The White House released its FY2027 budget proposal on April 3, proposing to eliminate federal programs that help people with disabilities find and keep jobs. The plan would cut Client Assistance Programs, Protection and Advocacy for Individual Rights, vocational rehabilitation training, and supported employment grants. Congress rejected nearly identical cuts when the administration proposed them for FY2026.

These programs fund job coaches, workplace rights advocacy, and transition services that help young adults with disabilities move from school to competitive employment. Without them, families would lose access to support systems that research shows improve long-term independence and earning potential.

What Programs Would Be Cut

The FY2027 proposal targets four categories of disability employment funding under the Department of Education's Rehabilitation Services Administration:

Client Assistance State Grants help people with disabilities understand their rights under vocational rehabilitation programs and file appeals when services are denied. The FY2026 enacted level was $13 million. The proposal requests $0.

Protection and Advocacy of Individual Rights funds legal advocacy organizations that help people with disabilities access voting, employment, and community services. FY2026 funding: $20.1 million. FY2027 request: $0.

Training and Demonstration Programs fund professional development for vocational rehabilitation counselors and pilot programs testing new employment support models. FY2026 funding: $29.3 million for Training, $5.7 million for Demonstration. Both would be eliminated.

Supported Employment State Grants pay for job coaches who work directly with individuals who have significant disabilities, helping them learn job tasks and navigate workplace challenges. The Center for American Progress reports the FY2027 budget eliminates funding for this program along with client assistance, training, and protection and advocacy.

The broader proposal also includes steep cuts to the Department of Labor, reducing its discretionary budget by 25.9% compared to FY2026. This affects the Office of Disability Employment Policy, which provides technical assistance and policy guidance to employers hiring people with disabilities.

What Congress Did Last Year

When the administration proposed eliminating these same programs for FY2026, Congress rejected the cuts and maintained funding levels.

The FY2026 spending bill kept Client Assistance Programs, Protection and Advocacy funding, vocational rehabilitation training, and supported employment grants at their previous levels. Congress also rejected a proposal to eliminate University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities and maintained the Administration for Community Living, which oversees programs helping people with disabilities access services in their communities.

Alison Barkoff, acting administrator of the Administration for Community Living, noted at the time that "Congress unequivocally rejected the cuts to disability programs proposed in President Trump's budget."

The administration's FY2026 proposal also called for cutting the Office of Disability Employment Policy's budget by more than 20% and eliminating the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs entirely. Congress maintained funding for both offices.

What This Means for Families

These programs serve people at three critical transition points: high school exit, job search, and workplace conflict.

Supported employment grants fund job coaches who work one-on-one with young adults during their first months in competitive employment. Research from the Rehabilitation Services Administration shows supported employment significantly improves job retention rates for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, autism, and psychiatric disabilities.

Client assistance programs help families appeal denials when state vocational rehabilitation agencies refuse services or close cases prematurely. Without these advocates, families would need to hire private attorneys to navigate the appeals process.

Protection and advocacy organizations provide legal support when employers violate the Americans with Disabilities Act or when disability benefit programs wrongly terminate coverage. They also ensure people with disabilities can access voting locations and accommodations.

Training programs prepare the next generation of vocational rehabilitation counselors. If funding stops, states would face counselor shortages at the same time caseloads are growing as young adults with autism and other developmental disabilities age into employment services.

Timeline and What Happens Next

The budget proposal is not final. Congress controls spending decisions, and the FY2027 budget year begins October 1, 2026.

Between now and October 1, Congress will negotiate appropriations bills for each federal department. The House and Senate Appropriations Committees hold hearings, receive testimony, and draft spending bills that reflect congressional priorities rather than presidential requests.

Last year's process offers a roadmap. Despite the administration's proposal to eliminate disability employment programs, Congress maintained funding levels. The same can happen this year if families and advocacy organizations contact their representatives before appropriations bills are finalized.

Key dates to watch:

• April through June: Appropriations committees hold hearings and draft bills
• July through September: Congress debates and votes on final spending packages
• October 1: FY2027 begins; if no budget is passed, Congress may pass a continuing resolution to maintain current funding levels while negotiations continue

What Families Can Do Now

Contact your U.S. House representative and both U.S. senators. Reference the FY2026 outcome when Congress maintained funding for disability employment programs and ask them to do the same for FY2027.

Be specific. Mention the programs by name: Client Assistance State Grants, Protection and Advocacy for Individual Rights, Supported Employment State Grants, and vocational rehabilitation training. If your young adult has used any of these services, describe how they helped.

Find your representatives at usa.gov/elected-officials. Call their Washington, D.C. offices and their local district offices. Phone calls from constituents carry more weight than emails.

Join advocacy organizations issuing statements opposing the cuts. The Arc, National Disability Rights Network, and Association of University Centers on Disabilities track budget developments and coordinate advocacy campaigns. They provide talking points and sample letters you can adapt for your representatives.

Document how these programs currently serve your family. If Congress holds public hearings on Education Department or Labor Department appropriations, written testimony from families carries weight with committee members deciding funding levels.

Where to Find More Information

The full White House FY2027 budget proposal is available on the Office of Management and Budget website.

The Rehabilitation Services Administration publishes updates on program funding and policy changes.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities tracks appropriations negotiations and analyzes how budget proposals affect low-income families and people with disabilities.

Congressional committee schedules and hearing testimony are posted on the House Appropriations Committee and Senate Appropriations Committee websites.