 |
|
April 10, 2026 | Vol. MMXXVI | Issue 156 |
|
|
|
|
In this edition:
-
President’s Budget
-
Congress
-
New Legislation
-
AUCD Materials
-
Words to Know
|
|
|
President’s Budget |
|
The President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) was released last Friday. It proposes boosting defense spending to $1.5 trillion, an increase of over 40 percent. The budget reduces spending on non-defense programs by 10 percent with a reduction of $73 billion from federal programs outside the military. Many of these cuts are aimed at environmental programs across federal agencies.
The funding levels for AUCD programs and disability programs generally are very similar to last year’s PB. The following section details the amount of money the White House proposes to appropriate for each program, the amount of money that Congress ended up appropriating for those programs (FY26 enacted), and the source for this information (Congressional Justification, Budget in Brief).
University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDDs)
Administration for Children, Families, and Communities Congressional Justification (CJ)
-
FY27 PB Request: Funding eliminated
-
From the budget: “The FY 2027 request for Aging and Disability Services Programs funds most programs at the FY 2026 President's Budget level. Funding for the Paralysis Resource Center, the Limb Loss Resource Center, Voting Access for People with Disabilities, University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, and Projects of National Significance is eliminated, but the Budget provides additional funding to the Independent Living program for states to have the flexibility to continue providing the services supported by these programs. The Chronic Disease Self-Management Program is historically funded exclusively by the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which is eliminated in the FY 2027 President’s Budget.”
-
FY26 Enacted: $43.119 million
Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Programs
Administration for a Healthy America (AHA) CJ
-
FY27 PB Request: $36 million
-
Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities (where LENDs are housed) FY27 PB Request: $38,245,000
-
Decrease of $19,099,000 (achieved by maintaining LEND but eliminating other programs under this line item)
Eunice K. Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
National Institutes of Health in the HHS Budget in Brief
Projects of National Significance (PNS)
Administration for Children, Families, and Communities CJ
Head Start
Administration for Children, Families, and Communities CJ
State Councils and Protection & Advocacy
Administration for Children, Families, and Communities CJ
Special Education
Department of Education Special Education CJ
-
FY27 PB Request: IDEA Part B: $15.4 billion
-
FY27 PB Request: IDEA Part B Preschool: $0*
-
FY27 PB Request: IDEA Part C: $590 million
-
FY27 PB Request: Proposes a $489 million increase for the IDEA State Grants program, which maintains the 2026 Budget proposal to incorporate six smaller IDEA programs
*The Administration has proposed to consolidate the IDEA Preschool Grant program and Special Education National Activities programs into the Grants to States program and seeks greater flexibility with those funds (which would require amending IDEA).
Department of Labor
Department of Labor Budget in Brief
|
|
|
Key Takeaways |
|
The President’s budget proposal is not legislative text, but is required by law to be submitted annually. It communicates the Executive’s policy priorities and budgetary goals to Congress, and is a set of recommendations that Congress can follow, but is not required to implement.
Last year, Congress rejected these cuts. Importantly, while the FY26 President’s Budget eliminated funding for UCEDDs, Congress appropriated $43.119 million for them. The FY26 budget proposed $38.2 million for the Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities program, but Congress appropriated $57.3 million. Congress also rejected the Administration’s broad restructuring plan for HHS, which eliminated the Administration for Community Living and shunted the UCEDDs into the Administration for Children, Families, and Communities. Congress’s actions last year show that appropriators are not necessarily likely to make the cuts proposed by the Administration.
AUCD will have more materials for advocates to use to urge Congress to appropriate robust funding for UCEDDs, LENDs, and IDDRCs. You can read AUCD’s statement on this budget as well. |
|
|
Plain Language |
|
The President writes a budget that they have to send to Congress every year, called the President's Budget (PB). This budget shows how much money they want to give to different parts of the government. It is not a law. The Administration wrote a budget that shows they want to cut funding for a lot of things except for the military and the other parts of the government related to security. This budget is not a law.
The PB for 2027 is very similar to the PB for 2026.
The Administration released a few documents that describe how they want to cut some funding for Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Programs and stop giving money to University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDDs). The Administration wants to combine the work that UCEDDs do with the work of a few other disability programs and make the Independent Living Program do all of it. This would go against the law and would do a lot of damage to disability research, supports and services, and other programs that support people with disabilities. The Administration wanted the same thing last year, and that was included in their PB for 2026. However, Congress did not do what the Administration wanted. They gave UCEDDs the typical amount of money. They also didn't cut the amount of money from LEND funding that the Administration wanted.
AUCD will have more materials for advocates to use to advocate to Congress to give enough funding for UCEDDs, LENDs, and IDDRCs. You can read AUCD’s statement on this budget as well. |
|
|
|
|
|
Congress |
|
Education & Workforce Committee – The Education & Workforce Committee introduced A Stronger Workforce for America Act (H.R.8210), legislation that updates the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The bill includes technical assistance to 14(c) certificate holders transition to competitive integrated employment (CIE). It is different from the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act, as it does not phase out the use of 14(c) certificates to pay subminimum wage. Education and Workforce Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) is supportive of companies continuing to pay subminimum wage if they choose.
House Appropriations Hearings – The House Appropriations Committee has several budget hearings slated for next week, at which leaders of federal agencies are expected to testify about the President’s Budget. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is slated to testify at the committee’s hearing on HHS on Thursday, April 16 at 2 PM.
HELP Committee Story Sharing Form – Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has a new form for people to share how HHS Secretary Kennedy’s actions have impacted their healthcare and family. The form asks whether respondents have been impacted by rising healthcare costs, disruptions to scientific research or clinical trials, misinformation about autism, and other factors. This form is an opportunity for the public to share with the HELP committee about the above topics. Responses must be submitted by April 17. |
|
|
Plain Language |
|
Education & Workforce Committee – The Education & Workforce Committee introduced A Stronger Workforce for America Act (H.R.8210). This bill would update the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which is a law that affects a programs that help people get jobs. The Stronger Workforce for America Act includes a part that would help companies go from subminimum wage to competitive integrated employment.
Minimum wage is the lowest possible amount of money that employees can pay their workers. Employers cannot pay their employees less than the minimum wage, or they would be breaking the law. Currently, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. Subminimum wage means a paid wage less than the federal minimum wage. Typically, this would be illegal, but Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FSLA) allows some employers who apply for and are given a piece of paper—called a 14(c) certificate—to pay certain employees, such as people with disabilities, at hourly rates below the minimum wage.
Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE) is work where employees with a disability work with—or have the opportunity to work with—coworkers without disabilities. CIE also means that employees with disabilities are given the same benefits and opportunities to move forward in their careers as their nondisabled coworkers, all while being paid at or above the minimum wage.
There is a bill called the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment that would stop allowing companies to pay people subminimum wage. The Stronger Workforce for America Act does not make companies stop subminimum wage. It just supports companies transition to CIE. Education and Workforce Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) wants companies to still be able to pay subminimum wage if they want to.
House Appropriations Hearings – Appropriations is money set aside by Congress for a particular use. The House Appropriations Committee is going to have some hearings next week where they will meet with leaders of different federal agencies to talk about the President's Budget. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is slated to testify at the committee’s hearing on HHS on Thursday, April 16 at 2 PM.
Story Sharing Form – Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has a new form for people to share how HHS Secretary Kennedy’s actions have impacted their healthcare and family. The form asks whether people have been impacted by healthcare being more expensive. It also asks people if they are being affected by the Administration saying misinformation about autism or by the Administration pausing a lot of scientific research. |
|
|
|
|
|
New Legislation
|
|
|
|
|
Plain Language |
|
There are a few new bills in the U.S. Congress.
|
|
|
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.
Read our newest blog from Miriam Edelman, a Georgetown University LEND trainee: Attending the Annual Disability Policy Seminar |
|
|
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 ABLE Acts. |
|
|
|
|
|
Words to Know |
|
President’s Budget
The President writes a budget that they have to send to Congress every year, called the President's Budget (PB). This budget shows how much money they want to give to different parts of the government. It is not a law.
Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE)
This is work where employees with a disability work with—or have the opportunity to work with—coworkers without disabilities. CIE also means that employees with disabilities are given the same benefits and opportunities to move forward in their careers as their nondisabled coworkers, all while being paid at or above the minimum wage.
Reauthorization
This is when a bill is updated so programs can continue. |
|
|
|
|
