Rising Health Insurance Premiums For Older Adults Coming, Sounding Alarm On Changes Harmful To Disabled Students, Trump Admin’s Attacks On New York, Demanding SNAP Benefits Paid, Purging Frontline Opioid Crisis Staff,

Editor’s note: We previously covered the commemoration of the 35th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.  We also have been covering the issues relating to SNAP benefits and healthcare issues extensively.

GILLIBRAND SOUNDS THE ALARM ABOUT RISING HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUMS FOR OLDER ADULTS

Hundreds of Thousands of Older New Yorkers Depend On ACA Subsidies For Health Insurance Coverage

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) is sounding the alarm about the impact of rising health insurance premium costs on older adults.

At a Senate Aging Committee hearing yesterday and a virtual press conference this afternoon, Gillibrand detailed the devastating impact that the expiration of Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits will have on adults aged 50 to 64, who typically have more substantial health care needs than younger enrollees but do not yet qualify for Medicare.

“Older adults will be hit hard by the expiration of ACA premium tax credits. Many of these individuals have worked hard for decades to save retirement—they do not deserve to have their health insurance premiums skyrocket right before they reach retirement age,” said Senator Gillibrand. “We owe it to older adults to extend the lifesaving tax credits that help keep them afloat. That’s why I’m demanding that my Republican colleagues come to the negotiating table to work with Democrats to reach a deal to extend these tax credits and end the government shutdown.”

Without an extension, ACA enhanced premium tax credits will expire at the end of 2025, causing 20 million Americans—including nearly 5 million individuals aged 50 to 64—to see a drastic increase in health insurance costs. The expiration of these enhanced tax credits will have a particularly devastating impact on older adults, who typically have more substantial health care needs than younger populations and can pay up to three times more than younger enrollees for the same plans due to age rating. If their premium costs skyrocket, many older adults will have to sacrifice other essentials to afford health care, and some will be forced to drop their coverage entirely. Gillibrand emphasized the impossible choices that this will force upon older adults and the dire need to reach a bipartisan deal to extend ACA tax credits and end the government shutdown.

Enrollees in New York State are already receiving notices of premium hikes ahead of the start of open enrollment on November 1st, underscoring the importance of extending the subsidies immediately. A county-by-county breakdown of expected ACA premium increases across New York can be found at gillibrand.senate.gov/trumphealthcareincrease.

The Senate Aging Committee hearing can be watched here.

GILLIBRAND, COLLEAGUES SLAM TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FOR PROPOSING ILLEGAL MOVE THAT HARMS STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Senators press Department of Education to stop efforts to shut down enforcement and administration of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

Students with disabilities make up 15% of public school enrollment

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) slammed the Trump administration’s plan to illegally move the Department of Education’s enforcement of key protections for students with disabilities to another agency.

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Gillibrand joined 28 of her Senate colleagues in demanding that the Trump administration immediately halt its efforts to dismantle the Department of Education’s ability to administer and enforce the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which guarantees education opportunities and protections for individuals with disabilities.

Gillibrand’s call follows a Washington Post report which revealed that the administration is looking to transfer enforcement of IDEA to another agency.

“Once again, the Trump administration is threatening to cut critical protections, needlessly playing politics with our children, and working to undermine students’ and families’ ability to get the resources and support they need,” said Senator Gillibrand. “I will keep fighting to support our students with disabilities so every child in New York and across the country has the resources they need to thrive.”

“Your moves to illegally shut down the U.S. Department of Education’s efforts to administer and enforce the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and potentially shift this work to another agency would reverse decades of progress in how we support students with disabilities and their families,” the senators wrote in a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “When Congress created the U.S. Department of Education, lawmakers intentionally placed enforcement of IDEA under this new Department rather than the Department of Health and Human Services. This was done because of our recognition as a society that students with disabilities should be treated as individuals seeking equal opportunity for learning and independence, rather than as patients and second-class citizens.”

“Your latest reported effort to illegally move IDEA responsibilities, oversight, and programming to another federal agency would further erode the protections that countless mothers, fathers, educators, advocates, and students with disabilities have fought for years to build,” continued the senators in their letter.

In the letter, the senators questioned the legality of the move and emphasized the risk of harm it poses to students. They urged the administration to instead focus on rebuilding the infrastructure that schools and districts rely on to ensure that students with disabilities receive the education they are entitled to under federal law.

Senator Gillibrand was joined on the letter by Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Edward Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

The full text of the letter can be found here and below:

Dear Secretary McMahon:

We write to express our serious concern with your efforts to undermine special education in the United States. Your moves to illegally shut down the U.S. Department of Education’s efforts to administer and enforce the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and potentially shift this work to another agency would reverse decades of progress in how we support students with disabilities and their families. We urge you to immediately cease these misguided efforts.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a landmark civil rights law that guarantees educational opportunities and protections for individuals with disabilities and helps to ensure that they have equal access to a free appropriate public education. As your own agency’s website rightly points out, before the passage of this legislation, millions of children with disabilities were denied a public education and opportunities to learn. When Congress created the U.S. Department of Education, lawmakers intentionally placed enforcement of IDEA under this new Department rather than the Department of Health and Human Services. This was done because of our recognition as a society that students with disabilities should be treated as individuals seeking equal opportunity for learning and independence, rather than as patients and second-class citizens.

Unfortunately, your planned actions would dismantle the support and accountability that states, schools, teachers, and families count on to meet the needs of students with disabilities. The Department of Education has unmatched expertise in protecting the rights of students with disabilities, aiding school districts in improving instructional practice for students of all abilities, and upholding federal accountability measures. Instead of valuing and building upon this expertise, you have gutted the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services and the Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Education. Your latest reported effort to illegally move IDEA responsibilities, oversight, and programming to another federal agency would further erode the protections that countless mothers, fathers, educators, advocates, and students with disabilities have fought for years to build.

We request that you provide detailed answers to the following questions by no later than November 14, 2025.

1. What authority do you believe that you have to move IDEA programs or responsibilities to another agency, contrary to explicit statute and Congressional intent?
2. To date, what steps have you or a member of your staff taken to move IDEA to another federal agency? Please provide all relevant documents.
3. What analysis have you completed that supports your claim that moving IDEA to another federal agency would improve outcomes for students with disabilities?
4. How have reductions in force in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services and the Office for Civil Rights impacted the Department of Education’s ability to fulfill its responsibilities under IDEA?

Once again, we urge you to immediately halt your efforts to illegally move IDEA responsibilities from the Department of Education to another federal agency, and we request that you redirect your efforts to rebuilding the Department of Education’s infrastructure that schools and districts rely on to help ensure that students with disabilities receive the support and services they are entitled to under federal law.

Sincerely,

GILLIBRAND STATEMENT ON THE RETURN OF THE BODY OF OMER NEUTRA

New York, NY – Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand released the following statement on the return of the body of Omer Neutra to Israel from Hamas captivity:

“On October 7, 2023, Omer Neutra was kidnapped by Hamas, and for the past two years since that horrific day, my office has worked closely with Omer’s family as they endured unimaginable pain and uncertainty. While this is not the outcome any of us had hoped for, I am relieved that Omer’s body has finally been returned to Israel, allowing his loved ones to lay him to rest with dignity. My heart is with his family and all who mourn his loss. May his memory be a blessing.”

GILLIBRAND BLASTS NEW YORK HOUSE REPUBLICANS FOR TURNING THEIR BACKS ON NEW YORKERS AS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION RELENTLESSLY ATTACKS STATE

New York, NY –  U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand sent a letter to New York’s Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives, urging them to stand up to President Trump’s politically motivated attacks on New York State. The senator warned that the Trump administration’s deliberate actions against the State of New York are endangering jobs, public safety, and access to health care for millions of New Yorkers.

The senator wrote, “The president of the United States is actively targeting New York State for partisan purposes, placing our constituents at risk, and undermining critical aspects of our state’s economy, safety, and public health. You have continued to stay silent and allowed the president to cause chaos. New York is neither a punching bag nor a political pawn for the president, and as members of Congress, you have a duty to stand up for your constituents. It is time to set aside partisan interests and work collaboratively to safeguard the well-being and prosperity of the people we represent.”

At the outset of the government shutdown, the Trump administration’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) took deliberate steps to withhold billions of dollars of federal funding for generational New York City infrastructure projects, including the Second Avenue Subway Phase 2 and the Hudson River Tunnel Gateway, contradicting prior commitments made by U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to Senator Gillibrand in May. The first phase of the Gateway Project alone is projected to create 72,000 jobs and improve critical transportation links for the region.

The administration also canceled nearly $8 billion for energy projects nationally, including 53 grants for projects in New York worth nearly $500 million, and paused an additional $11 billion in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects, $7 billion of which directly affect New York. The senator continued, “Put simply: President Trump is killing jobs in our state and leveraging billions of taxpayer dollars to play political games with New York.”

Gillibrand also pointed to the $33 million from FEMA’s Transit Security Grant Program that the administration withheld from the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA). The MTA depends on this federal support for security improvements and New York Police Department (NYPD) patrols. An emergency court order secured by New York Attorney General Letitia James was needed to protect this crucial funding.

In August and September, DHS and FEMA also sought to cut a combined $189 million intended for New York under the Homeland Security Grant Program, which supports local law enforcement and counterterrorism operations. Following bipartisan pressure from New York officials, the administration was forced to reverse these cuts.

Lastly, Gillibrand warned that failure to extend enhanced premium tax credits under the Affordable Care Act could cause substantial premium increases for 1.7 million New Yorkers and result in 80,000 New Yorkers losing coverage entirely. Across the seven Republican-held districts in New York, roughly 43,600 residents rely on these tax credits, and 383,200 are enrolled in the state’s Essential Plan, which is supported by the credits. Gillibrand highlighted that the extension of these subsidies is particularly crucial for New York as the state confronts the devastating impacts of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which is set to cut $7.5 billion annually in federal funding for the Essential Plan starting on January 1, 2026, due to changes in tax credit eligibility.

Gillibrand closed the letter by urging her Republican colleagues to reject partisan loyalty and stand up for New Yorkers. She wrote, “Everyone will lose from the reckless and dangerous actions taken by the Trump administration to target New York, and it is an abdication of your duty as representatives of our state to stay silent out of sheer blind loyalty to a vengeful president. I urge you to put your constituents first and not turn your backs on them by working with Democrats to find a bipartisan solution to protect health care coverage for all New Yorkers and advocate for our great state.”

The full letter can be read HERE.

SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND DEMAND THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION STOP CRUELLY DENYING SNAP BENEFITS, AND PUSH TO FULLY FUND SNAP & WIC TO STOP GOP-MANUFACTURED HUNGER CRISIS DURING TRUMP SHUTDOWN

Nearly 3 Million New Yorkers Rely On SNAP To Put Food On The Table, But Trump Is Now Denying Funding, Despite His Own USDA Saying They Could Keep Funds Flowing

Schumer and Gillibrand are pushing for legislation that would make sure SNAP & WIC continue uninterrupted during the Republican government shutdown

Washington, D.C. – Today, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) held a virtual press conference to demand the Trump administration stop cruelly withholding available funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). While Republicans continue to deny this vital assistance, despite having the ability to keep food assistance flowing, the senators announced they are pushing new legislation — the Keep SNAP and WIC Funded Act of 2025 — to continue these vital food programs for working families during the GOP shutdown.

“For the first time in history, a president, Donald Trump, is refusing to fund SNAP during a shutdown despite the fact that he has the available funds to keep it going. Forty-two million Americans, including nearly three million New Yorkers, will lose their SNAP benefits, not because the money’s gone, because Donald Trump cruelly ordered it stopped,” said Senator Schumer. “Trump is weaponizing hunger. He is using kids who rely on school meals, seniors on fixed incomes, veterans & families trying to get groceries as political pawns. If this administration can cough up $40 billion for Argentina, they can fund SNAP from existing funds to stop American families from going hungry. Senate Democrats are not waiting, we are ready to pass legislation to ensure food continues to keep SNAP & WIC funded, and so kids, moms, seniors and veterans aren’t left behind. We are willing to work with anyone to get this bill on the floor and stop this cruelty and avert this avoidable crisis.”

“In refusing to fund SNAP during the government shutdown, the Trump administration is playing politics with my constituents’ lives. But for families that are already stretched thin, this decision is more than political—it’s a matter of survival,” said Senator Gillibrand. “SNAP is a lifeline for nearly 3 million New Yorkers, and we must make sure that these critical benefits remain available to the families that rely on them to put food on the table. That’s why I’m demanding that the Trump administration use the funding at their disposal to fund SNAP without delay.”

SNAP is the largest anti-hunger program in the United States, providing an average of $187 per month in food aid to over 42 million people nationwide—including nearly 3 million New Yorkers. Despite having billions of dollars ready and available to pay for SNAP in a contingency fund, the Trump administration is refusing to tap into this fund. Leader Schumer and Senator Gillibrand called on the administration to immediately make this money available to help keep SNAP benefits flowing until the government reopens.

Despite having billions of dollars ready and available to pay for SNAP, the Trump administration continues to withhold available funds and play politics with the ability of Americans across the country to put food on the table. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) had a plan to release SNAP contingency funds, but Trump forced the USDA to abandon their shutdown contingency plan, making this Saturday the first time in American history SNAP benefits will lapse for hungry children, veterans, seniors, and other Americans.

Schumer and Gillibrand are demanding Republican leadership allow the Keep SNAP and WIC Funded Act of 2025 to come for a full vote, which would ensure that SNAP and WIC benefits continue uninterrupted during this Republican shutdown. The legislation additionally requires the federal government to reimburse states for covering SNAP and WIC benefits for the duration of the shutdown. The senators also joined 44 other Democrats in a letter to the Trump administration demanding that they immediately release the billions of dollars at their disposal to fund SNAP.

Since the beginning of his term, Trump has targeted food assistance for hungry Americans. Earlier this year, Trump already gutted nearly $200 billion from SNAP in the Republican “Big, Beautiful Bill,” and canceled $1 billion in food assistance for schools and food banks.

The text of the Keep SNAP and WIC Funded Act of 2025 is available here.

The text of Schumer and Gillibrand’s letter to the Trump administration is available here.

GILLIBRAND SLAMS RFK JR. FOR PURGING STAFF ON FRONT LINES OF OPIOID CRISIS

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) is slamming the Trump administration for needlessly firing federal employees who work on the front lines of America’s opioid crisis.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has now terminated more than 100 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) employees since the start of the Trump administration, reducing its staff to less than 50 percent capacity. SAMHSA provides key addiction and mental health treatment services, with a focus on rural and underserved areas, and is responsible for programs like the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. The layoffs, part of another government-wide reduction in force carried out earlier this month by the Trump administration, will likely lead to more Americans falling into addiction because they will be unable to access SAMHSA’s critical addiction prevention and treatment services.

“The Trump administration is needlessly slashing staff for critical mental health and substance use disorder programs that millions of Americans rely on,” said Senator Gillibrand. “These cuts are deeply harmful to New Yorkers, and our communities will bear the cost of this recklessness – in lives lost, families broken, and public trust further eroded. I’ll keep pushing back against this dangerous decision and fight to ensure that every person can access the mental health and substance use disorder resources that they need.”

Gillibrand joined Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) and 12 other Democratic colleagues in calling on HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to immediately reverse these terminations and support federal employees’ work to keep Americans safe and healthy.

“SAMHSA is a critical first responder on the front lines of our nation’s ongoing substance use and mental health crises,” the senators wrote in their letter to Kennedy. “The firing of key staff at this agency threatens to undermine years of hard-won progress on the opioid crisis, and could not come at a worse time. Right now, communities across the country – in both red and blue states – continue to face record overdose deaths and escalating rates of mental health conditions and substance use disorder.”

Kennedy’s decision to purge public health professionals not only derails progress made by a workforce with irreplaceable experience, but it also contradicts the administration’s pledge to tackle the fentanyl crisis, expand mental health services, and end the opioid epidemic.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 73,000 people died from overdoses between April 2024 to April 2025. The senators’ letter further warned that these terminations will likely lead to more opioid-related deaths and illicit drugs flowing into communities across the United States.

This letter is part of Gillibrand’s ongoing effort to address the opioid crisis in New York and across the country, and hold the Trump administration accountable in fulfilling its promise to address it. Earlier this year, Gillibrand sounded the alarm about the Trump administration’s decision to terminate a program that helps prevent fatal opioid overdoses, expressing concern about the administration’s reported decision to terminate a $56 million annual grant program that distributes and provides training to administer the opioid overdose reversal medication naloxone. Following Gillibrand’s advocacy, the Trump administration reconsidered its decision and renewed the program.

In addition to Gillibrand, Padilla, and Wyden, the letter to HHS was signed by Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Edward Markey (D-MA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Mark Warner (D-VA).

The full text of the letter can be found here.

GILLIBRAND, DEMOCRATIC COLLEAGUES URGE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO IMMEDIATELY RELEASE NOVEMBER SNAP BENEFITS 

Trump Administration Decision Could Impact Roughly One In Seven New Yorkers Who Depend on SNAP For Critical Food Assistance

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) is calling on the Trump administration to immediately release billions of dollars in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding that millions of New Yorkers rely on to put food on the table.

After reports that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) instructed states to halt the processing of SNAP benefits for November, Senator Gillibrand joined Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), and 41 of their Senate colleagues in urging USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins to release necessary funding and ensure SNAP benefits continue without interruption.

“After choosing to unnecessarily shut down the government, the Trump administration is now putting millions of New Yorkers at risk of losing the food assistance they depend on,” said Senator Gillibrand. “SNAP is a lifeline for millions of Americans, and the USDA must do everything in its power to continue processing benefits. I will keep fighting to ensure that the Trump administration does not needlessly disrupt this critical support that keeps food on the table.”

In their letter to Secretary Rollins, the senators raised the alarm about the USDA’s failure to use available funding to continue SNAP, writing: “We were deeply disturbed to hear that the USDA has instructed states to stop processing SNAP benefits for November and were surprised by your recent comments that the program will ‘run out of money in two weeks.’ In fact, the USDA has several tools available which would enable SNAP benefits to be paid through or close to the end of November.”

“First, the USDA must, at a minimum under the law, use the contingency funding that is available for SNAP, as noted by USDA officials. Second, the USDA has interchange authority under 7 U.S.C. 2257 that permits the transfer of funds from other USDA nutrition programs. In fact, this authority was recently used by the USDA when it transferred money from child nutrition programs to the WIC account to maintain WIC benefits during the shutdown,” the senators continued. 

The senators concluded, “In the event that more resources are needed than what is available in contingency funding, the USDA should explore all legal means to augment funds to pay the full amount of SNAP benefits in November. Americans are already struggling with the rising cost of groceries, and they cannot afford a sudden lapse in grocery assistance. We urge you to immediately communicate to states and committees of jurisdiction the USDA’s plans to disburse the contingency funding to state agencies and utilize all available legal authorities so that American families can get benefits without interruption. Democrats remain at the table and ready to negotiate reopening the government.”

In New York alone, 2.9 million people are at risk of losing their SNAP benefits if the USDA fails to use available funding to continue the program. Beyond feeding families, SNAP is also vital for the New York economy, with every dollar invested by SNAP generating $1.54 in economic activity.

This letter is co-signed by Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Angus King (I-ME), Edward Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Mark Warner (D-VA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

To view the full letter, click here.

GILLIBRAND DEMANDS IMMEDIATE REVERSAL OF TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FIRING OF WORKERS WHO SUPPORT STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

The Trump Administration Has Fired Hundreds Of Workers Who Support Students With Disabilities

This Action Will Decrease The Quality Of Education For The 500,000+ Students With Disabilities In New York

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) blasted the Trump administration for firing the workers that support students with disabilities in New York and across the country.

“The Trump administration’s decision to fire the staff who support education for students with disabilities is reprehensible,” said Senator Gillibrand. “The administration cannot claim to care about students with disabilities and stand behind this decision. Every student in America deserves a high-quality education with the services, support, and resources they need to learn and thrive in the classroom. I implore the administration to immediately restore staffing at ED to previously held levels to help make sure all students can get the education they deserve.”

Recent reductions in force (RIFs) within the U.S. Department of Education (ED) have gutted the workforce that upholds protections and educational services for students with disabilities. Earlier this month, the Trump administration fired almost 500 staff in key offices, including:

1. The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), which helps states implement the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), including by providing federal financial support and assistance to special education programs;
2. The Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), which supports vocational rehabilitation programs that help people with disabilities learn the skills they need to gain employment and live independently;
3. The Office for Civil Rights (OCR), which helps ensure equal access to education for students with disabilities by enforcing federal civil rights laws in schools;
4. And the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), which provides leadership, training, and financial support for special education programs.

The RIFs undermine the federal government’s ability to ensure that children with disabilities are protected within our education system under IDEA, which mandates that schools provide free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities and ensures that special education and early intervention services are available to preschool and K-12 students. In her letter, Gillibrand calls on the Trump administration to immediately reverse the RIFs and restore staffing to previous levels. This letter also rejects the proposal to move special education programs to another agency.

The full text of Gillibrand’s letter can be found here or below:

Dear Secretary McMahon,

I am writing to express outrage over the Administration’s reductions in force (RIFs) within the U.S. Department of Education (ED) initiated on October 10, 2025, which impacted 465 ED employees and gutted the workforce responsible for upholding protections and services for students with disabilities across the nation. New Yorkers are scared of what these RIFs mean for students with disabilities. One advocate told my office that if they could speak with you, they would say, “You’re picking a fight with the powerless.” Students with disabilities have incredible potential to contribute to our communities, and someday the workforce, but they cannot reach their full potential if we fail to serve them in schools. Gutting services and protections for these students does a disservice to our Nation, especially here in New York.

For this reason, I strongly urge ED to immediately restore these offices to their previously held staffing levels and uphold its commitment to protect and ensure civil rights for students with disabilities. I also strongly object to efforts to move special education services to another federal agency and strongly urge you to keep these vital programs at ED, where they can best serve students, educators, and families.

These RIFs obliterated staff in key offices—including the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), and the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE). This action is devastating to the approximately 7.5 million students with disabilities nationwide, including the 546,566 students with disabilities in New York state. The RIFs within OSEP in particular, which reportedly involved cutting nearly all the staff, completely undermine the federal government’s ability to ensure that children with disabilities are protected within our education system under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

IDEA mandates that schools provide a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities by ensuring special education and early intervention services are available to preschool and K-12 students. Before IDEA, children with disabilities were not guaranteed a right to an education. Many were excluded from general education classrooms, or schools altogether, because of their disability. Today, IDEA ensures identification and services to students with disabilities by providing services to support education in the least restrictive environment possible. The deliberate and careless decision to fire the staff at OSEP who are responsible for enacting and enforcing IDEA will harm every student in the nation and perpetuate inequities and injustices in our education system.

Furthermore, eliminating the workforce of both OCR and OSEP robs students and schools of the resources, expertise, and potentially funding, they need to allow children with disabilities to thrive while simultaneously destroying their ability to seek justice. OCR works to identify, end, and remedy systemic violations of civil rights laws, including those that protect students with disabilities, in tens of thousands of institutions, including every state and local educational agency and many institutions of higher education. OCR’s critical investigative and enforcement work is more important now than ever, and the destruction of this agency will certainly lead to fewer remedies for civil rights violations for students with disabilities and leave them with less recourse than they have had in decades.

The RIFs announced at ED on October 10, 2025, are indefensible. You cannot claim to care about students with disabilities and stand behind this decision. These actions will have a direct and acute impact on all students, not just students with disabilities. It is our responsibility to provide a free appropriate public education for all students, and undermining decades of progress to revert to a system that allowed students to be abused, secluded, restrained, and isolated in educational settings with no recourse is unforgivable. It is for these reasons that I strongly urge you to immediately reverse this decision and restore staffing at ED to previously held levels.

I have included below examples of questions that I have received from parents and advocates of children in New York who will be harmed by these cuts. These questions reflect real-world concerns of families in New York. They are worried about their children’s education, accommodations, and the enforcement of their rights. They are also worried that there is nobody working at ED to address these concerns. In addition to restoring staffing levels at ED to previously held levels, we request that you answer these verbatim questions from New York constituents. Please provide a response that I can share with my constituents by Friday, October 31st, 2025:

1) Will this affect Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)?

2) Will schools still have to provide therapy and other accommodations to students?

3) What does this mean for tuition reimbursement under IDEA for already-approved services? Will parents be responsible for paying for this?

4) If a parent has a problem or an issue that they would otherwise call these offices about, “Who will pick up the phone at the Department of Education?” 5) If parents escalate issues relating to safety at school for their children with disabilities, will these problems be addressed and by whom?

Sincerely,

Banner Image: Senator Gillibrand at lunch with political guests. Image Credit – Sen. Gillibrand