Indy Standard

U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, Bernie Sanders, Ron Wyden, and Tammy Baldwin have led a group of 22 senators in criticizing the Trump administration's plan to dismantle the Administration for Community Living (ACL). The ACL is a federal agency that supports seniors and people with disabilities to live independently. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced plans to dismantle the agency, dismiss over half its workforce, and distribute its functions across various agencies.

The senators have expressed their concerns in a letter addressed to Secretary Kennedy. They emphasized that "For over a decade, ACL and its expert staff have coordinated services across federal, state, and local governments to ensure that older adults and people with disabilities live healthy, connected, independent lives in the community." They argue that the proposed changes will disrupt essential programs such as home-delivered meals for older adults and Medicare enrollment assistance.

They further stated that "Interruption to nutrition programs means millions of older adults may go hungry without the over 220 million meals they rely on." Additionally, they noted that "53 million family caregivers will be left without support," which could force some out of the workforce.

The letter was signed by several senators including Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Chris Coons (D-DE), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jack Reed (D-RI), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Andy Kim (D-NJ), John Fetterman (D-PA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA) among others.

The full text of their letter outlines concerns about how scattering ACL’s functions could cause delays in program implementation funded by Congress. It questions how HHS plans to uphold statutory requirements currently under ACL's purview after restructuring.

The senators demand transparency from HHS regarding this reorganization effort and urge them to halt it immediately considering its potential negative impact on seniors and people with disabilities.