In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the congressional role in the issue.
KELLY HOOPER and SOPHIE GARDNER at POLITICO:
Advocates from the group Autism Speaks will head to the Capitol today to urge lawmakers to fund recently reauthorized research and service programs in the wake of the GOP megabill’s steep Medicaid cuts.
While the group will acknowledge their concerns about how those cuts could impact autism programs in the states, it plans to focus on the annual appropriations process “since that’s the next thing up, and something that we want to try to ensure that we’re at least maintaining the levels of funding for those programs,” David Sitcovsky, Autism Speaks’ vice president of advocacy, told Lauren.
Congress reauthorized the Autism CARES Act in December, which Autism Speaks says is the primary federal funding source for monitoring, research, services and training programs in the autism community. The law’s programs are spread across the CDC, the Health Resources and Services Administration and the NIH.
The group plans to underscore in their meetings that autism is a lifelong condition — not just a childhood disorder, as often emphasized by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — for which many people need support as they age.
“It seems like most [of the] conversation about autism has been framed around childhood, and and I think what were really trying to do … is to remind people that [it’s a] lifelong issue, and there are many adults who need better understanding and supportive services now,” said Dr. Andy Shih, Autism Speaks’ chief science officer.
