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April 24, 2026 | Vol. MMXXVI | Issue 158
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In this edition:
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Budget and Appropriations |
Senate Republicans passed another reconciliation bill on Thursday. It would fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and does not include the SAVE America Act. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) remains in a partial
shutdown, making it the longest shutdown for a federal department in U.S. history. Because Democrats have refused to fund ICE and CBP without new guardrails, Republicans used the reconciliation process to bypass the 60 vote threshold and pass the bill with a simple majority. The bill now moves to the House for its consideration.
Congress is beginning to draft and mark up appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2027. Congressional committees are holding a series of hearings for agency heads to testify about the President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2027 and the Executive’s policy priorities. This includes hearings with Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., whose agency is responsible for funding and providing technical assistance to AUCD programs.
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Plain Language |
Congressional Republicans want to pass a bill to give money to the part of the Department of Homeland Security that includes immigration police: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Immigration is when people leave one country to live in a different country. They are using a special process called reconciliation. This process can be used for bills that are about spending money. It can be used when the same political party (Republicans or Democrats) are in charge of the Senate, the House, and the Presidency. This is because you don’t need as many lawmakers to vote ‘yes.’ It is usually used when lawmakers in one political
party (either Democrat or Republican) want to pass bills they know the other political party wouldn’t like very much. Republicans in the House might have different priorities than Republicans in the Senate, and the Senate has different rules than the House, so some things might change about the bill.
Appropriations means money that is set aside by Congress for a particular use. Congress is starting to write bills that will include appropriations for different federal government departments and programs in the coming weeks. They will hold budget hearings, where they meet with agency leaders who will talk about the President's Budget. This includes hearings with Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., which we talk about more below. HHS is in charge of funding and other support that AUCD programs get. Congress will also hold markups, which is when they meet to work on bills and make updates and changes.
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Department of Health and Human Services Hearings |
Similarly to last week, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. testified this week before multiple Congressional committees to discuss the President’s 2027 budget proposal for the agency. The Secretary fielded questions from Members of Congress on a broad range of topics related to healthcare, including vaccines, maternal mortality rates, drug pricing, rural health, hospital closures, ultra-processed foods and nutrition, cancer research, disability, and more. One Member, Representative Haley Stevens (D-MI), announced that she has introduced impeachment articles against the Secretary. Democrats largely criticized the Secretary while Republicans were supportive of his work. The hearings were held in the following committees:
Most relevant to AUCD’s members was a line of questioning from Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ). Senator Kim asked the Secretary about the President’s Budget proposal eliminations of the Limb Loss Resource Center, the Projects of National Significance, the UCEDDs, and other programs. When he asked the Secretary if he would consider reversing that proposal, the Secretary said that he would “work with” Senator Kim’s office. Senator Kim also expressed concern that the Department of Education proposes to move IDEA programs to HHS, as that policy choice would define students by their disabilities. Secretary Kennedy defended his family’s legacy on supporting people with disabilities.
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Key Takeaways |
Vaccines
Across these hearings, Secretary Kennedy claimed that he is not to blame for rising measles cases in the U.S., as measles cases are high across various continents. He defended himself against Democrats on each panel, most of whom criticized his handling of the measles outbreaks as well as his efforts to downplay the efficacy and safety of vaccines in general.
In the House, Representatives Bonamici (D-OR), Stevens (D-MI), DeGette (D-CO), Pallone (D-NJ), Ruiz (D-CA), Dingell (D-MI), Schrier (D-WA), and Veasey (D-TX) hammered the Secretary on his views and misinformation campaigns against measles, hepatitis
B, and flu vaccines, as well as his cancellation of research funding into mRNA vaccines. In the Senate, Senators Shaheen (D-NH), Baldwin (D-WI), Wyden (D-OR), Bennet (D-CO), Hassan (D-NH), Smith
(D-MN), Luján (D-NM), Sanders (I-VT), Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Murray (D-WA), Alsobrooks (D-MD), and Hickenlooper (D-CO) pushed the Secretary on these same issues, as well as his misinformation about mRNA vaccines’ efficacy against respiratory diseases, flu vaccine guidance amid childhood flu deaths last year, the ACIP overhaul, and HHS’ funding cuts to Gavi.
Republicans were far less likely to bring up vaccines, but there was more appetite in the Senate for some pushback. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) asked the Secretary to ensure that people have access to vaccines, characterizing them as vital in preventive healthcare. Senate HELP Chair Bill Cassidy (R-LA) continued to push the Secretary on his anti-vaccine record, even researching a study that the Secretary cited during the hearing in order to correct some of Kennedy’s misleading claims about vaccine efficacy in the last century. He remarked that there are political appointees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that have worked to undermine trust in immunizations and asked if the new CDC director would be able to make decisions without
their interference. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) thanked the Secretary for his help to end the measles outbreak in South Carolina, and Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) alleged that many people had been injured by the COVID vaccine.
Autism and Disability Policy
Education and Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA) criticized the President’s Budget proposal to close the Administration for Community Living, and spoke about the importance of independent living and support for people with disabilities living in the community. He referenced his report on the Administration’s effects on the disability community.
Senator Sanders said that Kennedy and the CDC are publishing false information about vaccines causing autism, despite the fact that evidence and multiple studies have proven that vaccines do not cause autism. He expressed deep concern that Secretary Kennedy has questioned the germ theory of disease and the efficacy of vaccines in general. Senator Luján also brought up the Secretary’s concerning comments about the MMR vaccine and autism, and asked for the Secretary to send him the contract for David Geier’s (noted
vaccine skeptic) work with HHS. In the House, Representative Virginia Foxx (R-NC) asked Secretary Kennedy to react to a new study that showed no link between Tylenol and autism, to which he replied that the study was “garbage”.
Representative Lucy McBath (D-GA) asked the Secretary about the comments he made last year about autistic people and the list of actions he believed they would never be able to do, such as hold a job or write a poem. Rep. McBath defended people with disabilities and asked him to apologize for his remarks. During a testy back and forth exchange, the Secretary refused to apologize and said that his remarks were about people with “profound autism” for whom he was providing a voice, and said that parents of these people had thanked him for speaking about their struggles. Rep. McBath also expressed concern about special education programs being moved, through an Interagency Agreement, from the Department of Education to HHS, especially considering Kennedy's
comments about people with disabilities.
Representative John Mannion (D-NY) added his own concerns about the autism comments that McBath referenced, as well as the Secretary’s description of autism as an epidemic that destroys families. He criticized the Secretary’s comments linking autism to Tylenol taken prenatally, vaccines, and circumcision, saying that the “massive strides” that the U.S. has made in disability policy are threatened by the Secretary, cuts to Medicaid, proposed changes to ACL HHS changes, and the dismantling of the Department of Education.
Representative Nannette Barragán (D-CA) brought up Kennedy's comments about family caregivers and fraud in home care through Medicaid, asking if the Secretary understood that people often have to quit their jobs to be family caregivers, and need the financial support of Medicaid to provide care. Senator James Lankford (R-OK) brought up assisted suicides and how it’s impacting the disability community; Secretary Kennedy said that he is against assisted suicide.
Medicaid
Nearly every Democrat across the hearings brought up the Medicaid cuts passed in H.R.1 and criticized the Administration for cutting healthcare. The Secretary was adamant that the bill did not cut Medicaid, citing a new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) study. He also said that Minnesota has not been cooperating with the Administration’s fraud oversight efforts, a claim Minnesota governor Tim Walz has disputed. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) said that Medicaid cuts are already resulting in people losing coverage in Rhode Island.
Biomedical Research
Many Members on both sides of the aisle talked about biomedical research and expressed concern about the Administration’s proposed National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget cuts. This included Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Chair of the Senate Appropriations LHHS Subcommittee and Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-ME). Senator Collins was particularly concerned about the PB caps on indirect research expenditures at 15 percent and said that Congress rejected the President’s cuts to these same budget lines in last year’s appropriations.
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Plain Language |
This week, five committees in Congress had hearings about the President's Budget proposal for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for 2027. They all had Secretary Kennedy join and talk about HHS and what it is doing. They asked him questions about Medicaid cuts, vaccines, junk food and healthy food, rural health, drug prices, and more. Vaccines are shots with medicine that stop people from getting sick. Rural means an area where there is a lot of land and not a lot of people.
House Education and Workforce Committee
House Energy and Commerce Committee
Senate Appropriations Committee Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee
Senate Finance Committee
Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee
Democrats on the committees were upset that HHS and the President have made cuts to Medicaid. They were also upset with Secretary Kennedy because he has changed vaccine advice to make fewer people get fewer vaccines and he has said things about vaccines that are not true.
Most important for AUCD Network members, Senator Andy Kim (D-New Jersey) asked Secretary Kennedy a few questions about how the President's Budget gets rid of funding for UCEDDs and the Limb Loss Resource Center, and a few others. He asked the Secretary if he would change his mind and the Secretary said he'd talk more about it with the Senator's office. Senator Kim also was worried that the Department of Education wants to move IDEA programs to HHS, as that choice would define students by their disabilities.
Vaccines
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.
Secretary Kennedy said it is not his fault that there are more measles cases in the U.S. than there used to be. There have been measles outbreaks across the country. Measles is a disease that can kill people. An outbreak is when there are a lot of people who get a disease. In the past, Secretary Kennedy has said that the measles vaccine isn't safe and that it can cause autism, which isn't true.
During his time in charge of HHS, the Secretary has canceled money for research into vaccines, changed policies, and spread misinformation (not true information) about vaccines. These Members of the committees talked about vaccines:
Representatives Bonamici (D-Oregon), Stevens (D-Michigan), DeGette (D-Colorado), Pallone (D-New Jersey), Ruiz (D-California), Dingell (D-Michigan), Schrier (D-Washington), and Veasey (D-Texas)
Senators Shaheen (D-New Hampshire), Baldwin (D-Wisconsin), Wyden (D-Oregon), Bennet (D-Colorado), Hassan (D-New Hampshire), Smith (D-Minnesota), Luján (D-New Mexico), Sanders (I-Vermont), Blunt Rochester (D-Delaware), Murray (D-Washington), Alsobrooks (D-Maryland), and Hickenlooper (D-Colorado)
Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyoming) also asked the Secretary to ensure that people have access to vaccines because they are really important in keeping people healthy and safe. Senate HELP Chair Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) said a similar thing, and was very concerned that HHS is putting out wrong information to get people to take fewer vaccines. He even double checked a study that the Secretary mentioned during the hearing, which shows he is very serious about pushing back against the Secretary when it comes to vaccine misinformation. These two Republicans have powerful positions, and most Republicans didn’t mention vaccines, so it is interesting and good to know that they did speak up.
Autism and Disability Policy
Education and Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-Virginia) talked about how the President’s Budget would close the Administration for Community Living (ACL). He said that ACL helps people with disabilities live in the community and said that he has a report on the Administration’s effects on the disability community.
Representative Nannette Barragán (D-California) brought up Secretary Kennedy’s comments about family caregivers and fraud in home care through Medicaid. Secretary Kennedy had said that there is a lot of fraud happening in home care. He and some Republicans have said that family caregivers used to provide care for free, but now they are getting money from Medicaid to provide HCBS. They think that many of these family caregivers might not be giving care but still getting Medicaid money. They said that federal and state Medicaid officials don’t know if those family members are actually providing those services.
Family caregivers are so important because they provide home care for older adults and people with disabilities. A lot of people are on waiting lists to get HCBS from professional caregivers through Medicaid health insurance. They need HCBS but there aren’t enough caregivers. That is why family caregivers often step in to provide this life-saving care. It is a good thing that Medicaid pays many family caregivers because many of them have to quit their jobs to provide care. They need that funding to make sure they and their loved one can stay in their house and live like everyone else.
Senator James Lankford (R-Oklahoma) brought up assisted suicide and how it’s impacting the disability community. Assisted suicide is when a doctor or nurse helps someone die if the person wants to die. Some advocates say that people with disabilities are sometimes convinced to do assisted suicide. Secretary Kennedy said that he is against assisted suicide.
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico) both talked about how Secretary Kennedy has said untrue things about vaccines causing autism. Representative Virginia Foxx (R-North Carolina) asked Secretary Kennedy what he thinks about a new study that showed no link between Tylenol and autism. Kennedy thinks that when pregnant women take Tylenol they are giving their baby autism, which isn’t true. He said the new study was “garbage”.
Representative Lucy McBath (D-Georgia) asked the Secretary about the comments he made last year about autistic people and the list of actions he believed they would never be able to do, such as hold a job or write a poem. Rep. McBath defended people with disabilities and asked him to apologize for his remarks. Representative John Mannion (D-New York) also talked about how the Secretary described autism as something terrible that destroys families. This is not respectful of autistic people.
Medicaid
Nearly every Democrat across the hearings brought up the Medicaid cuts passed in H.R.1 and said the Administration cut healthcare. The Secretary said that the bill did not cut Medicaid. Senator Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island) said that Medicaid cuts already resulting in people losing healthcare in Rhode Island.
Research into Medicine and Health
Many Members—both Democrats and Republicans—talked about research into medicine and health. Many were worried that the President’s Budget would take a lot of money away from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This included Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia), Chair of the Senate Appropriations LHHS Subcommittee, and Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine).
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Federal Agency Updates
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Labor – Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is stepping down from her post because of misconduct allegations. The President will need to nominate a new Labor Secretary, who will have to be confirmed by the Senate before they can assume the post.
Administration for Community Living (ACL) – ACL is launching Phase 1 of their Health at Home Challenge, a competition that will award funding for entities improving health outcomes, supporting independence and reducing healthcare costs for dually eligible (or near-dually eligible) Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. The Health at Home Challenge will focus on partnerships between health plans, health systems, and community-based organizations for these beneficiaries. ACL specifies that the
challenge “will further reward teams that demonstrate highly innovative approaches to supporting those with complex needs who are at risk of spending down their assets to become Medicaid eligible”.
Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) – The next IACC meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 28 from 9 AM to 5:00 PM. The meeting is free and will be accessible to the public via NIH Videocast and in-person in Bethesda, MD. Public comments were due by April 14.
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) – Secretary Kennedy announced that he is beginning to search for new members to serve on the USPSTF. This panel develops recommendations for the preventive care services that must be covered for free by insurance under the Affordable Care Act. The Secretary has alleged that the panel has been negligent, a claim that Senator Barrasso (R-WY) disputed during the Secretary’s hearing in the Finance Committee.
Last year, HHS canceled two meetings (out of three scheduled meetings total for the year). It was previously reported that Secretary Kennedy intended to remove all 16 members of the panel “because he viewed them as too ‘woke.’” One of the USPSTF’s draft recommendations is about autism screening in children, among others. Considering the Secretary’s changes to ACIP and IACC to make the makeup of those committees better align with his fringe health beliefs, advocates and public health experts are tracking how he may try and change the USPSTF.
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Plain Language |
Labor – Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is stepping down from her post because she is in trouble after doing some things that were inappropriate (not appropriate). The President will need to choose a new Labor Secretary. When he does that, the Senate will meet with that person and vote on whether or not they can be the Secretary.
Administration for Community Living (ACL) – ACL is starting a Health at Home Challenge, where organizations can apply for funding to help people who have Medicaid and Medicare. The Health at Home Challenge will focus on community-based organizations who are helping people who need to keep their income low so they can keep their Medicaid benefits.
Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) – The next IACC meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 28 from 9 AM to 5:00 PM. The meeting is free and will be accessible to the public via NIH Videocast and in-person in Bethesda, MD. Public comments were due by April 14. IACC is a group that meets to talk about autism and makes some recommendations to the HHS Secretary and other people in the federal government.
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) – Secretary Kennedy announced that he is beginning to search for new members to serve on the USPSTF. This panel makes recommendations for what care services health insurance companies have to cover for free under the Affordable Care Act. The Secretary has said that the USPSTF hasn’t done enough. Senator Barrasso (R-Wyoming) disagrees with him on this. Considering the Secretary’s changes to other groups at HHS, some people are worried that he will add people to USPSTF who will say things about healthcare and disability that aren’t true.
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New Legislation
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Plain Language |
There are a few new bills in the U.S. Congress.
The Strengthening Vaccines for Children Program Act would help more kids get access to vaccines, which are shots that keep people healthy and safe from disease.
A resolution to make April Care Workers Recognition Month
The Stronger Workforce for America Act was passed by the Education and Workforce Committee. It would keep a lot of job preparation and training programs going.
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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.
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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 our newest blog from Miriam Edelman, a Georgetown University LEND trainee: Attending the Annual Disability Policy Seminar
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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 recent video on ABLE Bills.
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Words to Know
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Vaccines
Vaccines are shots with medicine that stop people from getting sick.
Rural
Rural means an area where there is a lot of land and not a lot of people.
Criticize
To criticize means to point out mistakes or something someone does wrong.
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