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February 27, 2026 | Vol. MMXXVI | Issue 150 |
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In this edition:
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Healthcare
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Department of Health and Human Services
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GAO Report on Disabled Job Seekers
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House Ways & Means Committee Hearing
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Department of Education
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New Legislation
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AUCD Materials
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Words to Know
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Healthcare |
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President Trump announced on February 24 during his State of the Union address that Vice President J.D. Vance will be leading efforts to crack down on healthcare fraud. The President alleged that there has been widespread Medicaid fraud across the country, especially in Minnesota, California, Massachusetts, and Maine. He alluded to potential changes to Medicaid funding should his Administration find more fraud. The President also talked about his Administration’s efforts to lower drug prices using the most favored nation practice. He blamed Democrats in Congress and the Affordable Care Act for high healthcare prices.
On February 25, Vice President Vance, Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Dr. Mehmet Oz announced that the Administration would cut off $259 million in Medicaid funding to Minnesota after an audit found unsupported or possibly fraudulent Medicaid claims. Minnesota has appealed and is waiting for a hearing with HHS; in the meantime, CMS is allowing continued Medicaid funding to go to the state while they appeal. The Administration is also issuing a six-month national moratorium on Medicare enrollment for certain durable medical equipment, which CMS Administrator Oz said is a frequent target for fraud. Durable medical equipment is reusable, medically necessary equipment and includes things like prosthetics, wheelchairs, and hospital beds.
The Administration is also announcing a request for stakeholder input (in a 30 day comment period) to collect suggestions for preventing fraud. The responses from stakeholders could inform a future rule under CMS’ Comprehensive Regulations to Uncover Suspicious Healthcare (CRUSH) initiative. |
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Key Takeaways |
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Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has said that the state has made significant efforts to rectify the gaps in its Medicaid program oversight and prevent fraud. He has accused the Administration of weaponizing the federal government to punish Democrat-led states like Minnesota by cutting off such a significant amount of Medicaid funding. In December 2025, the Department of Justice charged multiple defendants for allegedly defrauding a Minnesota healthcare program, purporting to provide therapy for autistic children. On January 6, CMS cut off $2 billion in Medicaid funding to Minnesota. CMS says that, at that time, it “notified Minnesota of its intent to withhold federal funds until it was satisfied with the state’s corrective action plan to address its program integrity shortcomings.”
The Administration has carried out an enormous immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis, which has been widely protested. Some of the most significant clashes between immigration enforcement and protesters have occurred in Minneapolis, including the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. |
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Plain Language |
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The President gave a speech called the State of the Union. This speech is given by the President each year in February to talk about important issues in the country and announce the things the President's Administration will work on. This year, the President talked about these things that are related to healthcare:
The President announced that Vice President J.D. Vance will lead a project to stop Medicaid fraud. Fraud is when someone pretends to be someone or do something so they can get money. There were some people in Minnesota who pretended to offer autism therapy services so they could get money from Medicaid. The President is saying that people are committing fraud in Minnesota, California, Massachusetts, and Maine. Vice President Vance is going to work with Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the leader of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Dr. Mehmet Oz. They are cutting off $259 million in Medicaid dollars from Minnesota. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz says that this is unfair, because Minnesota is working hard to stop fraud. He said the Administration is punishing Minnesota because he is a Democrat and because many people in Minnesota are protesting against the Administration's immigration policies. Some of the biggest news from the last year about immigration police came out of Minnesota. Immigration police killed two people in Minneapolis, Minnesota: Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
The Administration is announcing that they want people to comment on how they think the government can stop fraud. They are giving people 30 days to comment.
Durable medical equipment are things that people use to get around or get healthcare. They include things like prosthetics, wheelchairs, and hospital beds. The Administration is stopping certain companies from getting Medicare money for their durable medical equipment for six months. They say that a lot of companies are committing fraud through Medicare's durable medical equipment program. |
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Department of Health and Human Services |
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Lawsuit – The attorneys general of California and Arizona are leading 13 other states in a lawsuit against the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), seeking to overturn its January childhood vaccine schedule memo. The memo eases guidance for the rotavirus, meningococcal disease, hepatitis A, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and flu vaccines, moving them from a universal recommendation to a category called “shared decision-making.” This means that families should consult a doctor to decide whether or not to get their child vaccinated for those diseases. The states are also asking the court to overturn the changes that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. made to the personnel on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which they say were made illegally.
Key Takeaways
Secretary Kennedy has made reshaping vaccine policy a pillar of his policy priorities since he began his tenure at HHS. Weakening vaccine guidance for these diseases is very concerning, and public health experts are sounding the alarm—especially for the potentially deadly effects of weakening flu vaccine guidance. The U.S. recorded 289 child deaths from flu last year—the deadliest flu season since the country began recording pediatric deaths. It is also concerning considering that the U.S. is also danger of losing its measles elimination status. Although measles was considered eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, there have been numerous outbreaks in the past year, including 1,500 confirmed cases in 2025—the highest number in 33 years.
ACIP Meeting – The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has rescheduled their previously postponed meeting for March 18-19. They are expected to discuss on mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, long COVID, and COVID-19 vaccine injuries.
Key Takeaways
It’s unusual for ACIP, historically, to meet just to discuss an issue rather than meet with the specific intention of making a recommendation to the public. Secretary Kennedy has been a vocal opponent of mRNA vaccines and canceled $500 million in mRNA vaccine research last year.
Surgeon General – The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing to consider the nomination of Casey Means to be Surgeon General. The Surgeon General is considered the nation’s doctor and provides health advice.
Key Takeaways
During Casey Means’ hearing, HELP Chair Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-VT) pushed Dr. Means to answer questions on vaccine safety, asking her if she would acknowledge longstanding data on the safety of vaccines and the importance of vaccine confidence during the current measles outbreaks. Senator Sanders and Senator John Hickenlooper (D-CO) questioned Dr. Means about her beliefs regarding vaccines and autism, noting that there is overwhelming evidence disproving any links. Dr. Means said she was supportive of the measles and flu vaccines but would not say that she would encourage other parents to get their children vaccinated, but said she believed each person should have a conversation with their doctor to decide if they should be vaccinated. Senators Cassidy, Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) also talked about the Secretary’s vaccine policies, including changes to recommendations around the hepatitis B vaccine. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) pushed Dr. Means to say whether or not she believed the flu vaccine reduces serious illness or hospitalization—she responded that the believed that it did, at a population level.
In discussing autism, Dr. Means and Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) described rising rates of autism as an “autism crisis” and maintained that “[w]e do not know what, as a medical community, causes autism,” and when it comes to figuring out those causes, “we should not leave any stone unturned.” This language is not only harmful to autistic people, who pose no danger to society and deserve respect, but inserts doubt into a debate that science settled years ago. Talking about autism and vaccines this way has been a hallmark of HHS officials under Secretary Kennedy, whose ideology has guided the agency.
Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) – The IACC will be holding a full committee meeting on March 19. This is a free and accessible meeting that people can watch on a livestream or in person in Bethesda, MD. The IACC is a federal committee that advises the HHS Secretary, coordinates across the federal government, and provides a public forum for discussion on issues related to autism. Members of the public can submit comments before the meeting. The Autistic Self Advocacy Network has an explainer with suggestions for comments here.
Administration for Children and Families (ACF) – HHS is planning a restructuring of research and evaluation arm of ACF, the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE). OPRE conducts research into ACF programs and evaluates the effectiveness of programs that are intended to support children and families with low incomes. The Administration is planning to slash its workforce and move much of its work to the jurisdiction of political appointees. On February 23, over 130 organizations signed a letter expressing deep concern about this restructuring.
Key Takeaways
The letter’s signatories express concern about political appointees overseeing what has historically been a non-political arm of the government. From the letter:
Under this restructuring, we expect only mandated research will continue—and even that work will now require direct approval from political appointees, compromising the scientific independence that gives evaluation findings their credibility and utility. This means years of ongoing studies, taxpayer-funded data collection efforts, and research partnerships will likely be abandoned—in many cases just as they were poised to deliver findings. Notably, congressional appropriations for FY 2026 largely supported OPRE's functions as written, raising serious questions about whether this restructuring is consistent with congressional intent. |
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Plain Language |
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Secretary Kennedy is very interested in changing vaccine policy in the U.S. Public health experts are really worried about changing the government's advice about the vaccines. This is because many diseases can be really dangerous, and there have already been 289 child deaths from the flu last year. It was the deadliest flu season in a very long time.
Lawsuit - California, Arizona, and 13 other states are suing HHS. This means they went to a court to get HHS to change something. They want to get a court to stop HHS' changes to the childhood vaccine schedule. This is a list of recommended vaccines and when to get them. They changed the guidance for vaccines that stop people from getting a few different viruses, including the flu. Previously, it was recommended that all kids get these vaccines no matter what. Now, the CDC is putting those vaccines in another category called "shared decision-making." This means that families should talk to their doctor to decide whether or not to get these vaccines for their kids.
Health experts are worried because this new advice might mean that fewer kids get vaccinated for these diseases. People might be confused and think that vaccines aren't safe. They might get fewer vaccines, which means more kids might be at risk of getting those diseases. People might be confused about this advice, and they might not get a vaccine. This could be bad for people with disabilities, especially people who have a disability that makes it easier for them to get sick or people who use a device to help them breathe.
ACIP - The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is a group that decides what vaccines people should get. They are going to meet on March 18 and 19 to talk about COVID-19 vaccine injuries and long COVID. They are also going to talk about mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, which is a certain kind of vaccine. Secretary Kennedy doesn't think these are safe, even though there is a lot of proof that says they are safe. Last year, he canceled $500 million that was supposed to go to mRNA vaccine research.
Surgeon General - President Trump chose Casey Means to be the Surgeon General. The Surgeon General gives Americans advice on how to make their health better and not get sick or hurt. On February 25, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee had a hearing, which is a public meeting, to talk about Casey Means. They talked about whether or not they think she should be the Surgeon General. They will have to vote for her to be the Surgeon General or vote against her.
HELP Chair Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) and Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) both wanted Casey Means to agree with them that vaccines keep people safe. The HHS Secretary is the Surgeon General's boss, and HHS Secretary Kennedy has said a lot of things about vaccines that are not true. There are a lot of people who have measles now, which is very bad. Vaccines helped measles go away for a while but now, people think they don't need to take vaccines, so people are getting measles. The Senators were very worried about measles and a few other diseases, like the flu.
Senator Sanders and Senator John Hickenlooper (D-Colorado) questioned Dr. Means about autism. They were worried that she believed there is a connection between autism and vaccines, because Secretary Kennedy believes that. They talked about how there is a lot of proof that shows there is no connection between those two things, but she would not agree. She said there might be some proof out there and that we need to keep trying to figure out what the causes of autism are because there is an "autism crisis." Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma) also said similar things about autism. Talking about autism like it is a horrible crisis is not respectful to autistic people.
Vaccines are safe. Vaccines help stop people from getting really sick. You can read a plain language resource about vaccines and autism from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) here.
Senators Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Delaware), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Maryland), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) also talked about how vaccines are safe and said they were worried about Secretary Kennedy's vaccine policies and anti-vaccine ideas. Dr. Means would not say that she would tell parents to get their kids vaccinated for certain diseases. She said that every person needs to talk to a doctor to decide if they should get a vaccine. This is similar to how other health officials in this Administration talk about vaccines. Usually, health officials say that people should get vaccinated against diseases because they are safe to use and they work best when a lot of people get them. Secretary Kennedy and other people who work for him are saying something different. They are saying that everyone should make that decision on their own.
IACC - The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) helps the HHS Secretary make decisions about autism policy. This committee works with many people across the whole federal government to give information about autism. The IACC will be meeting on March 18. This is a free and accessible meeting that people can watch on a livestream or in person in Bethesda, MD. People can submit comments ahead of time. ASAN has an explainer with suggestions for comments here.
Administration for Children and Families (ACF) - HHS is planning to make big changes to an office under ACF called the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE). OPRE looks into ACF programs to figure out if programs are helping people. The Administration is planning to fire a lot of people at OPRE and move OPRE's work to a different group of people who the President hired. On February 23, more than 130 organizations signed a letter saying they are very worried about these changes. They say that the people who will be in charge of this research might not be experts and might not do all the research they are supposed to do. |
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GAO Report on Disabled Job Seekers |
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The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a new report on the challenges facing disabled job seekers. The report, requested by House Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Representative Frederica Wilson (D-FL), reviewed the programs authorized by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which established “a system for federal, state, and local entities to implement workforce employment and training programs.” WIOA mandates that job centers and workforce programs are physically and programmatically accessible to people with disabilities, allowing accommodations when needed. The report reviewed:
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The number of people participating in certain Department of Labor (DOL) workforce programs, the services they use, and their employment outcomes
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What state and local workforce agencies are doing to make sure that the programs are accessible to people with disabilities
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DOL’s efforts to make sure that the programs are accessible
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Key Takeaways |
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GAO’s investigation found that state and local workforce agencies face challenges to ensuring that programs are accessible, and DOL’s oversight of these programs is not comprehensive. GAO found gaps in data collection, and recommended that the Secretary of Labor collect more data on the types of disabilities people in workforce programs had. DOL disagreed with this recommendation on the grounds that “it does not require participants to disclose information on their disability type, consistent with non-discrimination provisions and supporting regulations of the Americans with Disabilities Act.” The Administration used a similar argument when it issued a proposed rule to revise regulations implementing Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act, which you can read more about in this previous issue of DPN. DOL did agree with GAO’s recommendations for the Secretary of Labor to “develop a written procedure for routinely analyzing DOL's state monitoring reports” and “evaluate state and local workforce agencies' awareness and use of guidance.” |
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Plain Language |
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The Government Accountability Office (GAO) does research on different parts of the government and makes reports. The GAO has a new report on the challenges for people with disabilities who want jobs. House Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-Virginia) and Frederica Wilson (D-Florida) asked GAO to look at programs that help people with disabilities find jobs. These programs were created through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). GAO looked at who was using the programs, if the programs were accessible to people, and if the programs helped people find jobs. GAO also looked at how the Department of Labor made sure the programs were accessible and what state and local organizations were doing to make the programs accessible to people with disabilties.
GAO found that state and local agencies face challenges making sure that programs are accessible. In the report, they say that the Department of Labor needs to do a better job checking on the programs. GAO recommended that the Department of Labor collect more information about the types of disabilities people have who are using these programs. The Department of Labor responded and said they don't agree because that recommendation doesn't fit with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This is because the because the ADA says people shouldn't have to tell the government about their disabilities. The ADA was created to stop discrimination against people with disabilities. It is concerning that the Administration is using the ADA to avoid doing something that could help more people with disabilities get jobs at companies that work with the government. DOL did agree with GAO’s recommendations for them to look into how state and local organizations are following advice from DOL. |
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House Ways & Means Committee Hearing |
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On February 24, the House Ways & Means Committee’s Health Subcommittee held a hearing entitled “Advancing the Next Generation of America’s Health Care Workforce.” Members of the panel and witnesses discussed the challenges of addressing the healthcare workforce shortage in rural areas. Democratic Members also addressed the expected impacts of H.R.1 (the One Big Beautiful Bill) on rural health. Witnesses talked about strengthening preventive care in rural areas and working proactively to prevent chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension. Witnesses also discussed pediatric care and rural hospital closures. |
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Key Takeaways |
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H.R.1 is expected to damage the financial stability of rural hospitals despite its creation of a rural health fund. Work requirements are expected to result in millions of rural beneficiaries losing coverage, while the new cap on state-directed payments will decrease Medicaid funding for rural hospitals, which will result in many hospitals being forced to close.
In addition to mentioning the negative impacts of H.R.1 on rural health, Representative Mike Thompson (D-CA) referenced Secretary Kennedy’s changes to vaccine policy. American Academy of Pediatrics President Dr. Andrew Racine, a witness, spoke about the increasing issue of doctors having to combat misinformation about vaccines and alternatively, patients concerned that they will not have access to vaccines. Dr. Racine and Representative Thompson cited concerns that Secretary Kennedy will make changes to the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), which he has alleged is corrupted. They also talked about how the current measles outbreak has burdened pediatricians, who have to combat vaccine misinformation and work harder to stem the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases.
Dr. Racine spoke about the challenges of administering consistent care in the Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), as each state operates these programs differently. He testified that this variation in care disproportionately affects rural residents, who may have to travel significant distances to get the healthcare they need. |
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Plain Language |
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On February 24, the House Ways and Means Committee had a hearing called “Advancing the Next Generation of America’s Health Care Workforce.” Members of the Committee and witnesses talked about rural healthcare. Rural means an area where there are not a lot of people, and there is a lot of land. Members and witnesses said that there are not enough doctors and nurses in rural areas, so it is very hard for people living there to get good healthcare.
Representative Mike Thompson (D-California) talked about H.R.1 (the One Big Beautiful Bill) which passed last year and took a lot of money away from Medicaid. He said this bill will hurt people in rural areas because a lot of them will lose healthcare. The bill will also make the government give less money to hospitals, so rural hospitals might close. Dr. Andrew Racine was one of the witnesses. He is the President of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which advocates on behalf of children. He said that Secretary Kennedy's beliefs about vaccines makes doctors' jobs harder because a lot of people are confused about whether or not vaccines are safe. Secretary Kennedy has said things about vaccines that are not true and many doctors have to work hard to give people true information about vaccines. |
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Department of Education |
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The Department of Education has continued to shift its work to other federal agencies using Interagency Agreements (IAA). The Department announced on February 23 that the department would transfer its work related to school shootings and student mental health programs over to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Recently, Senate HELP Chair Bill Cassidy (R-LA) has said he is planning to hold a hearing on the Department’s dismantling with Education Secretary Linda McMahon as a witness. |
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Key Takeaways |
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The Administration has already signed six IAAs that shift some Education offices over to four different agencies: the Departments of Labor, Interior, Health and Human Services, and State. Education Department officials have said that the funding levels for these programs will stay the same. Advocates expect future IAAs to move special education offices to HHS or the Department of Labor. During the government shutdown, the Administration carried out sweeping layoffs at the aforementioned special education and civil rights offices before hiring back most staff when the government opened again.
The FY2026 appropriations law contains nonbinding language stating that the Department has “no authorities” to transfer these responsibilities to other agencies. These recent IAAs indicate that the Administration does not plan on heeding that language and will not be deterred from its work to dismantle the Department of Education. |
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Plain Language |
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The Administration wants to close the Department of Education and plans to move education work to other departments. This week, the Department announced two new agreements to move its work on student mental health and stopping school violence over to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). 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. The Administration has already moved a lot of the Department of Education's work over to other agencies. The most recent appropriations (funding) bills said that Congress doesn't want the Department to make these changes. The Administration ignored this language.
Recently, Senate HELP Chair Bill Cassidy (R-LA) has said he is planning to hold a hearing on the Department of Education being taken apart. He says the Senate HELP Committee would have Education Secretary Linda McMahon as a witness. |
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New Legislation
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Plain Language |
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There are a few new bills in the U.S. Congress.
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The We Can’t Wait Act would allow people with disabilities to get support from Social Security Disability Insurance while they are waiting to officially get their benefits
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The Head Start for America’s Children Act would give more money to Head Start, which is a program that supports young children
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A bill to give adult child caregivers a tax credit, which is like a reward from the government when people file their taxes
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AUCD Story Collection |
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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:
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Medicaid and its impact on people's lives
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The impact of dismantling ACL
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The important work of UCEDDs, LENDs, IDDRCs, PNS’s, DD Councils, P&As
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The impact of zeroing out UCEDDs, LENDs, IDDRCs, PNS’s, DD Councils, P&As
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Impact of grants that are being cut
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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. |
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AUCD Policy Blog |
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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. Read past blog posts here. |
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Disability Policy for All with Liz |
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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 videos. |
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Words to Know |
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Nonbinding
When something is nonbinding, it means it is not mandatory. People have a choice if they want to do something or not.
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. 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. |
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