SILVER SPRING, MD - Yesterday, the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) monitored the House and attended the Senate hearings on the President’s proposed budget for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was the sole witness for both hearings. Since being confirmed by the Senate on February 13, 2025, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Administration have taken a number of actions that not only threaten, but do direct harm to people with disabilities and the systems that support them. Among these are AUCD’s own University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDDs), Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Programs, and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Centers (IDDRCs), all at risk under this Administration. In his hearings this week, Secretary Kennedy was again unfamiliar with the structure of his own agency, the extent of the mass firings that had taken place since his tenure began, and the consequences of the significant cuts to personnel and funding.
“While Secretary Kennedy and leadership at the Department of Health and Human Services continue to promise radical transparency, the disability community still does not have any answers about the fate of programs in HHS that protect and support people with disabilities. When Secretary Kennedy mentions autism or people with disabilities it is to further his ableist and anti-science agenda,” said Lillie Heigl, Senior Policy Advisor at AUCD. “No matter how many people the Secretary fires or programs he shutters, people with disabilities still exist—they still deserve access to healthcare, meaningful inclusion in disability research, and a seat at every table where there are decisions being made about them.”
Reorganization and Proposed Elimination of Programs and Funding
On March 27, HHS announced the elimination of the Administration for Community Living (ACL)—a direct and deliberate attack on people with disabilities, their families, and the systems that protect their rights, health, and independence. Eliminating ACL undermines decades of progress and puts people at greater risk of institutionalization, isolation, and neglect. If this proposal is adopted and enacted, it would cut off vital services to people with disabilities and their families and erode civil rights.
Additionally, the President’s budget proposal, if implemented, would make massive, destructive changes at the HHS, putting millions of lives at risk. In his Senate hearing, Secretary Kennedy admitted that he and other Administration officials knew that many of the cuts they were making would be “painful.” However, he would not commit to reversing staff cuts or funding cuts for most of the programs mentioned, instead defending the reductions in force (RIFs) or denying blame for making funding changes. Secretary Kennedy asserted that no scientists had been fired in the RIFs at HHS, even when Members of Congress provided testimony from constituents who were scientists engaged in research at HHS who were fired. He was unaware of the cuts made within the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) or the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD). These were only a few of the divisions and agencies within HHS asked about by Senators that the Secretary was unable to address.
Kennedy’s acknowledgment that the cuts happening under his direction would be “painful” tells us that he and the Administration are well aware of just how devastating the RIFs and budget cuts have and will continue to be. We must assume they simply do not care.
Administration’s Actions Around Autism
Since his confirmation, Secretary Kennedy has taken a number of actions that are extremely harmful to the autistic community. These include ableist and outdated rhetoric about what autistic people are capable of, the announcement of an “autism registry” that had individuals and families afraid of privacy violations—and often delaying evaluations or diagnosis, his claims that he would find the cause of autism by September, and the hiring of David Geier into the agency.
In the hearing, several Members on both sides of the aisle asked Kennedy questions related to autism. Several Senators pushed Secretary Kennedy to take a public stance on the safety of the measles vaccine; he refused to do so. One Senator asked Secretary Kennedy about his hiring of David Geier, who has pursued conspiracy theories linking childhood vaccinations and autism, and now has been directed to work on autism research at HHS. We are deeply concerned by this hiring, coupled with Secretary Kennedy’s claims—previously and during his hearings on Wednesday—that autism is “preventable” and “an epidemic” brought on by environmental toxins. These claims are not supported by scientific consensus and create and perpetuate stigma about autistic people. Research must be guided by credentialed experts and inclusive of the complexity and diversity of the lived experiences of the autistic community—not redirected by misinformation or ideology. Secretary Kennedy’s rhetoric about autism distorts public understanding and undermines respect for autistic people.
Yesterday’s hearing is further indication that while the Secretary and the Administration purport to care about people with disabilities, they decimate the programs, research, and safety nets that support them. Secretary Kennedy committed before the HELP committee to do his job with compassion, yet we know there is nothing compassionate about the mass firing of federal workers, destruction of agencies, and loss of research, all of which are vital to the disability community.
Plain Language
- AUCD listened to the House hearing and attended the Senate hearing about the budget for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke before the committee. A hearing is when lawmakers meet to talk about an issue or legislation. A committee is a group of lawmakers who are focused on a few topics and work on passing legislation related to those topics.
- Secretary Kennedy did not answer many of the questions from Members of Congress about the reorganization and firing of employees at HHS. He should know about these things because he is in charge of the agency.
- AUCD and the disability community are worried about the harm that Secretary Kennedy is doing with his comments about autism, vaccines, the autism registry, and the autism research he says HHS will do. Autism is a genetic disability, which means autistic people are born autistic. Many studies have proved this, so it is concerning that Secretary Kennedy keeps saying that he wants to find out the cause of autism. He has said things that show that he thinks there are other causes, which is not true.
- AUCD and the disability community are worried about the changes at HHS where a lot of programs are being moved around to different departments and the cuts in staff that work on programs that support people with disabilities. We are also worried about the draft budget that tells us the Administration wants to cut funding from many programs and services that support people with disabilities.
- Secretary Kennedy and the Administration say they care about people with disabilities but then they do things that damage the programs and services that support them.
