Take Action Today!

A recently-leaked internal budget document from the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) proposes significant cuts–about 30%–to the Health and Human Services discretionary budget–and, unsurprisingly, there are many critical, life-giving programs that support people with disabilities on the chopping block. Read more about these cuts below.

In response, Center for Independent Living is responding to the urgent call from our Disability Rights and Independent Living partners across the country to gather our stories as disabled people and disability community about how disability supports and services programs 1) impact our lives, 2) give us greater safety, dignity, and independence to live the lives we choose, in our communities, and 3) how we might be, or have been, impacted by cuts or threats to those programs. 

We’re out to gather 53 UNIQUE STORIES–will you be one of them? CIL was the first independent living center founded by and for people with disabilities in 1972, and has been providing lifegiving, peer-led supports, services, and advocacy for 53 years–to honor that history, our goal is to gather 53 UNIQUE STORIES from you, our community, on how disability related supports and services have impacted your life, and what cuts to those programs could mean for you. 

Please share your experiences related to…

• Medicaid/MediCal
• Home and CommunityBased Services (HCBS)
• Social Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Income (SSDI)
• IHSS and/or personal attendant services
• Supports and services from your local Independent Living Center (ILC), like CIL or others
• Other benefits/social safety net programs (like CalFresh or others)

We are in the budget fight of our lives. Now is the time to show up and share your experiences and your demands–for community based organizations like CIL, it is you, our community, who are the beating heart, the energy and the meaning, behind all of our advocacy, and we need you now.

It's time to take action! Share your story about how disability supports and services programs:

1) Impact our lives

2) Give us greater safety, dignity, and independence to live the lives we choose, in our communities

3) How we might be, or have been, impacted by cuts or threats to those programs

For a video script template, talking point examples, and more ways to take action, check out our toolkit here!

See full joint statement here from The National Council on Independent Living (NCIL), the Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL) and the National Association of Statewide Independent Living Councils (NASILC).

A recently leaked internal budget document from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) proposes significant cuts—about 30%—to the Health and Human Services (HHS) discretionary budget. While unofficial, this draft gives insight into potential recommendations to Congress.

The proposed cuts would eliminate or zero out funding for many critical programs under the Administration for Community Living (ACL), including:

• Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs  
• State Councils on Developmental Disabilities
• Protection & Advocacy for people with disabilities
• University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
• Limb Loss and Paralysis Resource Centers
• Voting Access for People with Disabilities
• Aging & Disability Resource Centers
• Some mental health and substance use programs  

The Independent Living Program is proposed to receive $453 million, with level funding for Centers for Independent Living (Part C) and a $325 million increase to Part B (state grants). However, these funds are expected to replace services from the eliminated programs—an unrealistic and concerning shift. Alarmingly, the document also suggests HHS might need extra authority to carry out these changes, though many of the targeted programs are protected by federal law and cannot be legally eliminated without Congressional approval.

Though this document is not final, it marks the beginning of the federal budget process. NCIL, APRIL, and NASILC urge the disability community to advocate with Congress and work together to protect essential programs that have long supported people with disabilities. Unified action is vital to ensure the final budget reflects our community’s needs and rights.