May 14, 2025
Statement for the Record Submitted by National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD) at the House Committee on Appropriations Budget Hearing on U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Chairman Cole, Ranking Member DeLauro and Members of the Committee,
On behalf of the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD), thank you for the opportunity to submit this statement for the record regarding the Fiscal Year 2026 budget for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). NACDD represents 56 State and Territorial Councils on Developmental Disabilities, authorized under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (DD Act), with a mission to promote self-determination, integration, and inclusion of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in all facets of community life.
We urge this Committee to preserve and fully fund the programs authorized under the DD Act and administered by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), including Developmental Disabilities Councils, Protection and Advocacy systems, and University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDDs). These programs have demonstrated for decades that they work—effectively, efficiently, and collaboratively—to ensure people with developmental disabilities can live, work, and thrive in their communities.
A Bipartisan Priority Rooted in Shared Values
Supporting Americans with developmental disabilities has long been a bipartisan priority. Members on both sides of the aisle have recognized that ensuring dignity, autonomy, and opportunity for people with disabilities is not a political issue. It reflects our nation’s deepest values. These values include supporting families, protecting civil rights, and fulfilling the American promise that no one should be excluded because of a disability.
People with developmental disabilities and their families live in every district and every state. They are our neighbors, our classmates, our coworkers, and our loved ones. The programs under the DD Act are not abstract policy – they are lifelines. They provide the infrastructure that keeps people out of institutions, supports families to stay together, and ensures that people with disabilities can contribute to and be part of their communities.
State Councils on Developmental Disabilities: Impactful, Accountable, Results-Driven
State Councils on Developmental Disabilities are among the most effective, locally driven, and outcomes-based programs in the federal landscape. Every Council is appointed by its state or territorial Governor and includes a majority membership of people with developmental disabilities and family members of individuals with developmental disabilities. The Councils also include representatives from key state agencies and service systems, making them uniquely positioned to drive collaborative, cross-sector solutions.
This structure ensures that the work of the Councils is both community-informed and grounded in lived experience. Councils identify local needs, test innovative models, and scale what works. From expanding inclusive education and employment opportunities to advancing accessible housing and transportation, Councils lead projects and partnerships that result in real, measurable improvements in quality of life.
State DD Councils are also leaders in state legislation wins such as ending subminimum wages for people with disabilities, expanding college programs for students with disabilities, piloting programs such as Project Search for competitive integrated employment opportunities, reducing Medicaid waiver waitlists, and more. In 2023 alone, State DD Council programs reached and engaged over 1 million individuals with I/DD and their families through focused initiatives and projects across the country.
Councils operate in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. They are accountable not only to their communities, but also through rigorous federal reporting and evaluation standards. This model ensures transparency, innovation, and results making Councils a clear example of government working at its best.
Serious Concerns About Disruption and Threats to ACL and DD Act Programs
NACDD is deeply concerned about recent reports of significant internal disruption within the Administration for Community Living. We are alarmed by reports of a massive reduction in force (RIF) across ACL, which threatens to destabilize programs that have been painstakingly built over decades. Of even greater concern are leaked internal memos suggesting a potential reorganization that would fundamentally alter or eliminate critical DD Act programs including the State Councils on Developmental Disabilities.
Let us be clear: these programs are not expendable. They are essential.
Any effort to eliminate, restructure, or move these programs outside of their current statutory framework risks undermining the very foundation of community-based support for people with developmental disabilities. Such actions would reverse hard-won gains and betray the bipartisan commitment this nation has made to individuals with disabilities and their families.
We strongly urge this Committee to investigate these proposals, push back against any dismantling or weakening of DD Act programs, and ensure that ACL remains focused on its original, inclusive mission to support community living for all, including those with the most significant disabilities.
ACL Programs Are Interdependent and Effective
The Administration for Community Living (ACL) houses several key programs that together form a comprehensive, community-based approach to supporting people with developmental disabilities. These programs were deliberately designed to be interconnected. The Councils identify needs and develop solutions at the state level. The Protection and Advocacy systems defend individual rights and challenge systemic barriers. The UCEDDs contribute research, training, and evidence-based practices.
Together, these programs form a coordinated network that prevents institutionalization, supports employment and education opportunities, ensures health equity, and empowers individuals with disabilities to make choices about their own lives.
Dismantling or defunding even one piece of this infrastructure threatens the whole. We cannot separate these programs without undermining the outcomes that Congress intended and that people with disabilities rely upon.
An Investment in Families and Our Moral Commitment
These programs are not just services—they are a moral statement. They affirm our collective commitment to treating people with disabilities with fairness, dignity, and compassion. Funding these programs is a promise to parents who want their children to grow up at home, not in institutions. It’s a promise to young adults who want to go to school, have jobs, and be full participants in society.
Any move to reduce or eliminate this funding, whether through cuts, restructuring, or consolidation, risks breaking that promise. We urge Congress to reject proposals that would weaken this essential network of supports.
This is not a partisan issue. It is a human one, and it is a test of who we are as a country.
The programs under the DD Act and within ACL represent one of the most effective, efficient, compassionate, and values-driven aspects of the federal government. We respectfully urge the Committee to maintain these programs in their current form and to provide the funding necessary to allow them to continue this critical work.
On behalf of the millions of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families, thank you for your continued leadership and for keeping this issue above politics –– where it belongs.
Sincerely,
Erin Prangley
Director, Policy
National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities
eprangley@nacdd.org
