The scope of these cuts are unlikely to come to fruition as Congress largely dismissed the Administration’s proposed 2020 budget
By PVA National Staff
Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) have written to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Mick Mulvaney urging the Administration’s cabinet departments to review their budgets for cuts to disability programs and to restore recommended funding for these programs. Early reports on the budget highlighted a $1.5 trillion cut to Medicaid, $800 billion reduction in Medicare spending, $84 billion reduction in Social Security Disability Insurance, and elimination of funding for the Special Olympics.
In addition to those cuts, the Senators’ letter goes on to point out reductions in funding contained in the fiscal year 2020 budget to the Traumatic Brain Injury program; the Paralysis Resource Center; State Councils on Developmental Disabilities; University Centers on Developmental Disabilities; the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research; Independent Living Centers; the Voting Access for People with Disabilities program; state Assistive Technology programs; the Family Caregiver Support Services program; Lifespan Respite Care program; and Section 811 Housing for Persons with Disabilities.
The scope of these cuts are unlikely to come to fruition because Congress has largely dismissed the Administration’s proposed 2020 budget. However, PVA will be working with its allies in the disability community to ensure that any final spending bills preserve support for these and other vital programs that are essential to the lives of people with disabilities.
