Explainer: What the Trump Administration’s Reduction-in-Force Means for People with Disabilities
What is a Reduction-in-Force (RIF)?A Reduction-in-Force (RIF) is a process in which an employer permanently eliminates some positions, resulting in layoffs. For any employer, RIFs can happen for reasons like budget cuts, reorganization, or shifting priorities. Unlike a temporary furlough or hiring freeze, a RIF leads to permanent job loss. In a RIF, not only are employees laid off, but the positions that they worked in are entirely eliminated. In this case, the employer is the federal government, the largest employer of people with disabilities in the country. A RIF reduces the federal capacity to deliver essential services.
What’s happening now?On Friday, October 10, the Trump administration issued RIF notices to about 4,100 federal employees across various agencies. These include the Department of Education, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Administration on Children and Families (ACF), and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), among others. The Office of Management and Budget, part of the Executive Office of the President that assists the President in implementing their policy, management, and regulatory agenda, has said that more than 10,000 federal employees could receive RIF notices during the shutdown. On Wednesday, October 15, a federal judge issued an emergency order halting the RIFs while the lawsuit continues, calling them “unlawful.”
Impact on Special EducationDisability offices at the Department of Education have been heavily affected by the RIFs, including: The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) The Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA)
These offices are essential for making sure students with disabilities get the right accommodations in schools, and that adults with disabilities can access training, support, and opportunities to join and stay in the workforce.
Why this mattersThe loss of staff in these offices results in real harm for disabled people. For example, the mass layoffs in the Department of Education will make it significantly more difficult for people with disabilities to: Access special education services guaranteed by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Obtain reasonable accommodations in educational settings, Secure vocational rehabilitation and employment supports, and; Receive civil rights protections against discrimination in educational settings
The Office for Civil Rights investigates cases when students with disabilities are denied access to education. For example, in 2018, the Department of Education found that Texas had violated the IDEA by placing a cap on the number of students who could receive special education services. OCR worked with the state to develop a plan ensuring that students with disabilities had access to education and continued to monitor its implementation. Without the staff to conduct this work, thousands of students with disabilities would have lost out on access to education. These RIFs are part of a long-term plan by the Trump administration to dismantle and eventually shut down the Department of Education. This effort has been ongoing since the beginning of this year.
Impact on Mental Health The RIFs go beyond the Department of Education. Agencies such as SAMHSA, CDC, and HUD — which offer essential health and housing assistance — have also been impacted.
At SAMHSA, the impact is especially concerning. SAMHSA oversees programs that directly support people with mental health and substance use disabilities, including: The Protection & Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness (PAIMI) Program, The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, and; National initiatives supporting mental health and addiction treatment.
At a time when the nation is already facing a mental health crisis, reducing SAMHSA’s capacity endangers the stability and safety of millions. SAMHSA’s work is crucial for improving outcomes, expanding access, and building an equitable, person-centered system for mental health and substance use services. These programs help prevent over-reliance on restrictive hospital settings and make sure that people with disabilities can access the community-based supports they need to live and thrive.
For example, within the cuts to SAMHSA, the Children’s Branch was eliminated. The Children’s Branch helps to support school-based mental health services for children, including children with dually diagnosed disabilities and mental health conditions. Schools are the primary place where kids and youth receive mental health support, especially youth with disabilities, because of the lack of accessible mental health services more broadly.
Impact on Early InterventionWithin the Administration for Children and Families, all employees working on Preschool Development Grants Birth to Five in the Office of Early Childhood Development were laid off. These employees support grants that are provided to states and territories to facilitate early intervention services and service coordination for children with disabilities. Without publicly funded early intervention services, fewer children will be diagnosed, making it harder to get treatments, accommodations, and special education for years to come.
Impact on HousingThe HUD Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity investigates and enforces violations of fair housing laws. In just one example of their work, HUD intervened for a disabled veteran in Maine when he was turned away from renting an apartment because he had a service animal. This type of everyday work to prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities cannot happen without staff. The majority of the staff in both the national and regional offices of Fair Housing and Equality Opportunity have been laid off. Many communities with smaller populations around the country have used Section 108 loans from HUD’s Office of Community Planning and Development to build large affordable housing communities. High Point, North Carolina, used this funding multiple times to build hundreds of affordable homes for low-income families, many of whom were families with a disabled loved one. But today, there are only two people left on the team that runs and supports this program for the entire country.
RIFs and the Government ShutdownThe administration had previously threatened to issue RIFs in the event of a government shutdown. However, it is essential to understand that a government shutdown does not automatically result in permanent reductions in the federal workforce. The current RIFs are not a result of the shutdown and are being challenged in court. These RIFs are a part of an existing long-term strategy to eliminate certain federal agencies that has been in motion since the beginning of the year.
What’s nextDisability rights advocates, federal worker unions, and legal experts challenged these RIFs in court, arguing that they violate federal workforce protections and surpass the administration’s authority. As noted above, a federal judge issued an emergency order to stop the layoffs while the legal challenge proceeds. The Trump administration will appeal this emergency order, and the matter is likely to end up before the Supreme Court. AAPD will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide updates as they become available.
What you can doStay informed through AAPD updates and information from our partner organizations. Reach out to the White House via our outreach tool here to tell the Administration that you oppose these RIFs and their unfair impact on the disability community. Urge them to restore critical positions in federal agencies immediately. AAPD’s tool provides a pre-written letter and message, so all you have to do is provide your contact information and hit send. Additionally, you can share verified information on social media to raise awareness about how these cuts threaten vital services and civil rights protections. |
