Post-Election and The Presidential Term: DEI and Disability
Written by: Aishwarya Vuppala and Dahlia Chavez
Summary of Article:
Presidential elections influence future policies, shaping lives nationwide. The November 2024 election was deeply polarizing with the various candidate shifts, the newly proposed conservative policies, and the impact that global events had on candidates’ plans for their terms. As discussions unfolded, it became clear that many proposed policy changes were deeply rooted in broader political agendas, such as Agenda 47 and Project 2025. Current political divisiveness has bled over into how fellow Americans interact with each other daily. This article highlights key policy proposals affecting individuals with disabilities and chronic illnesses (DCI) and suggests ways to advocate for DEI.
What You Can Do to Protect Yourself and Advocacy
Much of what may occur in the next four years may bring up many new and overwhelming emotions. Therefore, we have compiled essential action items to advocate for the rights of people with disabilities and chronic illnesses and protect yourself if you belong to a minority group that may lose federal protections or support.
Agenda 47 and Project 2025
Agenda 47 and Project 2025 represent a sweeping attempt to reorient federal policy toward a conservative agenda that threatens the stability of essential public services for marginalized communities. Agenda 47, championed by President Trump, builds on Project 2025, a Heritage Foundation initiative aimed at aligning government policies with conservative values, ableism, and certain religious ideals. Together, the plans aim to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives—Project 2025 explicitly calls for eliminating “Marxist indoctrination” and DEI offices—while Agenda 47 proposes cutting programs deemed ideological or inefficient, especially in education, healthcare, and social services.
Among their key proposals are significant Medicaid cuts and restructuring of disability benefits, including enforcing lifetime caps on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), potentially leaving many people without access to critical long-term care. This is particularly concerning given SSDI’s well-documented role in supporting financial and healthcare stability for disabled individuals. Agenda 47 also aims to roll back protections under the Affordable Care Act and shift Medicaid oversight to states, which could result in higher costs and reduced access to services such as reproductive care and housing for low-income populations.
Further aligning with this agenda, Project 2025 proposes dismantling the Department of Education to promote school choice and reduce federal oversight. This move risks eroding long-standing protections for disabled and low-income students, particularly in charter schools and voucher programs that often lack adequate accommodations. Additionally, proposals to eliminate federal loan forgiveness may deter future professionals from entering healthcare fields, worsening provider shortages and reversing progress in making education and healthcare more equitable and accessible.
January 2025, Agenda 47 in Action
In his first month, President Trump acted on Agenda 47 by eliminating DEI programs across federal agencies, hiring, and contracting through an Executive Order. This move removed affirmative action requirements for federal contractors, directed investigations into DEI-related discrimination in the private sector, and enforced the Supreme Court’s Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard ruling on college admissions. The administration argued that DEI fosters bias rather than equity, advocating for merit-based policies.
On January 27, 2025, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memo temporarily halting federal financial assistance, affecting grants, loans, and aid to DEI, gender ideology programs, and Green New Deal policies — though Medicare and Social Security were exempt. The freeze faced immediate legal challenges, with federal judges blocking its enforcement over concerns of executive overreach. While the OMB withdrew the memo, the administration maintained that funding pauses would continue. Notably, Medicaid and CHIP were not listed as exempt, causing disruptions in state-level healthcare services and raising concerns about potential long-term funding cuts.
The Department of Education has also undergone significant changes, aligning with Trump’s broader push to eliminate DEI initiatives. This includes removing DEI references, restructuring roles, and emphasizing parental control over education through executive orders promoting school choice and faith-based schooling. Critics warn this could weaken protections under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and reduce oversight of Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) compliance. Additionally, discussions are underway to dismantle the Department of Education, either eliminating non-statutory functions or transferring them to other agencies.
With Agenda 47 and Project 2025 unfolding rapidly, questions remain about the constitutional viability of these policies. The federal funding freeze was already halted over legal concerns—raising doubts about how many more proposals might face the same fate.
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