1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to reject the proposed cuts to federal funding for state-based protection and advocacy organizations that provide legal services to Americans with disabilities. The administration has proposed slashing this funding from $148 million to $69 million for fiscal year 2026, a reduction that would devastate critical legal protections for some of our most vulnerable constituents. These federally funded legal groups were established by Congress in the 1970s following exposés of abuses in institutions for people with mental and intellectual disabilities. They help ensure people with disabilities can exercise their rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act, including living in communities rather than institutions, attending school, working jobs, and accessing public places. These organizations have authority to inspect facilities where people with disabilities live and can file lawsuits when states fail to provide proper care. The real-world impact of these services is clear. Disability Rights Iowa attorneys helped Isaac Schreier, a 7-year-old boy with osteogenesis imperfecta, obtain a $3,500 wheelchair after his Medicaid-managed insurer denied coverage. That wheelchair allows Isaac to participate in school and community activities. Without these legal advocates, families like his would have nowhere to turn when insurers or state agencies deny necessary services. Cutting this funding would be fiscally irresponsible. Advocates warn that reducing access to legal services could force more people with disabilities into institutions at significantly higher taxpayer cost, as they would lose access to community-based support services. This comes at a time when the Department of Justice civil rights division has already been reduced to about 300 people, fewer than half the number under the previous administration, with more than 100 attorneys having left the division. I urge you to support maintaining funding at previous levels, as both House and Senate appropriations committees have recommended. These legal services protect constitutional rights while saving taxpayer money by keeping people in their communities rather than costly institutions.