committee had a hearing about helping older adults and people with disabilities live in the community. Aging Committee Ranking Member Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York) said that the Committee received more than 600 statements about how home and community-based services affect people. These statements will go in the Congressional Record, which is the official record that Congress stores documents and important statements.


The Senators brought witnesses into the hearing. Witnesses are people from outside the Committee who the Senators want to hear from. Senators and witnesses talked about how family caregivers are really important. They also talked about the importance of the Older Americans Act, which is a bill that helps older adults and people with disabilities stay in their homes and get important services.


This is a list of some important things the Senators talked about:

  • Chairman Rick Scott (R-Florida) talked about how it can be expensive to be a family caregiver. You have to spend money to support your family member and make sure they have what they need. You might not be able to earn a lot of money at another job because you spend so much time caregiving.

  • Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York) reintroduced her Strategic Plan for Aging Act. This bill would provide funding to states to make and carry out plans to help people as they get older. She talked about a program called the Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and how it helps people stay in their homes and pay less money for heating and cooling in their houses. The Administration wants to cut money from this program. Senator Gillibrand talked about the big changes happening at the Department of Education, which we talk about a little more in the "Department of Education" section below. She talked about how students with disabilities often need access to HCBS to stay in their communities so they can go to school with other students.

    Senator Gillibrand also talked about how the Administration is changing a rule that makes sure home care workers earn minimum wage and receive pay for extra long work time. This change means many home care workers may not get fair pay, even though they do important work. These changes to rules are part of the Trump Administration’s bigger plan to have less government rules.

    The Senator brought up the accessibility issues that many people with disabilities face when they travel. It can be unsafe and unfairly expensive for people with disabilities to take an airplane to travel. Many people have said that their wheelchairs, scooters, and other devices were damaged or lost when they took a flight. Senator Gillibrand said she was disappointed that the Administration is delaying a rule that would help people with disabilities stay safe on airplanes. Waiting even longer for these rules to be official will mean that it could be risky for people with disabilities to travel on airplanes.

  • Senator Ashley Moody (R-Florida) asked the witnesses about the Medicaid institutional bias. The institutional bias is a term that describes how Medicaid funding go towards long-term services and supports (LTSS). These are services that help disabled people live our everyday lives, like help getting out of bed or bathing, a job coach, or direct support workers. The law promises that people who need LTSS can get it in institutions no matter what. But, if people want to get LTSS in their homes or in the community, the law does not promise that they can get it. States do not have to spend their Medicaid money on HCBS. Most states spend some money on HCBS, but not enough to get everyone services in the community. Instead, the states make waiting lists. Senator Moody was interested in finding out how much money the government can save if they make it so that LTSS in the community is promised by law.

  • Senator Andy Kim (D-New Jersey) talked about how the Medicaid cuts in the One Big, Beautiful Bill will make it harder for people to get HCBS.

  • Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-Maryland) said that a lot of people were fired at the Administration for Community Living (ACL). ACL helps older adults and people with disabilities live in the community. Senator Alsobrooks said that ACL can't do its job as well now that so many employees are gone, and that's bad for people with disabilities.

Department of Education

On December 4, a group of 35 Senators sent a letter to Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon condemning the recently announced interagency agreements (IAAs) which will shift some Education offices over to four other federal agencies—the Departments of Labor, Interior, Health and Human Services, and State. They say the IAAs were illegally created without Congressional input and that they will make it harder for families, students, and educators to navigate the public education system.

 

Last month, The Arc of the United States joined a coalition of educators, school districts, and employees unions in a lawsuit against the Education Department over its IAAs. The lawsuit “asserts that recent mass layoffs and other efforts to stop the Department’s work have stripped away essential protections for students with disabilities.” They cite the reductions in force (RIFs) currently on hold at the Department, which, if carried out, would gut the offices 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).


You can read more about the IAAs in this previous issue of Disability Policy News.

Key Takeaways

While the IAAs do not currently include the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), or the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), advocates are expecting more IAAs in coming weeks that may affect those offices. The IAAs do affect Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities (TPSID) and workforce development programs.


In their letter, the Members refer to the important civil rights protections that the Department of Education is tasked with enforcing, and cite the laws that Congress has passed to authorize that work, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Rehabilitation Act. Breaking up the Education Department fragments the services and resources that students and parents rely on, and other federal agencies do not have the expertise or infrastructure to take on these offices.

Plain Language

On December 4, a group of 35 Senators sent a letter to Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon. They said they disagreed with the Administration's decision to close the Department of Education and its plan to move Education work to other departments. The Senators said that this plan was against the law because the Administration did it without Congress agreeing to it. They say that the plan will make it harder for students, families, and teachers to figure out how to get resources and services in the public education system. The Senators say that laws like the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Rehabilitation Act are both important laws that protect students with disabilities.


Last month, The Arc of the United States, a disability rights organization, joined a group that is suing the Education Department. This means the group is trying to force the Department to change something by going through the court system. This group also includes teachers, teachers' unions (which represent teachers and fight for their rights), and school districts (part of local governments that are in charge of an area's schools). This group says that the Administration's firing of many employees at the Department of Education will make it harder for the Department to do its job. It will make it harder for the Department to protect students with disabilities and make sure they have what they need at school. The Administration wants to fire people 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). They haven't been able to do this because a judge told them they can't right now.


Breaking up the Education Department makes it harder for students and parents to get the services and resources they need. Other federal agencies do not have the experts that you need to work on education policy. Advocates are expecting more agreements in the next week.

President Trump Uses R-Word

Last week, President Trump used the r-word in a social media post to describe Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. This word is considered disrespectful and offensive by people with disabilities and advocates. Indiana State Senate Michael Bohacek responded to this social media post, saying this:


“I have been an unapologetic advocate for people with intellectual disabilities since the birth of my second daughter. Those of you that don’t know me or my family might not know that my daughter has Down Syndrome. This is not the first time our president has used these insulting and derogatory references and his choices of words have consequences.”

Plain Language

Last week, President Trump used the r-word in a social media post to describe Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. This word is considered disrespectful and offensive by people with disabilities and advocates. Indiana State Senate Michael Bohacek responded to this social media post. He said that he is an advocate for people with intellectual disabilities and he has a daughter with Down Syndrome. He said the President's use of the r-word was insulting and mean.

New Legislation

  • The Medicaid Primary Care Improvement Act (S.3298)

    • Introduced by Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)

    • Would allow states to use Medicaid dollars to cover a certain set of primary care services

    • You can read Senator Blackburn’s press release here.

  • The Kidd’s Stuttering Act (H.R.6364)

    • Introduced by Representative Addison McDowell (R-NC)

    • Would add mandatory stuttering screenings for children ages two to six and guarantee Medicaid and CHIP coverage for speech-therapy services

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

  • S.3295

    • Introduced by Senator Peter Welch (D-VT)

    • Would establish a tax credit for adult child caregivers

  • H.Res.920 and S.Res.521

    • Introduced by Representative Glenn Thompson (R-PA) and Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)

    • A resolution recognizing the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

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

Plain Language

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

  • The Medicaid Primary Care Improvement Act would help people who have Medicaid get access to certain kinds of healthcare services.

  • The Kidd's Stuttering Act would make sure Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) cover tests for stuttering and speech therapy. This means when parents bring their kids to a doctor to see if they have speech or stuttering problems, Medicaid and CHIP will cover those appointments, so parents don't have to pay.

  • A bill by Senator Peter Welch would help some family caregivers get a tax credit. A tax credit is an amount of money that people can save when they file their taxes. Usually, they are a reward from the federal government.

  • Two resolutions (one for the House and one for the Senate) were introduced to recognize the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. A resolution is an official agreement.

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 month, we are honoring the life and legacy of disability justice activist and leader Alice Wong with a blog post from three contributors in the AUCD Network: Honoring the Life of Alice Wong

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 the Department of Education and the anniversary of the IDEA.

Words to Know

Tax Credit

This is an amount of money that people can save when they file their taxes. Usually, they are a reward from the federal government. For example, if the federal government wants more people to get health insurance, they might offer a tax credit to people who get health insurance. These might also be called subsidies.


Compensation

This is money or something valuable.


Offensive

This means deeply hurtful or negative.

Subscribe to Disability Policy News

Disability Policy News Archives

State Profiles

Email Marketing by ActiveCampaign