DISABILITY RIGHTS EDUCATION & DEFENSE, INC.

- Joined letter led by Community Catalyst to members of Congress that elevates Medicaid as a crucial tool that helps people avoid the crushing weight of medical debt; - Joined a letter spearheaded by the National Health Law Program letter to the Deputy Administrator & Director of Medicaid and CHIP within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), advocating for the 2014 Home and Community-Based settings rule not to be jettisoned as the administration undertakes a major culling of fed regulations; - joined letter led by the Consortium of Constituents with Disabilities to the House Energy and Commerce Committee reminding them that more than 400 advocacy groups from every state are united in opposing any cuts to Medicaid because they will harm our communities; - Signed on to a letter led by the National Coalition for Gender Justice in Health Policy to Congress opposing cuts to Medicaid programs; - Joined letter led by the National Women's Law Center to Congress opposing efforts to "defund" Planned Parenthood and prevent it's receipt of Medicaid funds; - joined an "open letter" spearheaded by the Partnership to Improve Patient Care (PIPC) to Congress, arguing against the use of Quality Adjusted Life Year measures (QALYs) as an acceptable way for the US to determine the value of drug treatments; - joined a letter led by PIPC to CMS, advocating for greater patient engagement of persons with disabilities, and against the potential use of Quality-Adjusted Life Years and similar weighted value measures in the draft guidance for the third cycle of the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program.

- joined The Pact: A Civil Rights Coalition Unity Commitment in an open letter espousing a mutual support agreement among America's leading civil rights organizations in response to escalating threats and actions taken by the White House and federal agencies that target nonprofit organizations which are doing important public service work and that represent millions of people in America; - signed on to a letter led by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCHR) letter to the Dept of Health and Human Services and Secretary Kennedy outlining the civil rights and health equity priorities of members of the LCCHR Health Care Task Force, and asserting our intent to hold the department accountable to these priorities; - joined letter spearheaded by the National Women's Law Center to the US Senate opposing the nominations of Andrea Lucas (current EEOC Acting Chair) and Brittany Panuccio for EEOC Commissioner; - joined a letter to Congress led by LCCHR requesting double the funding for the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights.

- Joined a letter from Legal Aid organizations and advocates to the White House arguing for upholding of the rule of law in the country; - Joined a letter led by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCHR) protesting the Commerce Secretary's disbanding of 3 advisory committees to the Census Bureau which had helped the Bureau to ensure complete and accurate data collection, including among historically undercounted groups; - Signed on to a letter spearheaded by LCCHR to the US Dept of Commerce calling for the return of the Census Bureau's Advisory Committees; - Joined a letter led by LCCHR to Congress requesting sufficient funding for the Census Bureau to do important field testing scheduled for 2026 which requires preparation to begin in summer of 2025, with the goal of avoiding the undercounts of population groups like Native Indians in the 2030 decennial census; - Joined a letter led by Public Citizen to Congress, opposing the formal adoption of the rescissions / cuts made by the "Department" of Government Efficiency in the FY26 budget cycle.

- Joined a letter to Education secretary Secretary Linda McMahon led by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Alliance and The National Women's Law Center pointing out how the department's cuts and directions to its OCR, as well as its attempts to stamp out gender-affirming policies at schools, are contributing to a hostile learning environment for transgender, nonbinary, intersex, and gender-expansive students; - Joined a letter to Congress from the Consortium of Constituents with Disabilities' (CCD) Education Task Force requesting necessary funding for education programs in the FY26 budget.

- Joined letter organized by Protecting Immigrant Families to CMS advocating for the inclusion of DACA recipients to the categorical list of "lawfully present" persons who are eligible to buy Affordable Care Act marketplace insurance; - Signed on to letter from multiple immigrants' justice and disability rights organization letter to Congress protesting massive cuts to the Department of Justices National Qualified Representative Program (NQRP) program which provides legal counsel to immigrants with disabilities.

- Joined a letter led by Free DC to Congress opposing the confirmation of Ed Martin as DC US Attorney.

- Signed on to a letter led by the Consortium of Constituents with Disabilities' Housing Task Force providing comments on the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development's 2025 Interim Final Rule on Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH); - Joined a letter led by the National Fair Housing Alliance providing comments on the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development's 2025 Interim Final Rule on Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH); - Endorsed the Housing not Handcuffs bill which would prohibit federal agencies from directly or indirectly arresting, fining, or otherwise criminalizing homeless persons on federal lands.

- Joined letter led by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCHR) to the House of Representatives opposing the total immunity provision in the budget reconciliation bill that would block enforcement of all state and local legislation for AI systems, AI models, or automated decision systems for a full decade.

- Joined a letter led by Autism Advocacy organizations to Secretary Kennedy and Health and Human Services calling for science-based decision-making and increased investment in the research, programs and services the Autism community needs to live independently with full supports and services; - Joined a letter to Congress led by the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Coalition requesting flat but full funding in 2026 for the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR); - Joined a letter led by the National Health Law Program to Secretary Kenned advocating against the Dept of Health and Human Services' (HHS) steep cuts and proposed reorganization.

- Joined letter from the Consortium of Constituents with Disabilities (CCD) Health Task Force to CMS, providing public comment on a proposed CMS "marketplace integrity" rule and the anticipated negative impact the rule will have through creating administrative barriers to marketplace enrollment, ostensibly in the name of "reducing fraud and waste"; - Joined letter from CCD Health TF comment on a proposed CMS "marketplace integrity" to Health and Human Services regarding the proposed rule that would place a variety of admin barriers to marketplace enrollment.

- Joined a letter led by the National Campaign for Transit Justice letter supporting certain transit funding and program priorities in the surface transportation reauthorization bill (bill proposing reauthorization of Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2022); - Joined a letter led by the Paralyzed Veterans of American responding to a US Dept of Transportation (USDOT) Request for Information on what regulations it should cut. These comments urge USDOT to comply with its obligations under the Aircraft Carriers Access Act and the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act; - Sent support letter for the Infrastructure, Investment, and Jobs Act of 2022, supporting that surface transportation reauthorization bill's provisions for transit funding and programs.

- Joined a letter from the National Consumers League to the Office of Management and Budget opposing the elimination of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and moving its functions to the Dept of Health and Human Services; - Joined a letter to the White House led by the National Consumers' League calling for the administration to rescind its unlawful attempt to fire Democratic Commissioners serving on the CPSC; - Joined a letter led by the National Consumers' League to Congress expressing opposition to the Trump administrations proposal to transfer the CPSC's functions to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

- Joined letter initiated by Human Rights First to the Senate opposing Anthony Tata's nomination for Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness;

- Joined letter led by the Modern Medicaid Alliance (MMA) to Senate leadership urging them to reject the Medicaid cuts included in the House reconciliation package (H.R. 1); - Joined letter led by the Alliance for Women's Health and Prevention to the Senate expressing strong opposition to the proposed cuts in the Senate Finance Committees budget reconciliation package, focusing especially on Medicaid cuts; - Joined letter to Congress led by the National Coalition for Gender Justice in Health Policy opposing Medicaid cuts in the reconciliation bill that will hurt maternal and child health, worsening the maternal mortality crisis and increasing the strain on health care (especially rural) providers; - Joined letter led by the Coalition to Preserve Rehabilitation to Congress, request federal funding of Orthotics and Prosthetics Outcomes Research for FY 2026; - Joined letter spearheaded by Families USA letter to the Senate, encouraging Senators to resist signing the Budget bill (HR1) and implementing massive cuts to Medicaid; - Joined letter from the Disability and Aging Collaborative and the Coalition for Constituents with Disabilities to the US House of Representatives, opposing the budget reconciliation bill because it cuts Medicaid and other healthcare programs, taking away coverage from millions of people with disabilities, older adults, caregivers, care workers and their families; - Submitted letters to the House of Representatives and to the US Senate opposing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). - Joined letter drafted by the Consortium of Constituents with Disabilities (CCD) to Congress opposing HR 1, the Reconciliation bill, and especially the Education cuts proposed in that bill; - Joined letter spearheaded by Families USA to the Senate, opposing HR 1/OBBBA.

- Joined a letter spearheaded by the National Employment Law Project to the Senate opposing the nomination of Jonathon Berry at the US Department of Labor.