Day 60

Systematic Rollback of Disability Rights Protections

The Trump administration withdrew ADA guidance documents dating to 1999, killed two pending ADA rulemakings, proposed eliminating the Section 503 utilization goal for federal contractor hiring of disabled workers, laid off nearly half the staff of the Administration for Community Living, proposed cutting the NIH budget by 44% and CDC by 43%, and issued an executive order promoting institutionalization of people with mental illness while calling for reversal of judicial protections against broad commitment.

Department of Education: Near-Abolition and Mass Staff Terminations

In March 2025, the Trump administration began systematically dismantling the U.S. Department of Education — the agency responsible for administering $1.7 trillion in federal student loans, distributing Title I education funding to high-poverty schools, enforcing disability protections (IDEA), and administering civil rights enforcement in schools. The administration terminated approximately half the department's staff, announced plans to transfer functions to other agencies, and placed the department on a path toward closure — though actual abolition requires Congressional authorization the administration had not yet secured.

HRW files declaration in J.G.G. v. Trump on CECOT conditions

Human Rights Watch submitted an expert declaration in federal litigation describing conditions at CECOT, including overcrowding, lack of sanitation, and denial of legal access.

From: Secret Deportation of 260+ Venezuelans to CECOT Mega-Prison

Trump signs executive order to close the department

President Trump signs an executive order arguing that the Department of Education should be closed and authority over education returned to states and local communities. Legal experts note that actually closing the department requires an act of Congress.

From: Education Department Dismantlement: $881M in Contracts Slashed, IES Eliminated, 50% Workforce Cut