Federal budgets would further hit access to disability lawyers, advocates say

"Federally funded attorneys, many working for the Department of Justice or for disability rights agencies, work to uphold the Americans With Disabilities Act and other laws, allowing them to live in their communities, attend school, work jobs and go to public places, according to the story, which sites KFF Health News. If denied, they can file legal challenges. But many DOJ lawyers quit this year after being reassigned to other duties, according to the story, leaving the disability advocacy to state-based legal groups."

"But the work of those groups could face challenges. The Trump administration's 2026 budget proposes cuts from $148 million to $69 million for fiscal year 2026 for federal grants supporting those organizations, according to the National Disability Rights Network, which represents the state-based groups. In the 1970s, Congress approved the federally financed system after abuses in a New York institution for people with mental and intellectual disabilities were exposed, according to the story."

Proposed federal budget cuts would sharply reduce grants that fund state-based disability rights organizations, threatening their ability to provide legal advocacy. Federally funded attorneys, including many DOJ and disability agency lawyers, enforce the Americans With Disabilities Act and other laws that enable community living, education, employment, and public access. Several DOJ lawyers resigned this year after reassignment, shifting responsibility to state legal groups. The Trump administration's 2026 budget proposes cutting federal grants from $148 million to $69 million. The federally financed protection system was created in the 1970s after abuses at a New York institution for people with mental and intellectual disabilities were exposed.

Read at ABA Journal