In this issue of Capitol Connection, we bring you key updates on new legislation, appropriations, and the ongoing reconciliation process. You’ll also find important insights on recent administrative actions affecting the autism community. As always, we encourage you to utilize the Autism Society’s Action Center to educate your representatives on the critical issues impacting individuals with autism.  

Appropriations  

In late December, Congress passed a Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the Government funded for FY 25 at the same levels as FY 24 expired on March 14. Without enough time to pass the individual appropriations bills with an agreed-upon top line, House Republicans introduced a CR for the remainder of the fiscal year. The CR removed all awarded home-state project earmarks and cut some additional programs leading to a total of $13 billion overall cut to domestic and foreign aid programs for the long-term stopgap measure. It does increase defense funding and includes funding for multiple anomalies including rental assistance, air traffic control, SNAP, disaster relief fund, and healthcare extenders. The House passed the CR on a vote of 217-213 and then teed the bill to the Senate. Senate Democrats are debating on whether they are going to help the Senate get to 60 votes or not. The vote is expected to take place mid-day on March 13.  

Reconciliation  

The House and Senate are currently working to determine the path forward on reconciliation, as each chamber has passed different instructions. In order to use reconciliation, both the House and Senate must agree on a unified approach. There are growing concerns that significant cuts and changes to Medicaid may be required to offset the proposed extensions of tax cuts.  The Congressional Budget Office analyzed the House’s instructions, which propose cutting $880 billion from the Energy and Commerce Committee’s budget over the next decade. Excluding Medicare, the remaining funding under the Committee’s jurisdiction amounts to $581 billion. This has raised alarms that the cuts could affect more than just fraud, waste, and abuse, potentially reducing vital services for Medicaid recipients. The Autism Society continues to educate Congress about the critical role Medicaid plays in supporting our community, urging lawmakers to exercise caution regarding major cuts or changes. Additionally, we have joined with the Medicaid in the Schools Coalition, signing a letter to Congressional leadership to emphasize the importance of Medicaid funding for school services.  We encourage you to use our Action Alert to contact your Members of Congress and share how Medicaid is vital to your loved ones. When writing to your Members, be sure to reference data on how important Medicaid is to your district, and find updated data through the Center for American Progress.  

New Legislation  

ENABLE Act 

Christopher Banks and Delancy Allred with Senator Schmitt

Senators Schmitt (R-MO) and Van Hollen (D-MD) and Representatives Smucker (R-PA) and Beyer (D-VA) reintroduced the Ensuring Nationwide Access to Better Life Experience (ENABLE) Act. This bill would make three provisions permanent under the original ABLE Act. These three provisions include one that allows employed individuals to contribute more to their account, the ABLE Saver’s Credit that allows an individual to qualify for a credit of up to $1,000, and a 529 to ABLE rollover that allows a beneficiary to roll over their savings from a 529 education account to an ABLE account. The Autism Society is proud to endorse this legislation and work with the leads to move it forward. Christopher Banks, President and CEO, and Delancy Allred, Manager of Public Policy met with Senator Schmitt earlier this week and discussed the importance of ABLE accounts indicating our support and willingness to work with Sen. Schmitt’s team.   

Lifespan Respite Act 

A bill to reauthorize the Lifespan Respite Care Act was introduced by Senators Collins (R-ME) and Baldwin (D-WI). Representatives Langworthy (R-NY) and Tokuda (D-HI) are preparing to introduce the companion bill on the House side. This bill would Reauthorize the Lifespan Respite Care Program at current appropriations levels for five years (FY25-30) and clarify that youth caregivers (those under 18 who are providing care or helping to provide care to family members) are eligible for the program. The Lifespan Respite Care Program empowers coordinated state systems to provide accessible, community-based respite care services. The Autism Society is proud to support this reauthorization. See more in Senator Collins’s Press Release.  

Marriage Penalty in SSI Bill  

Representative Valadao (R-CA), Representative Susie Lee (NV-03), and Senators Moran (R-KA) and Van Hollen (D-MD) reintroduced the Eliminating the Marriage Penalty in SSI Act. This bill would exclude a spouse’s income and resources when determining eligibility for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and disregards marital status when calculating the SSI benefit amount, for an adult who has a diagnosed intellectual or developmental disability. The Autism Society strongly supports this bill and was quoted in Rep. Valadao’s Press Release, “For individuals with autism and other disabilities, these policies create unnecessary financial barriers that undermine the ability to form supportive, stable relationships. By removing this penalty, we ensure that individuals and families can pursue meaningful connections without fear of losing crucial benefits.” 

Disability Employment Bill 

The ThinkDIFFERENTLY About Disability Employment Act was reintroduced by Representative Stauber (R-MN) and Simon (D-CA). This legislation would create a federal agency partnership between the Small Business Administration and the National Council on Disability to conduct outreach and marketing to small businesses across America to hire more workers with disabilities and continue these individuals with programs and activities to facilitate successful self-employment or to pursue entrepreneurship opportunities at small businesses. The bill was marked up by the House Committee on Small Business on March 5th and was voted unanimously out of committee. The Autism Society is proud to endorse this legislation and work with the leads to move it forward. 

School Choice 

The House Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a hearing regarding school choice. There are multiple pieces of Federal legislation looking at school choice, with one being a tax credit bill to donors of scholarship programs. The Consortium for Constituents with Disabilities submitted a letter to the leadership of the Committee urging against the inclusion of this bill and others in any reconciliation package or other package.  

Administration Updates  

CDC Autism Vaccine Study  

Multiple outlets reported that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is planning a large study on the relationship between vaccines and autism. While the Department of Health and Human Services has not confirmed this study, they did respond by saying that “as President Trump said in his Joint Address to Congress, the rate of autism in American children has skyrocketed. CDC will leave no stone unturned in its mission to figure out what exactly is happening. The American people expect high-quality research and transparency and that is what CDC is delivering.” The Autism Society reaffirms that we support scientific research that expands our understanding of Autism. However, it is not a good use of funds to revisit the debunked theory of vaccines and Autism. Decades of rigorous, peer-reviewed research have repeatedly confirmed that there is no credible link between vaccines and Autism. Federal research efforts should focus on advancing new, evidence-based studies that explore the biological, genetic, and environmental factors associated with Autism, rather than revisiting exhausting lines of inquiry. This reporting comes after the signing of the Executive Order to establish a Make America Healthy Again Commission. The Autism Society is concerned that this commission, which is tasked with addressing the increase of chronic diseases such as “Autism” and “ADHD” does not include any stakeholder voices. See more in our statement.  The nomination for CDC Director, Dave Weldon, was supposed to have a confirmation hearing at the Senate HELP Committee on March 13. However, his nomination was pulled the morning of the hearing.   The Autism Society had serious concerns about Dr. Weldon’s nomination and is pleased to see that it will not be moving forward.    

Department of Education 

Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon was confirmed by the Senate with a vote of 51-45. Her first communication as Secretary was a speech in which she discussed the final mission of the Department of Education. Multiple outlets reported a potential Executive Order signing reaffirming the final mission and dismantling the Department. However, this Executive Order has yet to be formally released and signed. The Department of Education announced the layoff of 1,300 employees on March 11th. There are reports that this includes multiple Office of Civil Rights local offices across the country have completely shut down.  The Autism Society will continue to monitor any action that may harm the Department whether it be through Executive Order, layoffs, legislation, or appropriations. The Department has played a critical role in ensuring equitable access to education, enforcing civil rights protections, and upholding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Without this federal oversight, the rights of students with disabilities could be at risk. Use our Action Alert to educate your Members of Congress on the importance of the Department of Education. See more in our Statement.  

State Updates 

Indiana Advocacy Day 

Autism Society of Indiana at the State Capitol

The Autism Society of Indiana hosted a Day at the Statehouse on Feb. 17. 2025. Over 100 attendees met with their legislators to discuss proposed cuts to Medicaid coverage of ABA. We delivered over 300 letters to Governor Braun from families telling their stories on the benefits of ABA. Their advocacy led to a new policy on ABA coverage and created a workforce to study the long-term needs of individuals with Autism. 

Virginia Legislation  

In Virginia, multiple bills passed that the Autism Society and our Virginia affiliates were advocating for. One is a bill to ensure that IEP and 504 plans are considered proof of disability in all higher education settings. One bill the Autism Society of Virginia affiliates advocated for that passed includes a training requirement on Autism for instructional personnel and school board employees whose duties include regular contact with students on communicating with and supporting students with autism spectrum disorder. Another bill passed raises the income limits and expands services that support sustained employment for the Medicaid Works program.  

State Action on Medicaid Work Requirements 

As Congress is considering imposing work requirements on the Medicaid program, many states are also considering this policy change. Multistate is tracking state regulatory and legislative action on work requirements. KFF’s report on the intersection of work and Medicaid explains the challenges and potential harm work requirements impose.