Disability Rights Watch

Tag: federal workforce

  • Week 25 Updates

    1. FEMA ends door to door assistance, leaving elderly and disabled stranded. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been a target of the Trump administration, with DOGE cutting 20% of its employees and attempting to freeze funds, and Trump repeatedly pushing for disaster response to be a state-level problem.

    Experts say a diminished FEMA and National Weather Service made warning and rescue response times slower, leading to more deaths in disasters like the recent Texas floods, which killed over 120.

    Due to cuts, FEMA has now stopped door-to-door work in disaster zones, focusing instead on shelters only. However, this potentially leaves the elderly, disabled, and those without transportation stranded.

    2. Disabled veteran and US Citizen George Reddis detained by ICE, now missing. The 25 year old disabled US Army veteran was working as a security guard on a farm in Camarillo, CA. (video contains auto-captions)Though he is a US citizen, he was taken by ICE.

    His family saw news footage of the raid in which agents broke his truck window, pepper sprayed him, pulled him from the vehicle and threw him to the ground before arresting him.

    Family haven’t heard from him since the kidnapping, and can’t find where he is being detained. In addition to contacting law enforcement, they are seeking any tips from the public who may have seen where he was taken.

    He’s not the first US citizen kidnapped by ICE, and he won’t be the last.

    3. Concern for disabled immigrant detainees in the face of NQRP, oversight cuts. Funding for the National Qualified Representation program (NQRP), which provides legal aid for immigrants with cognitive disabilities or mental illness was cut in April. Now, as ICE ups indiscriminate arrests, more disabled people are caught in raids with no recourse.

    This comes as Homeland Security has gutted other oversight mechanisms, including the Office of Civil Rights and Civil liberties and the ombudsman within the department.

    Deaths and reports of injury, assault and neglect within ICE facilities have surged in recent weeks.

    More than half of ICE detainees have committed no crimes. Less than 10% have ever been convicted of a violent offense.

    4. SCOTUS ruling paves the way for more governmental restructuring and layoffs. SCOTUS released a ruling related to the layoffs (RIFs) of multiple agencies, paving the way for more authoritarian governance.

    While SCOTUS didn’t comment on the legality of the layoffs specifically, they allowed for restructuring and consolidation of certain powers by the executive branch, which previously required Congressional approval.

    The ruling suggests RIF legality can be decided by lower courts, though it’s unclear how this will mesh with the previous ruling that lower courts can’t issue national injunctions, (except in class-actions).

    This ruling doesn’t affect the Dept. of Ed. which is a separate case currently waiting on the emergency docket.

    5. State Dept lays off 1300+ people. The move comes days after SCOTUS’s previously stated ruling, about the consolidation of power within the executive branch.

    Experts warn that removing diplomatic expertise at a tense time in international relations can have dangerous national security consequences.

    In general, the shrinking of the Department of State’s civil and diplomatic service consolidates power under fewer people, and party loyalists.

    The entire DOS accommodations team was among the layoffs.

    6. HHS blocks access to key services for undocumented immigrants. The Department of Health and Human Services recently reclassified a series of public programs in keeping with Trump’s February Executive Order, an effort to make sure that undocumented immigrants or their families cannot access social services.

    These programs include Community Behavioral Health Clinics and Mental Health Services grants, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Disorder Treatment, the Educational and Training Voucher Program, Family Planning programs, Kinship Guardianship Programming, Transition from Homelessness program, and more.
    It also includes Head Start –which provides early education, health screenings, and food–to young children.

    7. Most people affected by Medicaid cuts don’t know it’s coming. Trump previously said his budget bill wouldn’t cut Medicaid, but deep cuts were passed last week. They don’t go into effect until 2026, and due to local naming conventions, many people don’t even know they will be at risk.
    Here is what Medicaid is called in each state, listed alphabetically by state.

    8. Action items: Share this info! Disability is often lost in mainstream coverage.

    Hit the streets if you are able. It’s past due.

    Protect your neighbors. Warn and record in the presence of ICE. Push your local officials not to collaborate.

    Boycott businesses supporting these policies. Donate to your local food pantry, library, clinics, cash bail funds, or other mutual aid if you can. Or volunteer your time.

    Join Project Mail Storm by writing and sending paper letters to government. More info on our site.

    Make sure you’re up to date on your vaccines. Ditch the wearable tech.

    Consider running for local office or getting involved to support a local candidate through organizing or phone banking–especially progressive primary challengers.

    Think about ways to spread information offline. Make flyers and stickers. Make art.

  • Week 23 Updates

    SCOTUS Decision Day:
    ❌ Limited power of federal judges to issue nationwide injunctions, consolidating power under executive branch (limits ability to stop Trump EOs, etc.) Only SCOTUS or class-action suits remain as judicial checks.

    ❌ Opened door to unconstitutional revoking of birthright citizenship. Removal of birthright citizenship in Germany is widely recognized by historians as the country’s transition from democracy to dictatorship in the 1930s.

    ❌ States can restrict Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood.

    ❌Parents can opt their students out of “exposure” to LGBTQ+ books in public school due to “religious burden” opening door for sweeping book and curriculum bans.

    ❌No DoEd decision. Employees continue to be paid but are not allowed to work.

    ✅ Protected the provision of Obamacare/ACA that keeps preventative care covered by insurance companies at no cost to patients. This includes things like wellness checkups, HIV testing and PrEP, blood pressure medication and other maintenance medications and tests.

    ✅ Upheld the FCC’s Universal Service Fund. The money supports the expansion of telephone and broadband service, especially in rural areas. It also subsidizes internet access at schools, libraries and low-income households.

    2. Senate moves closer to vote on budget bill; McConnell Says of People Losing Medicaid “They’ll Get Over it”. The Senate continues to rework the “big beautiful” budget bill that will gut Medicaid, SNAP and other services to provide tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy. They are expected to vote soon.

    A provision preventing Medicaid from paying for trans folks’ healthcare was removed, (good news, though it can still be added back in on the floor).

    Wheelchair-using protesters were again arrested at the capitol protesting Medicaid cuts.

    McConnell urged his colleagues to go through with the vote, acknowledging that constituents were calling in worried about Medicaid, but that “they’ll get over it.”

    3. Beyond Medicaid Patients: Everyone’s Care at Risk Under New Budget. The Center for American Progress estimates the proposed budget bill will increase cost of health insurance for everyone, including those who buy plans on the marketplace or through work. Depending on family size and age, costs could increase from about $1000 to $15,000 annually.

    Since 49% of American children are on Medicaid, Medicaid funds large swaths of pediatric hospitals. Medicaid cuts mean less money and resources for children’s hospitals, and fewer beds for all (including those with private insurance).

    Medicaid also pays for some related services at public schools like Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapy. These cuts in addition to DoEd cuts will decimate already underfunded special education programming.

    4. RFK’s new Antivaxx Committee Meets; AAP says they’ll Ignore any changes: The CDC’s vaccine advisory committee, recently repopulated by antivaxxers and COVID-deniers, has begun meeting to plan new recommendations for vaccine schedules and availability. This is important because it will affect whether offices and pharmacies receive, and insurance companies will cover, vaccines even if people ask for them.

    The American Association of Pediatrics released a statement that they will continue to recommend the evidence-based childhood vaccine schedule independent of any of RFK’s new recommendations. Advocates hope the AAP’s stance will pressure insurance companies into continuing vaccine coverage.

    5. Deaf Man in ICE Prison for Over 80 Days without due process, interpreter: Family of a Deaf Mongolian man say he has been held in an ICE detention center for over 80 days without access to due process, or anyone who knows Mongolian Sign Language.

    The man, who committed no crime, had entered the country and immediately turned himself in to Border Patrol so he could ask for asylum. He brought with him a written letter detailing the reasons why he feared for his life and return to Mongolia, but agents refused to look at it.

    He was denied the “credible fear screening” used to determine whether one has a case for asylum, and all other due process procedures.

    6. 911 Calls from ICE Detention flood in, but many are ignored.
    A report from WIRED analyzed the content of hundreds of calls from inside ICE centers from both workers and prisoners detailing a variety of horrors, including sexual assault, medical neglect, pregnancy complications, mental health crises, and deaths by suicide.

    People previously detained in ICE centers have spoken of being denied access to medication for chronic health conditions, a situation worsened by overcrowding, understaffing, inadequate staff training and accountability, and a general culture of cruelty surrounding the detentions.

    7. Several states turn over medical data to DHS; RFK proposes more surveillance via wearables. Several states who provide healthcare coverage to noncitizens recently turned over their Medicaid data to the Department of Homeland Security, including California, Washington, Illinois and DC.

    The data surrender is an invasion of privacy and concerning in the hands of RFK’s HHS, who have vowed to create a “registry” of autistic people.

    Advocates are also concerned this will prevent immigrants from seeking healthcare or early intervention services.

    RFK praised health surveillance on Americans, saying he wanted everyone in the country to be using a wearable within four years.

    Action items:
    at to Do: Share this info! Disability is often lost in mainstream coverage.

    Call your Senator and tell them to vote NO on this dangerous budget. Choose 1 or 2 programs important to you–Medicaid, gender-affirming care, SNAP, IDEA, etc.–and mention them by name.

    Calling is also important if you buy your own health insurance or get it through work. This bill affects your premiums and access to hospitals, too.

    Join Project Mail Storm by writing and sending paper letters to representatives and the White House. Each is required to be opened and logged.

    Make sure you’re up to date on your vaccines. Ditch the wearable tech.

    Protect your neighbors.

    Consider how to move toward creative acts of mutual aid, and protest, including offline materials. Make flyers and stickers. Warn (and record) in the presence of ICE. If able march, boycott, donate and/or volunteer with your local food pantry or library.

  • Week 22 Updates

    1. SCOTUS Upholds Ban on Gender-Affirming Care for Trans Minors. SCOTUS ruled 6-3 that states can ban trans minors from receiving gender-affirming care. Gender-affirming care can include psychological support, reversible puberty blockers, and hormone replacement therapy. In all but rare cases, surgery is not available to patients under 18. Less than 900 total surgeries on minors were performed in the US over a 3-year-period.

    In addition to being in opposition to scientific consensus and harming the mental and physical well-being of trans kids, the ruling also takes away doctor-parent autonomy in choosing what is in the best medical interest of the minor, opening the door for government control over what kinds of medicine and care everyone can access.

    2. Described and Captioned Media Program Funding Cut. The Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP), previously funded through DoED, was “the only free, national source of accessible educational videos for both deaf and blind, and deafblind students.” Videos with captions, ASL interpretation, and descriptive audio made a variety of educational material available for free for families and teachers.

    Due to DoEd’s funding cuts and the transition to block grant funding, states receiving money with no strings attached can to use it for accessible media…or not.

    The DCMP grant, issued through OSERS, was also a main source of income for the National Association for the Deaf (NAD).

    3. Department of Education Employees in Limbo Awaiting SCOTUS. Thousands of DoED employees await a ruling from SCOTUS’s emergency “shadow docket” process about whether their illegal firings will be overturned.

    Possible outcomes:
    SCOTUS could decide not to take the case; employees return to work.
    SCOTUS takes the case but goes on vacation 1 July, leaving things undecided until at least September.
    SCOTUS issues an official decision in either direction.
    SCOTUS consolidates the DoED case with cases of other federal agencies (unlikely, as DoED case also addresses the legality of Trump’s Executive Order about the department).

    Meanwhile, the administration seeks to continue its backdoor dismantling of federal agencies through OMB without Congressional “interference.”

    4. Department of Energy Opens New Attack on Section 504. Over the past several weeks, the Department of Energy has been working to weaken Section 504, a statute that protects disabled people’s right to enter and be accommodated in any spaces that receive federal funding, including government buildings, public schools, hospitals that accept Medicaid, and more.

    The change seeks to allow various entities to decide whether or not they want to include accessibility and accommodations for disabled people in their updates based on whether they are “efficient.”

    Public comment on this change recently closed, but you can still contact your representatives to voice your concerns about DoE and other attempts to attack 504 and ADA protections.

    5.  Trump’s EPA Considers Bringing Back Asbestos: The Biden Administration had previously banned the final type of asbestos used in the US. The current EPA has now taken that policy “under review.”

    Asbestos is a carcinogen that killed millions of Americans due to a rare and aggressive cancer called mesothelioma, though it has been linked to other cancers of the abdomen, ovaries, and larynx.

    The EPA under Trump has also sought to roll back other protections, like limits on coal emissions and toxic “forever chemicals” in drinking water, even as other parts of the administration tout a goal to make the nation “healthy again.

    6. Hickson vs St. David’s Healthcare Partnership Threatens ADA/504 in Healthcare Settings. Michael Hickson, a 46-year-old disabled Black man died in Texas in June 2020 after contracting Covid and being denied ventilator care and other ICU services. At the time, Texas and 24 other states had policies about rationing care that explicitly discriminated against disabled people. This is one of the things Final Rule updates seek to rectify.

    The case is currently before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, a conservative court. If they rule in favor of the hospital, it would set a precedent that guts disabled people’s ability to file medical facility-related discrimination claims under the ADA or Section 504.

    7. Good News: Federal Judge Rules Some NIH Grant Terminations “Void and Illegal.” On Monday, a Federal Judge ruled in a pair of cases that the administration’s termination of NIH grants was both discriminatory and had “no force or effect.”

    Most of the grants covered in the suits were terminated due to mention of LGBTQ+ populations, either directly or indirectly.

    While the ruling only reinstates grants specifically named in the suits, it opens the door for more organizations to seek reinstatement of funding through the courts.

    Keep pressure on your electeds to let them know you are watching, that the administration complies with the court’s rulings.

    Action Items
    Share this info! Disability is often lost in mainstream coverage.

    Call your Senator and tell them to vote NO on this dangerous budget. Choose 1 or 2 programs important to you–Medicaid, gender-affirming care, SNAP, IDEA, etc.–and mention them by name.

    Join Operation Mail Storm by writing and sending paper letters to representatives and the White House. Each is required to be opened and logged.

    If your state is involved, ask your Attorney General to withdraw from Texas v. Kennedy. If able, donate to organizations like DREDF, ACLU, who are fighting various legal challenges, and ADAPT who routinely put their bodies on the line in activist work.

    Consider how to move toward creative acts of mutual aid, and protest, including offline materials. Make flyers! Call out misinformation. Warn your neighbors (and record) in the presence of ICE. If able march, boycott, donate and/or volunteer with your local food pantry or library.

  • Week 13 Updates

    Week 13 Updates

    1. White House asks Congress to Eliminate Head Start Funding. The current budget draft eliminates funding for Head Start, which provides early education, meals, and health screenings for pre-k kids. The elimination of Head Start was a stated goal of Project 2025.

      Head Start outcomes are extremely successful, showing benefits for children in early literacy, social-emotional skills, health and dental improvements, early intervention for disabilities, and a >90% decrease in the need for family separation and foster care.

      Many preschools–which include both public and private programs–who receive the funding were already struggling due to earlier federal freezes and staffing cuts.
    2. US Citizen arrested on ICE hold, while White House flouts SCOTUS rulings and wants expansion of camps for “homegrowns.” Trump met with the President of El Salvador, and the two congratulated themselves on the imprisonment of asylum seekers and legal US residents. Trump remarked that US citizen “homegrown” prisoners would be next.

      Despite various judicial rulings, including a unanimous SCOTUS ruling that the administration should facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego-Garcia, the White House has continued to organize more deportations and posted on X that Garcia will “never return.”

      A US-born man was also imprisoned yesterday in Florida due to an ICE hold, even though he presented an authentic US birth certificate. He has since been released.

      If the Executive branch does not accept the rulings of the judicial branch, rule of law ceases to exist in the US, paving the way for any and all “undesirables” to be sent to illegal detainment camps.
    3. RFK spouts misinformation and hatred about autistic people. Autistic and disabled organizers, alongside parents and teachers of autistic children were alarmed at RFK Jr’s hateful comments on autism and his department’s plan to find the “environmental causes” of autism by September. His quote: “Autism destroys families, and more importantly, it destroys our greatest resource, which is our children. These are children who should not be suffering like this, These are kids who will never pay taxes, they’ll never hold a job, they’ll never play baseball, they’ll never write a poem, they’ll never go out on a date. Many of them will never use a toilet unassisted…. We have to recognize we are doing this to our children, and we need to put an end to it.”
    4. (RFK Cont’d) Current studies show that nearly 80% of autism can be attributed to genetic factors. Recent increases in diagnosis and visibility are due to the reclassification of autism as a spectrum disorder, better screening, diagnostic, and support tools, and in-community living over institutionalization.

      RFK’s remarks rang false for many autistic people and their families who live full and meaningful lives (including autistic adults who pay taxes).

      Even in the case of high support needs individuals, no human’s value should be calculated by their monetary input into society. This is a direct regurgitation of eugenic rhetoric used throughout history to forcibly sterilize and murder disabled people, notably the Germans’ labeling of “useless eaters” as “drain” on society in the lead-up to murdering 300,000+ disabled people.
    5. HHS fallout reveals loss of Advisory Committee on Heritable Diseases in Newborns and Children (ACHDNC). The latest HHS cuts include ACHDNC, which helped identify which genetic screenings should be available for newborns and children, and standardize the process across all states.

      Without federal guidance and funding, states may or may not provide screenings, meaning that there will be delays and missed opportunities for early intervention in children with those conditions. Many of the conditions are rare, so families might not even know what to look for or ask their doctors about.

      The move is at odds with RFK’s professed desire to ameliorate “children’s suffering” in his remarks on autism.
    6. More HHS fallout. In addition to departments and programs noted in previous weeks, others continue to be endangered by the vast staffing cuts enacted across the department.

      The FDA announced yesterday their plan to remove their food safety inspection programs due staffing constraints. The risk of foodborne illness hurts everyone, but can be deadly for children, the elderly, the chronically ill, immunocompromised, and pregnant people. Certain foodborne illness, like listeria, also cause stillbirth.

      Due to the $11 billion in CDC funding cuts, many long-COVID education and research projects at the state-level have been forced to make drastic cuts or close completely. Researchers believe approximately 6 in 100 people develop a post-covid medical condition.
    7. HHS issues “clarification” regarding gender dysphoria in Section 504’s Final Rule. RFK Jr. issued a clarification this week, noting that the mention of gender dysphoria in the preamble of Final Rule is not actually an enforceable part of Section 504, as opponents of the suit have pointed out since the initial filing of Texas v. Becerra.

      However, precedent has been established for gender dysphoria being a protected condition under the ADA via other recent court decisions like Williams v. Kincaid.

      It’s unclear what this statement regarding Final Rule will mean for Texas v. Becerra, which remains ongoing.
    8. Texas v. Becerra lawsuit continues. Attorneys General continue to use transphobic rhetoric to attack Final Rule and Section 504, despite recent statements from HHS.

      Participants continue to say they do not want to dismantle disabled people’s rights, but have not revoked the original filing, which explicitly asks for 504 to be declared unconstitutional (p 37-42).

      504 protects disabled people’s rights in all spaces that receive federal funding, but could have major implications in conjunction with rescinding of ADA guidance, and the uncertain future of DoEd. The next update is due in the coming days.
    9. Local: Utah’s SB199 violates the ADA, due process. Late last month the Governor of Utah signed SB199, setting up a separate guardianship process for adults with “severe” disabilities.

      Guardianship protocol already exists in UT, but the new set-up allows people to circumvent due process if a doctor declares a person’s disability “severe.”

      Some disabled people benefit from guardianship arrangements, but all people have a right to due process, and the categorization of “severe” is vague.

      The ACLU is currently attempting to block the bill as a violation of one’s right to due process and the ADA.
    10. Do not comply in advance (good news). Due to pending legal action over McMahon’s DoEd issued directive to withhold funding from schools pending receipt of their anti-DEI loyalty pledge, a judge ordered that schools do not need to sign any certifications until at least April 24, after the legality of the pledge is assessed. Previously, the directive required school leadership to sign within 10 days.

      So far VT, MA, CT, NY DE, PA, MI, WI, IL, MN, CO, UT, OR, WA, CA, officials have declined to sign, while other states have declared their intent to sign or are still in review. See the full map here.

  • Week 12 Update

    Week 12 Update

    1. House passes budget framework, paving the way for deep social cuts. The House passed the budget framework that paves the way for Trump’s desired budget, including trillions in tax cuts for rich people, increased defense spending, increased spending autonomy for the President, weakening social security, and an estimated $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid.
      The House and Senate must now work to turn their resolutions into actual legislative text, which will reveal the minute breakdown of their spending plan and cuts. This is typically a months-long process.
    2. Markets roil as Trump plays with global tariffs, threatens more. Trump issued tariffs on multiple countries in a questionably legal process this week, promptly tanking the global market. He paused some of the tariffs for 90 days due to instability, but kept a tax at over 100% on goods from China, who also levied their own tariffs. (Update: as of noon on 4/12, Trump also paused tariffs on electronics like smartphones and computers.)

      Tariff costs are passed down to the buyer, meaning further hikes in a market where food and basics prices are already soaring. This will be a hardship for all Americans, but especially those already struggling with food insecurity, and/or those on a fixed income.

      Trump also announced tariffs on pharmaceutical imports to be implemented “shortly,” with no details yet on which medications will be affected. Medical device and equipment prices are already expected to rise due to current tariffs.
    3. HHS fallout reveals more disability-centric programs lost. Massive cuts at the CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities last week left advocates reeling. Now the cuts are coming clear:

      EHDI programming for universal newborn hearing screenings has been eliminated. States have received some funding in 2025, but may not receive the rest.

      The CDC partnership with the Special Olympics has also been eliminated. Trump and DeVos first tried to defund the program in 2017. (4/12, clarifying note: The Special Olympics funding and oversight primarily came from OSERS in the Dept of Ed, but those employees were also laid off in earlier an earlier RIF).

      A department dedicated to sickle cell research is gone.

      The team for national data collection on adults with cognitive disabilities is gone, just before a key report about the rise in cognitive disability in young people was to be released. Some say it’s being blocked so RFK can bury evidence contradicting his own team’s theories about “autism’s origins,” which he’s promised to “reveal” by September.
    4. White House Press Secretary says the administration is seeking a “legal” pathway for deporting US citizens. White House press secretary Leavitt mentioned this week that the administration was looking into whether there is a legal pathway to deport US citizens. (There’s not!)

      Leavitt said the move would only be exercised on “criminals” who commit “heinous” crimes. However, that the DOJ has already been stripping students of their visas for protests and other thought crimes, and 75% of the immigrants who were illegally deported to El Salvador have no criminal record suggest they will continue to use their power for show against anyone they want.

      Legal scholars and historians fear the move will be used to strip the citizenship and/or detain anyone “undesirable,” a frightening a echo from 1930s Germany’s stripping of citizenship from Jewish people and others, the 1940s US internment of Japanese people, and other war crimes.
    5. House passes “Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act” (SAVE Act). The proposed law, which will require people to present proof of citizenship in-person in order to register to vote, passed the House this week, including votes from for Democratic representatives.

      One major concern is that women who changed their name due to marriage won’t be able to use their birth certificates for proof of citizenship, since their surnames no longer match. An amendment was suggested to remedy this, but it was denied.

      People with any name different than what’s issued on their birth certificate will need a passport to register, and everyone will need to present this proof in-person. 50% of Americans have no passport.

      SAVE would place undue hardship and expense, and restrict the right to vote of the elderly, disabled, women and trans folks, those living rurally and more.

      The bill is likely to be voted down in the Senate, but it is still worth calling about.
    6. DOGE accesses Social Security database, falsely begins declaring some recipients “dead” to stop payments. DOGE has shown their inability to understand basic information stored within the SSA’s database over the past months, in part because it is written in an archaic coding language. Previously DOGE said they would rewrite the code, but that is a long-term project.

      In the interim, DOGE has declared some people dead as a way of removing them from the payment system. This has largely attacked immigrants, but some US citizens were also placed into the “death master file.”

      Beyond stopping social security payments, falsely declaring someone dead will have massive implications on their ability to move through the world, may cut access to their credit cards and more. SSA employees who tried to stop DOGE were ejected from the building.
    7. Texas v. Becerra lawsuit continues. Attorneys General continue to use transphobic rhetoric to attack Final Rule and Section 504.

      Participants continue to say they do not want to dismantle disabled people’s rights, but have not revoked the original filing, which explicitly asks for 504 to be declared unconstitutional (p 37-42).

      504 protects disabled people’s rights in all spaces that receive federal funding, but could have major implications in conjunction with rescinding of ADA guidance, and the uncertain future of DoEd. The next update is due in the coming days.
    8. Do not comply in advance (good news). Due to pending legal action over McMahon’s DoEd issued directive to withhold funding from schools pending receipt of their anti-DEI loyalty pledge, a judge ordered that schools do not need to sign any certifications until at least April 24, after the legality of the pledge is assessed.

      Previously, the directive required school leadership to sign within 10 days.

      So far NY, MA, PA, MI, WI, IL, MN, CO, OR, and WA officials have declined to sign, while other states have declared their intent to sign or are still in review. (full map of states’ declared intent)

      Action:
      Share this info. Disability is often lost in mainstream coverage.

      Call your Representative and tell them to intervene on behalf of the Dept of Education, SSA and HHS regarding illegal layoffs.

      Call your Senator and tell them to vote NO on SAVE and any budget cuts to Medicaid.

      Contact your school board and state’s education officials, and tell them not to comply with McMahon’s baseless anti-DEI directive.

      If your state is involved, contact your Attorney General and ask them to withdraw from Texas v. Beccera. Tell them you stand in solidarity with disabled people, and trans folks.

      Consider how to move toward creative acts of mutual aid, local protest and growing awareness, including offline materials. Make flyers! Warn your neighbors in the presence of ICE. If able, donate or volunteer with your local food pantry or library.

  • NEW: Former Gallaudet Employee Speaks Out Against “Deceitful, Fanciful Thinking” in University’s Response to DoEd Layoffs

    NEW: Former Gallaudet Employee Speaks Out Against “Deceitful, Fanciful Thinking” in University’s Response to DoEd Layoffs

    The following post provides information specific to Gallaudet University, the world’s only liberal arts university exclusively for D/HH students, in the wake of the Department of Ed’s layoffs last week.

    For a general overview of that news, click here. For more information and action items specific to Gallaudet University, click here.

    For an ASL version of this material, see Amy Cohen Efron’s vlog below.

    Note- the author of the letter below is a source with knowledge of the federal government, writing on condition of anonymity:

    I don’t usually comment on Gallaudet, but as a former employee of the university, this is too important to not discuss because of the university’s significance to the Deaf community. Someone sent me the message from Gallaudet’s president yesterday, which I read with consternation. The language used implies either sheer ignorance about the reality on the ground or, worse, an intentional misleading of the community as to what has happened with the Department of Education (ED) and its liaison for the special institutes, including Gallaudet.

    As a result, the community does not understand the facts or the seriousness of the situation, and the university administration risks creating further confusion and division among the community when it is crucial for the community to understand how to advocate most effectively for the preservation of Gallaudet and its future.

    From the president’s message: 

    “The Department of Education has implemented significant layoffs, affecting nearly 50% of its workforce, including our liaison. While the Department of Education is required to assign a new liaison, it is unclear how and when this will happen. The Department of Education has confirmed that our funding is secured.” [Read/View full message here]

    This message mischaracterizes what has happened and is blatantly disingenuous about how it can be fixed. Let’s walk through this: 

    1.    OFFICE/POSITION ELIMINATED: The position of Director/Liaison of the Special Institutes is in the Office of Policy and Planning (OPP), within the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS). OPP was eliminated completely (see link for org chart). This means that the liaison position is gone … as in it no longer exists. A new liaison cannot be designated when the position does not exist anymore. 

    2.    POSITION NOT TRANSFERRED: Reduction in force procedures allow for transfer of functions and make it clear that employees performing these functions “have the right to move with their work to another organization if the alternative is separation by RIF” (OPM guidance). There is no indication that the duties and functions of the liaison have been or will be transferred to another department or agency. All evidence indicates this position is fully eliminated with no plans for continuity of functions. 

    3.    NO TRANSITION PLANNING: Because of attrition, deferred resignation, and VERA, numerous vacancies existed before the layoffs began (see org chart). With these preexisting vacancies, the vacancy rate at ED is effectively over 65%, not 50%; within OSERS’ Office of the Assistant Secretary, the only person left is the assistant secretary. On top of that, ED employees who took retirement were immediately put on leave March 11, and the layoffs were equally as abrupt. This means it would have been impossible to conduct any level of transition planning to ensure continuity of institutional knowledge and understanding of how to perform functions … precisely because the intention was to not have these positions anymore. If the liaison position is restored but the employee not reinstated, this lack of transition planning will hamper any new employee in being able to do the job effectively.

    4.    HIRING FREEZE: Even if the liaison position still existed, the administration has implemented a hiring freeze for all but immigration enforcement, national security, and public safety. In addition, the EO prohibits the creation of new positions. Without significant pressure on the administration, it is very unlikely an exception will be granted to hire someone into the restored liaison position. 

    5.    LENGTHY HIRING PROCESS: Even if an exception is granted to hire someone into OSERS for the Secretary to designate (appoint) as the liaison, the federal hiring process is extremely long. It can take four months to a year to fill a vacancy—and four months is considered “speedy”! The escalating disruptions to human resources staffing and processes government-wide threaten to make this process even longer. 

    6.    REEMPLOYMENT PRIORITY LIST REQUIREMENT: Assuming the layoffs were done in accordance with legal requirements for reduction in force, as described on OPM’s website, ED is required to give reemployment priority to anyone they laid off through RIF. Therefore, the person who was laid off when the liaison position was eliminated has priority to return to the position, making it disingenuous for Gallaudet to call for a new liaison to be appointed. 

    7.    GAP IN FUNDING MECHANISM: While the continuing resolution does appropriate funding for Gallaudet, as the president’s message states, there is an additional critical step of obligating funds, which is how the funds land in Gallaudet’s bank account. Congress grants legal authorization to spend funds (appropriations), the authorized person signs the paperwork to spend the funds (obligations), and then the funds are disbursed to the recipient. In short, obligation is like opening a door to allow funds to go through. Generally, authority to obligate funds is given to the secretary of a department, who then can delegate that authority to a subordinate. The Secretary of Education likely delegated authority to the liaison, who would then have been trained and certified in obligating funding – i.e., the liaison signs the paperwork authorizing the funds to be disbursed to Gallaudet. Without that paperwork signed by an authorized person, ED’s financial office cannot release (i.e., disburse) the funding. Since the liaison position was eliminated, who has the authority to obligate the funding for Gallaudet? 

    8. FUTURE OF DEPT OF EDUCATION: The overarching issue the university administration misses is that the goal here is to dismantle and terminate the Department of Education. With ED gone, where will the liaison position reside?

    With all these factors at play, for the university president to say all that needs to be done is for a new liaison to be assigned is beyond deceitful. It’s fanciful thinking that fails to grasp the full picture of what is happening.

    It also demonstrates a clear lack of understanding of how the government works and the legal constraints in which it operates. The easiest, fastest, and legal route to fix this is for the liaison position to be restored at ED or its functions transferred to another department.

    The Gallaudet administration needs to understand that restoration of the liaison position means reinstatement of the person laid off from the position—the focus needs to be on the position, not on replacing the person. Designating a “new” liaison, as they are calling for, would be an illegal action on the federal government’s part and likely would be challenged in court, resulting in further delays. In addition, reinstatements have been happening quickly across the federal government as the administration backtracks after finding out that certain positions are critical or required by law (example: National Nuclear Security Administration) or a judge orders reinstatements (example: probationary employees).

    For the best interests of Gallaudet and its funding, the university administration needs to focus on advocating for the full restoration of the liaison position, at ED or another department, and reinstatement of the employee. 

    The Deaf and Gallaudet communities need to band together to (1) push the Gallaudet Board of Trustees and administration to acknowledge these facts and lobby—and sue, if necessary—for this restoration and reinstatement, and (2) write to senators and representatives to advocate. 
    *

    To contact your elected official about this issue, use the letter template available here.

  • Action Item: Protect Deaf and Special Education!

    Action Item: Protect Deaf and Special Education!

    1300 Department of Education employees were laid off last week, some of them illegally, including workers in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), who provide a variety of special education funding and programs, oversee IDEA, and fund and support special institutions like Gallaudet, NTID, the American Printing House for the Blind, Helen Keller National Center for the Blind, and more. Take action!

    Two options:

    1. Write to your Representative in the House. Find your Representative here.
    2. Write to a Senator on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. Here is the full list of the committee. If your Senator serves, write them! If not, you can still choose a Senator to write to in their capacity on the committee, as long as you are honest about where you live. Here are some suggested contacts for the four Republicans most likely to stand up for special and deaf education:

    The template below can be tailored to contact a Representative or Senator, by mail or email– or one of each!

    Dear [Senator or Representative + Last Name]: 

    [If writing your congressperson, or if your Senator serves on the HELP committee: “I am a constituent from zip code [insert yours]”].
    OR
    [If writing to a Senator on the HELP committee not from your state: “I am a resident of writing to you in your capacity on the HELP committee.”] I am writing to express my grave concern that Linda McMahon, President Trump, and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are taking steps to abolish the Department of Education and eliminate educational opportunities for millions of students across the country, especially this impact has on students who are deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind. This includes the termination of over 1,300 workers at the Department of Education. Linda McMahon inappropriately included in this termination of the Liaison to the Special Institutions, who works in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS).

    The Liaison to the Special Institutions position within the Department of Education is mandated by the law The Education of the Deaf Act  (EDA) 20 U.S.C. 4356 Section 206 Liaison for Educational Programs. Through this law, Gallaudet University and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) receive direct appropriations from Congress to provide education and employment services to individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind.  The EDA designates the Liaison to serve between the Department and Gallaudet University, NTID, and other postsecondary educational programs for individuals who are deaf under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and other Federal or non-Federal agencies, institutions, or organizations involved with the education or rehabilitation of individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. The law also stipulates that the person in this position must be from the deaf community.

    Without the Liaison, the Department will be unable to fulfill its critical functions as mandated in the EDA.  In order to keep operations at both Gallaudet and NTID continued without disruption, I ask that you take immediate action to have Linda McMahon correct her mistake and reinstate the employee who serves in this position. 

    Sincerely, 

    [Your name]

    [Your Contact information] 

  • Week 8 Update

    Week 8 Update

    1. Hundreds of Illegal Layoffs at the Department of Education. DoED laid off over 1300 employees Tuesday night, nearly half the department. Secretary McMahon made a statement that layoffs would not affect special ed, nor any legally-mandated positions, but that was a lie.

      Layoffs were conducted without review via a generic, “Dear colleague” letter, including eliminating workers in mandated positions that are not allowed to be vacant by law. Many workers who were supposed to continue on until the end of the month or longer cannot consistently access their emails and computers due to DOGE control.

      The layoffs spanned a variety of departments, cutting large swaths of the Office of Civil Rights (OCR).The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) was also impacted.

      The entire office providing funding for Gallaudet, NTID, the American Printing House for the Blind, Helen Keller National Center, and other special institutions has been laid off.

      There is also currently no director at the head of OSEP, the office overseeing IDEA. McMahon sparked anger in an interview after the layoffs, in which she revealed she did not know what “IDEA” stands for.
    2. Regional DoEd Offices Shuttered. In addition to the layoffs, seven regional Department of Education offices have also been closed down: Cleveland, Boston, New York, Dallas, San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia.

      Among many impacts, this will further delay already long wait times for students and families dealing with discrimination complaints.
    3. DOGE Continues to infiltrate Social Security Administration (SSA). The DOGE team continues to grow at SSA, in what journalists believe to be the largest presence at any agency. Musk and friends have alleged “mass fraud” at the agency, but have not produced any evidence of the claim.

      DOGE is currently considering cancelling benefits for nearly 200,000 people who receive social security benefits without a SSN; however the majority of those are disabled children whose benefits are redirected to a “designated payee” in their parent or guardian.
    4. DOGE takes aim at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Under Musk, DOGE targeted HUD for layoffs of around half of the department, which oversees housing vouchers, rental assistance, public housing and a variety of anti-homelessness initiatives, including rebuild grants for communities after disaster.

      HUD also oversees fair housing laws and fields discrimination complaints.

      At least 50% of the US’s unhoused population is disabled.
    5. Senate Finance Committee holds hearing for Dr. Mehmet Oz. TV personality “Doctor Oz” was tapped to be Administrator of the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, and began his hearing Friday.

      He is poised to oversee Medicaid, Medicare, and administrative duties related to the Affordable Care Act as Republicans vow to make deep cuts to the former two programs. Oz sidestepped questions about whether he would protect Medicaid from cuts during Friday’s hearing.
    6. Senate passes a Continuing Resolution for the GOP’s budget bill. Republicans, with the help of 10 Democrats, voted to pass a continuing resolution that avoids a government shutdown until September.

      A coalition of anti-Trump organizers, including the federal workers union, had rallied to encourage Democrats to vote NO, in an effort to bring Republicans to the negotiating table and include language to reign in DOGE’s unfettered slashing of federal programs and employment. Instead, a small group of Democrats helped push the bill through.

      Now that Democrats have ceded their leverage it will be difficult to stop further implementation of Project 2025 or DOGE cuts, beyond lawsuits after the fact.
    7. Texas vs. Beccera lawsuit continues. Attorneys General continue to use transphobic rhetoric to attack Final Rule and Section 504.

      Participants continue to say they do not want to dismantle disabled people’s rights, but have not revoked the original filing, which explicitly asks for 504 to be declared unconstitutional (p 37-42).

      504 protects disabled people’s rights in all spaces that receive federal funding, but could have major implications for those needing interpreters in hospitals in light of the new English EO.
      The next update is due in April.
    8. Good News… 21 Attorneys General have banded together to sue the administration regarding the illegal firings of Department of Education employees. This comes alongside previously established suits and union actions already in-play for other firings and freezings across the federal workforce.

      A judge also ordered Thursday that probationary employees across multiple agencies who were laid off should be reinstated.

    Action Items:
    Share this info. Disability is often lost in mainstream coverage.

    • Call your Representative and tell them to intervene on behalf of the Dept. of Education.
    • Call the Senate Finance Committee members and tell them to vote NO on Dr. Oz.
    • If your state is involved, contact your Attorney General and ask them to withdraw from Texas v. Beccera. Tell them you stand in solidarity with disabled people, and trans folks.
    • Consider how you can pivot to creative and local acts of resistance now that elected officials have ceded negotiating power. Here are some ideas.


  • Call Scripts for 13 March Regarding Budget Resolution and Illegal DoED Layoffs

    Call Scripts for 13 March Regarding Budget Resolution and Illegal DoED Layoffs

    Script for Calling Your Senator (*Time Sensitive*–they must vote by Friday, 314)

    Find your Senator’s phone number here

    Hello Senator [last name],

    My Name is [full name] and I’m a constituent calling from zip code [your zip code] to ask you to vote NO on the budget bill until there are firm guardrails in place that take financial control from DOGE and return it to Congress, as stipulated by the Constitution.

    The executive overreach of freezing Congressionally-approved spending and firing federal workers is illegal and dangerous.

    I understand concerns about the impacts of a temporary government shutdown, but the government is not currently functioning by the rule of law. Giving Republicans free reign to gut Medicaid and SNAP will harm even more Americans. Please use this moment of leverage to stand with the American people and the Constitution, and vote NO unless enforceable protections are implemented. Thank you.

    Script for Calling Your House Representative

    Click to find your Representative

    Hello Representative [last name],

    My Name is [full name] and I’m a constituent calling from zip code [your zip code] to ask you to stop the Trump administration from harming students and families by dismantling the Department of Education. By closing key offices and conducting illegal layoffs, Trump and DOGE are trying to bypass Congress to gut the department.

    [Personal statement here] Ex: In particular, I’m a [parent / student / teacher / community member], concerned about about the impact that these cuts will have on students with disabilities, including funding and oversight for programs like [IDEA, 504, Gallaudet, American Printing House for the Blind, Helen Keller National Center, Special Olympics. If applicable, restate importance of program to you or your family.]

    This is an overreach by the executive branch. Please act to protect the students and the federal workers who serve them. Thank you.

  • Breaking: Nearly Half the Department of Education Laid Off Tuesday, Including from Legally Mandated Positions

    Breaking: Nearly Half the Department of Education Laid Off Tuesday, Including from Legally Mandated Positions

    On Tuesday, 11 March, the Department of Education fired over 1,300 workers, nearly half of the department. Afterward, Linda McMahon told reports that legally-mandated employees, and programs protecting disabled students’ rights were not affected; however, that was a lie. In the same interview, she also revealed she did not know what IDEA stands for.

    Federal work has some in-built protections to layoffs generally, but on top of that, some of the jobs removed yesterday are legally-mandated, making it illegal for those positions to be vacant.

    The layoffs had a wide reach across departments, but it’s been confirmed that some of those removed were from OSERS, the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.

    OSERS oversees and funds early intervention and IDEA law, various Vocational Rehabilitation programs, and special institutions like the American Printing House for the Blind, Helen Keller National center for DeafBlind, National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) and Gallaudet.

    Without a functioning department for funding and advocating for these programs, they are in danger. With respect to Gallaudet, specifically, the university has some special protections due to its Charter, but it is not immune to cuts, and there is no specific amount of funding guaranteed.

    Ultimately, this is no longer about debating various political policies anymore, but about returning to the rule of law.

    Action Items

    1. Don’t panic. There are currently many unknowns, which can be scary, but instead of spiraling you can–

    2. Call your senator. Tell them to vote NO on the budget resolution until those who are illegally fired are reinstated, and there are guardrails in place to revoke financial control to DOGE and return it to Congress, as it says in the Constitution.

    The Senate Democrats have leverage at this moment, because bipartisan effort will be required to pass the bill by Friday, so please let Senators, especially Democratic Senators know it’s past time to stand up for the rule of law.

    3. If you are in DMV area, there will be a protest outside the Department of Education building tomorrow (Thursday the 13th) starting at 1PM. Show up if you can.

    4. Spread the word. Not only will these actions harm children and society overall, but they are illegal. People in power are not above the law in this or any context.