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Council designee warns federal staffing, budget and regulatory changes could harm disability programs
Summary
Craig Hall, executive director of the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council, told commissioners that continuing resolutions, OMB hiring limits, and new executive orders could reduce funding, staff and regulatory protections for disability programs and services.
Craig Hall, executive director of the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council and the council—s designee to the Permanent Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities, told commissioners on March 12 that recent federal budget uncertainty, hiring directives and executive actions could threaten supports people with disabilities rely on.
Hall said the combination of continuing resolutions, automatic rescissions and Office of Management and Budget hiring and reduction-in-force directives risk reducing discretionary, nonstatutory federal programs and regulatory capacity. "The overarching theme is the reduction of federal spending on nonstatutory activities," Hall said, describing how fewer staff and smaller discretionary budgets could mean delays and cuts to services.
He highlighted several specific concerns: continuing resolutions preserve last year—s funding levels and, in the current measure, include an automatic 1% rescission; OMB guidance asking agencies to limit new hires and to prepare reduction-in-force plans could leave some offices under-staffed; and policy changes and executive orders that restrict diversity, equity and inclusion programs or limit certain regulatory tools could further reduce protections and enforcement capacity.
Hall listed programs that depend on federal funding and could be affected: Medicaid (MassHealth), Money Follows the Person, special education, vocational rehabilitation, centers for independent living, protection-and-advocacy agencies, the Developmental Disabilities Council, and other grant programs. He noted Massachusetts receives roughly $15,000,000,000 in federal funding annually and said converting Medicaid to capped block grants or imposing work requirements could significantly alter services.
On education and enforcement, Hall said observers are tracking proposals to move or restructure components of the Department of Education—s work, potentially shifting special-education functions and the Office for Civil Rights authority to other departments. He also described litigation and regulatory challenges at the Department of Transportation and other agencies that, if successful, could narrow accessibility enforcement.
Commissioners asked clarifying questions. Commissioner Jesse Burks Abbott asked whether the House—s continuing-resolution language was a "clean CR." Hall replied that the House measure he referenced extends last year—s spending to Sept. 30 with no new attachments or increases and that it does not create additional program funding.
Commissioner Charlie Carr asked about the federal definition of developmental disability; Hall said the definition appears in the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act and offered to circulate a plain-language summary and Spanish translation posted on the council—s website.
Hall told the commission the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council will post his slides and continue to update commissioners. He urged commissioners and advocacy groups to monitor federal rulemaking, budget and staffing developments and to use the council as a source of factual, regularly updated information.
The presentation will be posted on the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council website and shared with commissioners, Hall said.
