Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowSo far, however, bills in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have spurned the proposals. Appropriations committees in both chambers approved legislation continuing funding for UCEDDs, protection and advocacy agencies and many other disability programs. Meanwhile, 14 former Education Department officials who were responsible for overseeing IDEA implementation under Republican and Democratic administrations dating back to President Richard Nixon called on Congress to forgo changes to the way that IDEA funding is handled. Even as lawmakers have dismissed the proposed changes to IDEA and other disability programs so far, next steps remain uncertain. “It’s encouraging that both the House and Senate have rejected some of the deepest proposed cuts to disability programs,” said Kim Musheno, senior director of Medicaid policy at The Arc of the United States.