President Trump’s Budget Released: Major Cuts To Programs and Services for
People With Disabilities
President Trump’s Budget Released: Major Cuts To Programs and Services for
People With Disabilities
May 24, 2017 By
theadvocacymonitor
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The President released his budget proposal today, and while the $4.1 trillion
request is slightly higher than FY 2017 spending levels, it significantly
reallocates where the money would go. The budget proposal, entitled “A New
Foundation for Greatness,” would put more money into spending on defense, border
security, and infrastructure. It would slash nondefense discretionary funding,
already historically low, by $54 billion next year and an additional 2%
per year through 2028, for an estimated $3.6 trillion in cuts to spending over
10 years.
NCIL logo - National Council on Independent LivingKelly Buckland, Executive
Director of the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) said of the
President’s
budget: “The President’s budget proposal is irresponsible and would be
detrimental to many of the programs and services people with disabilities rely
on.
The programs that support our health, well-being, and independence have been
targeted, with proposed funding for these programs being brought to unrealistic
and dangerously low levels. If enacted, hundreds of Centers for Independent
Living may be forced to close, and people around the country will die from
the cuts to Medicaid. The results of this budget would be disastrous.”
Despite the fact that the President previously promised not to cut Social
Security, the proposed budget would make $72 billion in cuts to disability
programs
like Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security
Income (SSI). Part of those cuts would result from the Administration’s efforts
to limit eligibility and ‘encourage’ work. While eliminating disincentives to
work is a priority for NCIL, we believe the Administration’s efforts are
misguided, operating under the assumption that these programs are rampant with
people ‘gaming the system’. In reality, these programs, particularly SSDI,
have strict requirements that must be met and rigorous screenings already in
place. The proposed budget cuts will largely serve to put vital benefits out
of reach for even more people with disabilities.
Moreover, the budget proposal includes huge cuts to Medicaid funding, both from
the repeal and replace of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and additional cuts
to the program. The budget proposes well over $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts
(estimates have been as high as over $1.4 trillion) over the decade from a
combination
of repealing and replacing the ACA and an estimated $610 billion in additional
cuts. President Trump’s budget also proposes allowing states to choose between
per capita caps or block grants for their Medicaid program for all
beneficiaries. The block grants in the President’s budget would make even
further cuts
than those allowed under the American Health Care Act (AHCA).
The
Department of Health and Human Services budget appendix
(PDF) also contains some major changes and cuts. As we saw in the leaked budget
tables, the budget proposes a $142.4 million decrease in overall funding
for the Administration for Community Living (for total funding of $1.85
billion). With regards to the Independent Living Program, the President’s
proposal
level funds Part C Independent Living funding at $78 million, but it completely
changes Part B funding. The budget proposes ‘consolidating’ funding from
Part B Independent Living funding ($23 million in the FY 2017 budget), the
State Council on Developmental Disabilities ($73 million), and Traumatic Brain
Injury funding ($6 million of the $9 million in FY 2017) into one “Partnership
for Innovation, Inclusion, and Independence.” The funding for this new
Partnership
line item is $45 million, a $57 million loss from the $102 million combined in
funding in FY 2017. The cuts resulting from this consolidation would be
detrimental to all three programs. Moreover, these programs each have distinct
statutory requirements in different statutes, which not only would make
this consolidation injudicious, but also demonstrates a real lack of
understanding on the part of the Administration.
On top of all this, the President’s budget proposal would also reduce spending
on many other programs that people with disabilities and others rely on,
like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Children’s
Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
(TANF). It would also make major funding cuts for housing, education, research,
and much more.
Through this budget proposal, President Trump’s priorities come through
clearly. The massive cuts to vital programs – including the Independent Living
Program
– on top of the cuts to Medicaid, SSDI, and SSI, display a complete ignorance
about the needs of the people in this country; especially people with
disabilities.
That said, the President’s budget proposal is only one step in the federal
budget process, and the President’s budget is never the final result. President
Trump’s budget does not have the support of Democrats in Congress, and it has
gotten mixed feedback from Republicans, with many expressing grave concerns.
This proposal shows where our President’s priorities lie, but it is on Congress
to develop the funding bills that will determine actual spending levels.
Take Action!
We need to fight now against any cuts that will negatively impact the
Independent Living Program and people with disabilities in FY 2018. We need you
to
continue talking with your
Senators
and
Representatives.
Invite them to visit your Center for Independent Living (CIL) to see the
invaluable work being done in their communities. Make sure they know how
important
the work of your CIL is to you, and let them know how harmful it would be to
adopt the proposed ‘consolidation’ in the President’s budget. Also, make sure
they know how important the programs our community relies on (like SSDI and
Medicaid) are to the disability community. Congress needs to hear from their
constituents now more than ever!
Source:
http://www.advocacymonitor.com/president-trumps-budget-released-major-cuts-to-programs-and-services-for-people-with-disabilities/
