December 15, 2025
Attorneys working in the background with these groups make sure the federal government lives up to the promises upheld by the Americans with Disabilities Act and others that cater to the demographic.
The Trump administration has found a new way to downplay the rise of litigation from members of the disabled community: cut access to lawyers who fight for the rights of disabled Americans, USA Today reports.
The new budget from the White House has proposed cutting federal funding from $148 million to $69 million for the fiscal year 2026, which supports the National Disability Rights Network, which represents the state-based advocacy groups. Lawyers working in the background with these groups ensure the federal government lives up to the promises made by the Americans with Disabilities Act and others that cater to the demographic. Advocates and groups feel the cuts are just another way to avoid legal problems.
If disabled Americans have difficulty finding lawyers, lawsuits will have a hard time progressing. “I think many families of people with disabilities, or even many people with disabilities themselves, don’t hear about it until they Google, ‘Where can I get help?’” George Washington University health law professor Alison Barkoff said.
The purpose of some of the attorneys is to ensure disabled Americans continue to have the services they need to live in their own homes instead of having to move into assisted spaces or simply enjoy luxuries like going to the movies, restaurants, and school. “These are people who, if these supports are ripped away, are going to have to leave their communities and their families, at a higher cost for taxpayers,” she continued.
The U.S. House and Senate committees feel the funding shouldn’t be touched; however, given the current Trump administration, Congress’s continued support could be altered. Affected members think the same, highlighting the importance of state-based legal groups.
Seven-year-old Isaac Schreier suffers from osteogenesis imperfecta, a rare condition also known as brittle bone disease. The condition leaves the minor patient with roughly 60 bone fractures, causing intense pain and leaving him unable to walk. His medical team recommends a special wheelchair that can be adjusted so young Isaac can be put in different positions contingent on the broken bones.
The cost of the chair is $3,500, but his Medicaid coverage was declined because Isaac’s father, Jake, said, “they required proof that it was a permanent and long-standing condition.” A specialty clinic nurse recommended help from Disability Rights Iowa, a federally funded protection and advocacy group, after losing an appeal. Thanks to two group attorneys who filed a new appeal, claiming Isaac was legally entitled to the new wheelchair, the insurer ultimately paid for the special wheelchair. “It’s absolutely night and day. I can’t imagine a world where we didn’t have it,” Schreier said.
This is the type of needed assistance Trump and his team are trying to take away from Americans who are entitled to such help — and for seemingly selfish reasons.
The White House dumped American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters from press briefings, causing backlash from advocacy groups, and resulting in U.S. District Judge Amir Ali ruling the decision was an illegal exclusion from crucial government updates on important matters of war, the economy, and public health for deaf Americans.
However, President Donald Trump’s legal team, according to The Independent, argues that having ASL interpreters would harm the president’s way of presenting his “image” to the public and would also force him to “share his platform.”
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