Trump admin aims to slash access to disability lawyers, advocates say [View all]

Source: USA Today

Dec. 14, 2025 5:02 a.m. ET


The Trump administration is trying to slash access to lawyers who defend the rights of Americans with disabilities, advocates say.

Most of the lawyers work either for the Department of Justice or for disability rights agencies that Congress set up in every state decades ago. Many of the Justice Department lawyers quit in 2025 after being reassigned to other duties, their supporters say. And Trump budget officials proposed deep cuts to federal grants supporting the state-based legal groups.

People with disabilities have the right to live in their communities if possible. Federal laws and court decisions say they may attend school, work jobs, and go to restaurants, movie theaters, and other public places. If they can find lawyers, they can file legal challenges when those rights are denied.

The federally funded attorneys quietly work to ensure the U.S. lives up to promises made by the Americans with Disabilities Act and other laws, said Alison Barkoff, a health law professor at George Washington University. “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?’” said Barkoff, who helped lead such efforts under Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/12/14/americans-disabilities-trump-budget-cuts/87686476007/