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March 27, 2026 | Vol. MMXXVI | Issue 154 |
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In this edition:
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Department of Homeland Security |
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Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) has been confirmed by the Senate to be President Trump’s new Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after Kristi Noem was ousted. Congress is still working to pass a funding bill for DHS, which has been shut down for a little over a month. Appropriators have been working on a compromise bill to satisfy both Republicans and Democrats in Congress, as well as President Trump, who wants passage of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE) America Act before he will support a DHS deal. The SAVE America Act would require proof of citizenship to vote.
Early Friday morning, the Senate passed a bill funding all of DHS except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). This satisfied some demands from Senate Democrats, who refused to fund ICE and CBP without significant guardrails. Republicans want to pass a second reconciliation bill that would fund immigration enforcement, military spending, and potentially new election rules. The DHS funding bill now moves to the House. |
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Key Takeaways |
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Advocates are concerned that the SAVE America Act could disenfranchise disabled voters. Voters with disabilities already face many barriers to voting, including inaccessibility at polls and voting machines. The SAVE America Act would introduce new challenges for disabled voters. The bill’s documentary requirements could make in-person voting harder, as people with disabilities are less likely to have a driver’s license than nondisabled people. It may also be harder to adhere to the bill’s more complicated requirements for mail-in voting, which is commonly utilized by people with disabilities. |
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Plain Language |
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The Senate voted to approve Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma) to be the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This happened after the President fired Kristi Noem, who used to be the DHS Secretary. It is taking a long time to pass an appropriations bill for DHS. Appropriations means money that is set aside by Congress for a particular use. Congress separated the DHS bill from the other bills in an appropriations package in February. They gave DHS money for a few weeks, and it ended on February 13. Congress has been trying to figure out how to agree on a new bill. Democrats and Republicans are not agreeing. President Trump wants Congress to pass a bill called the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE) America Act before he will support a DHS bill. The SAVE America Act would make people show proof that they are citizens before they can vote.
Early Friday morning, the Senate passed a bill to give money to all of DHS except for two parts: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Immigration police are part of ICE and CBP. Immigration is when people leave one country and come to live in another country. Immigration police have hurt many people who are against the President's immigration policies. This has happened many times and has made people all around the country very upset. When people were killed by immigration police during a protest in Minnesota, many Congressional Democrats said that because immigration police have hurt people and messed up, they should have less money and more rules. Republicans didn't agree with everything Democrats wanted to do, so they couldn't agree on what bill to pass. Now, Senate Democrats got part of what they wanted because Senate Republicans agree to fund the parts of DHS that are NOT immigration police.
Republicans want to pass a second reconciliation bill. Reconciliation is when one political party—either Democrats or Republicans—are in charge of Congress and the Presidency. They can pass a bill without the other political party. The first reconciliation bill that Republicans passed this session was H.R.1, or the One Big Beautiful Bill. Republicans want this second reconciliation bill to fund immigration police, money for the military, and maybe some money for elections to have more rules. Now, the DHS funding bill will go to the House so they can vote on it.
Advocates are worried that the SAVE America Act could make it harder for people with disabilities to vote. Here are a few reasons why:
1. There are a lot of accessibility issues at voting locations, called polls. A lot of people with disabilities vote by mail instead of going to a poll. The SAVE America Act would add new rules for mail-in voting that would make it even more complicated.
2. People with disabilities are less likely to have driver's licenses than people without disabilities. This means it would be harder for people with disabilities to prove who they are at the polls. |
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Department of Health and Human Services |
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Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) – CMS has accepted Minnesota’s corrective action plan to stop Medicaid fraud in the state. Previously, the Administration cut $259 million in Medicaid funding to Minnesota after an audit found unsupported or possibly fraudulent Medicaid claims. Minnesota appealed and was waiting for a hearing with HHS; now, CMS wants to hold off on that hearing. Now that CMS has accepted Minnesota’s plan, the cuts to their Medicaid funding have paused.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – The Administration is weighing changes to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) after a federal judge ruled that most of the panel was appointed illegally and voided their rulings. New public statements indicate that ACIP has been disbanded and that HHS will reconstitute a new panel rather than appeal the judge’s ruling. Robert Malone, a frequent critic of the COVID-19 vaccine, has resigned as vice chair of ACIP, seemingly because of the limbo status of the committee. You can read more about the judge’s ruling in this previous issue of Disability Policy News.
The CDC still does not have a permanent director. An agency can only be led by an acting director for 210 days, and that time has expired. Acting CDC Director Jay Bhattacharya is expected to continue to lead the agency informally while the White House continues to look for a new CDC director. |
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Plain Language |
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Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) - Minnesota sent CMS a plan for how they are going to stop fraud. CMS accepted this plan. 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. CMS was going to cut off a lot of money to Minnesota for Medicaid, but they are going to pause on that plan for now.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - Recently, a judge has stopped some of the changes that HHS Secretary Kennedy and ACIP made to vaccine policy. This includes the changes that HHS made to the childhood vaccine schedule, which is a list of vaccines and when kids should get them. Vaccines are shots that keep people from getting diseases. The judge also said that the 13 people that Secretary Kennedy put on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) were put on the committee against the rules and they shouldn't be there. ACIP is a group that makes decisions about vaccines. The judge said that all of the policy decisions ACIP made don't count. He says these decisions were made by people who were doing their job illegally. Now, the Administration is trying to figure out what to do about this judge's ruling. The leader of ACIP and other people have said things publicly about the Administration getting rid of everyone on ACIP and planning on hiring all new people. Robert Malone, who has said negative things about the COVID-19 vaccine, left ACIP.
The CDC does not have a permanent director. When HHS Secretary Kennedy fired the last CDC director, he hired someone to be the director for a short amount of time. Then, he removed that person and made Jay Bhattacharya the director for a short amount of time. Jay Bhattacharya is the National Institutes of Health Director. For someone to be the official, permanent CDC Director, they need to be approved by the Senate. According to the law, the amount of time that a short-time CDC Director can be in charge has run out. Director Bhattacharya is still going to help lead the CDC while the Administration looks for someone to be the official, permanent Director. |
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Social Security Hearing |
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On March 25, the Senate Budget Committee held a hearing titled “Social Security: A Discussion on the Facts and the Path Forward.” Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) were witnesses, along with Dr. Molly Dahl from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Karen Glenn from the Social Security Administration (SSA), and Barry Huston from the Congressional Research Services (CR). CBO and CRS are nonpartisan entities that support Members of Congress and their staff by supplying research and data on policy issues.
Witnesses and Members talked about the urgent need to address Social Security solvency. According to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office, Social Security is expected to be insolvent by 2032. Payroll taxes finance Social Security’s Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) and Disability Insurance (DI) trust funds. During the hearing, Members and witnesses shared a concern that the aging population of the U.S., longer life expectancy, and decreases in birth rate are contributing to the overall problem: fewer workers are paying into the program than beneficiaries receiving benefits.
The surplus funds in the Social Security trust funds act as a savings account when revenue from payroll taxes is lower than what is needed to cover benefit payments. The government is using that surplus to fill the gap between revenue and demand, but that is not a long-term solution, as it is projected to be depleted in 2034. Unless Congress acts to increase revenue to the trust fund, benefits will be cut by an estimated 20 percent. Senator Cassidy and Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), who is on the Budget Committee, have a plan to create a new trust fund that would generate more revenue for Social Security. Under their plan, the trust fund would borrow money and invest it in stocks, bonds, and other equities to see a higher return than Treasury bonds yield. |
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Key Takeaways |
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Securing the trust fund is vital for everyone in the U.S., including people with disabilities and older adults. Members of the Committee discussed different proposals to shore up the trust funds, including raising the raising the contribution cap for wealthier Americans and raising the retirement age. Budget Committee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and other Democratic Members of the panel spoke about the indirect impact of H.R.1 (The One Big Beautiful Bill) on Social Security. While H.R.1 did not change payroll tax on wages, it did cut individual income tax rates and this will decrease the amount of money that Social Security gets from the income taxes that people pay on their benefits. H.R.1 is expected to accelerate Social Security insolvency by about 6 months to a year, according to a few estimates.
Karen Glenn, Chief Actuary at SSA, testified that the Disability Insurance (DI) Trust Fund is projected to be solvent for an expected 75 more years. She said that “[a]pplications for disability benefits and disability incidence rates declined dramatically from 2010 through 2022” and they remain “at historically low levels.” These low levels were attributed to a few factors, including “the changing nature of work and the increasing accommodation of workers with some limitations.” Dr. Dahl testified that the DI Trust Fund will remain solvent for the next 30 years, based on CBO’s own projections. |
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Plain Language |
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On March 25, the Senate Budget Committee held a hearing called "Social Security: A Discussion on the Facts and the Path Forward." Social Security is a program that gives money to older adults after they stop working. It also gives money to some people with disabilities, people who are poor, and people who need support when someone in their family dies. Senators Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island) were witnesses. The other witnesses were from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Congressional Research Service (CRS). Those are parts of Congress that give important research and information to Members of Congress and their staff on policy issues. There was also a witness from the Social Security Administration.
Witnesses and Members of Congress talked about how there isn't enough money in Social Security. Money goes to Social Security through taxes. There are more people who are receiving Social Security than people who are paying money to Social Security. Under Social Security, there is a part that is like a savings account. The government is using that money to make sure people get their benefits. However, that money is going to run out in 2034, so Congress needs to figure out another way to get more money into the account.
There are a few ways to fix the problems with Social Security. Senator Cassidy and Senator Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) have a plan to set up another account that the government could get more money into. Other Members of Congress talked about getting people who have more money to pay more into Social Security. They also said people could work longer so that they don't take Social Security benefits until later in life. Budget Committee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) said that H.R.1 (the One Big Beautiful Bill) passed last year would make the problem worse. This is because H.R.1 will decrease the amount of money that Social Security gets from a certain kind of tax.
The money that people with disabilities get from Social Security comes from the Disability Insurance (DI) Trust Fund. Experts say that this trust fund will have enough money for 75 more years. They say that more people getting jobs with accommodations helps people stay employed, so they don't need disability insurance through Social Security. |
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Department of Education |
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Senators Adam Schiff (D-CA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) led a letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon and Education assistant secretary for civil rights Kimberly Richey, asking about staffing levels and caseloads at the Office of Civil Rights (OCR). The Senators and twelve of their Democratic colleagues wrote that OCR, which investigates discrimination and enforces civil rights laws, is understaffed and unable to address its significant backlog of cases.
The Senators also write that OCR is more focused on partisan priorities while students who are being discriminated against are neglected. They say that “[r]esolution agreements in cases involving disability discrimination, historically the bulk of OCR’s caseload, also decreased sharply, from 390 in 2024 to 104 in 2025.” The letter includes 13 questions for the Secretary and assistant secretary to answer, including “When will OCR submit to Congress the statutorily required Annual Report for FY2025?” and “Has OCR received any guidance from the White House or the Department of Justice on which types of cases it should prioritize?”
The letter cited a February report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that details the costs and savings of the Trump Administration’s reductions in force (RIFs) at the Department of Education. The report, commissioned by Senator Sanders, revealed that the Administration’s efforts to cut OCR staff within the agency may have cost up to $38 million. |
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Key Takeaways |
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When parents or teachers advocate on behalf of students with disabilities, they can go to OCR for justice. If OCR is not operating at full capacity, students with disabilities and their families might continue to experience discrimination or inaccessibility at school without any solution to their problems.
In March 2025, the Administration conducted a RIF that cut about half of OCR staff and closed seven of twelve regional offices. In June, a federal judge blocked those RIFs and forced the Department of Education to reinstate OCR employees, which included continuing to pay them. From mid-March to mid-December 2025, there were 247 OCR employees who were on administrative leave and not allowed to work but still being paid. This cost between $28.5 million and $38 million, according to GAO’s report. |
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Plain Language |
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Sixteen Senators sent a letter to Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon and assistant secretary for civil rights Kimberly Richey. Senators Adam Schiff (D-California), Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) led the letter with 12 Democratic Senators. They wrote that the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) is not doing its job. They asked the Secretary and assistant secretary to give them information about how many people work at OCR and how much work they all have to do. The Senators said there aren't enough people working at OCR to work on all of the cases it has about student discrimination. Discrimination is when you are treated badly because of who you are.
OCR is in charge of making sure students are being treated fairly. When a student with a disability is treated unfairly because of their disability, they go to OCR to get justice. It takes a lot of people to look into cases where there might be discrimination against someone with a disability. The people who look into these cases are called investigators.
The Senators wrote about the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on OCR. The GAO is a government office that looks into what other government offices are doing and makes reports. Its report was about what happened at OCR in 2025 when many staff were fired and then rehired. They also say that the number of disability discrimination cases that GAO used to work on were higher. Now, they aren't dealing with these cases. This means students with disabilities are dealing with discrimination but not getting help. |
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New Legislation
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The State Department Disability Policy and Accommodations Act (H.R.7990)
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Introduced by Representative Dina Titus (D-NV)
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Would ensure that the State Department makes disability rights an international priority and create an international disability rights strategy
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You can read Rep. Titus’ press release here.
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The Carlton H. Ingram Veterans’ Benefits Protection Act (S.4140) (H.R.8066)
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Introduced by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Representative Derek Tran (D-CA)
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Would protect veterans’ disability benefits and require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to award compensation benefits based on the true severity of veterans’ disabilities
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You can read Senator Blumenthal’s press release here.
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S.4176
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The Voter Empowerment Act (VEA) (S.4203) (H.R.8078)
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Introduced by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Representative James Clyburn (D-SC)
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Would expand voter registration and voting access by requiring states to make online voter registration available, establish automatic voter registration systems, permit same-day voter registration, and accept voter registration applications from citizens under the age of 18
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You can read Senator Gillibrand’s press release here.
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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 State Department Disability Policy and Accommodations Act would tell the State Department to work on disability rights. The State Department is a part of the government that has relationships with other countries.
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The Carlton H. Ingram Veterans' Benefits Protection Act would help veterans with disabilities. A veteran is someone who used to be in the military. This bill would make sure veterans with disabilities get support through the Department of Veterans' Affairs.
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A bill to get state Medicaid programs to look into Medicaid fraud (fraud is when someone pretends to be someone or do something so they can get money)
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The Voter Empowerment Act (VEA) would give voters with disabilities some helpful things to make sure they have equal access to voting. This includes giving people the option to register to vote online or on the same day that they vote.
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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.
Read our newest piece from Julie Eshleman, PhD, MEd, BCBA; LEND Fellow, Georgia State University: The Carrot or the Stick? How AI Policy Could Redefine Digital Equality for the Disability Community |
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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 videos here. |
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Words to Know |
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Permanent
When something is permanent, it can last forever or for a very long time.
Immigration
Immigration is when people leave one country and come to live in another country. Those people are called immigrants. |
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