The decision by RFK Jr.'s health department is only the latest Trump White House action to harm disabled people.Michael M. Santiago/Getty
Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.
On Thursday, the federal Department of Health and Human Services moved, through a department-wide restructuring order, to eliminate the Administration for Community Living (ACL), a subsidiary established in 2012 to support disabled and aging people—part of a broader series of cuts that will see the firing of some 10,000 HHS staff. HHS’ press release on the restructuring claims that ACL’s responsibilities will be redesignated elsewhere within the department, which has yet to issue further details or clarify its plans. An unknown number of the administration’s workers will also be laid off.
Jill Jacobs, a Biden-era commissioner of ACL’s Administration on Disabilities, was shocked to hear the news. “It’s not something that’s been on anyone’s radar, not a conversation that anyone’s been having,” said Jacobs, who is now the executive director of the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities.
“Where exactly are they going to go? Who is going to implement [it]? Is this the first step in cutting further programs?”
Comments