Advocates For Disabilities Community Are Facing ‘Déjà Vu' Over Proposed Budget Cuts

By Danielle J. Brown, Maryland Matters

February 19, 2026

Developmental disabilities caregiver Idris Idowu fears that a Moore administration proposal to slash $150 million from the state agency that oversees those services will not only hurt his clients — if could threaten his ability to support his family as well.

“I have a family of four depending on me. My children look to me to keep a roof over their heads or food on the table,” Idowu told rallygoers Wednesday in Annapolis. “Now you are proposing wage cuts — let me be clear about what that means for people like me. It means choosing between groceries and electricity.”

Idowu was referring to the budget offered by Gov. Wes Moore (D), which slashes funding to the state Developmental Disabilities Administration, with many of the cuts aimed at additional wages given to providers who care for people who need more intensive support.

“I chose this profession because I believe in helping people with disabilities care for themselves,” he said. “How can I pour from an empty cup? How can I give my best to the people I support when I am drowning myself? … We are essential and yet we are treated as expendable.”

People on the Go Deputy Director Tracy Wright speaks against proposed budget cuts to developmental disabilities services with Executive Director Mat Rice (Photo by Danielle J. Brown/Maryland Matters)

He was one of hundreds of support staff who joined people with developmental disabilities and family members on Lawyers Mall Wednesday for the annual “DD Day,” where advocates lobby lawmakers on how they can help the developmental disabilities community.

It’s the second year that advocates have come to Annapolis with deep concerns about proposed cuts to the DDA.

Last year, Moore’s initial budget proposed more than $400 million in cuts to the DDA, as the state was struggling to close a $3 billion budget gap. That brought out hundreds with developmental disabilities, their families and caretakers to rally on a cold January evening. Subsequent lobbying and work with lawakers over the course of the legislative session brought the final cuts last year to about $164 million.

This year, with the state facing a $1.6 billion budget shortfall, Moore is proposing a cut of about $150 million in general funds, which advocates note will result in a total cut of $300 million with the loss of matching federal dollars under federal Medicaid waivers.

“Here we are again this year, trying to defend an inadequate budget,” said Laura Hatcher, whose son has developmental and intellectual disabilities and needs round-the-clock care.

“I still have fears — in many ways, it’s like déjà vu,” she said.

I chose this profession because I believe in helping people with disabilities care for themselves. How can I pour from an empty cup? How can I give my best to the people I support when I am drowning myself? ... We are essential and yet we are treated as expendable.

– Idris Idowu, a caregiver for those with developmental disabilities

This year’s proposed cuts include a series of “cost containment” measures to help curtail what officials call “unsustainable” spending growth from the agency. Advocates say the proposed cuts threaten the wages for one-on-one support staff and other positions that help people with the highest needs.

“These cuts would be harmful to us, and they will hurt us and put our services at risk,” Tracy Wright, deputy director for People on the Go Maryland. “We understand that we have to be responsible … but this isn’t the way to do it.”

The DDA administers Medicaid waivers that let Marylanders with developmental disabilities receive a wide variety of services, from live-in caregiver support to transportation, respite care, employment services and more.

Karen McDonough says proposed cuts to community service providers threaten the supports that enrich the life of her son, Sean (left). (Photo by Danielle J. Brown/Maryland Matters)

According to 2024 data, approximately 16,800 people received services from a community provider, an established organization that provides disability care, while another 3,600 people chose the self-directed care model, where the waiver recipient or their family hires individual employees for services.

The administration’s proposed cuts make reductions to both self-directed and community provider wages, and advocates fear that the cuts will lead to personnel leaving en masse. The cuts would also place a $500,000 cap on how much state funding a person with a DDA waiver can receive per year for their “personal budget,” which varies greatly depending on need.

Karen McDonough said that her son, Sean, saw “immense” improvements in his day-to-day life after he joined a community provider that oversees his day services, giving him “meaningful engagement, friendship and activities that enrich his life.”

“These supports are crucial to his sense of a safe, productive, independent social and enjoyable life – a life that is not confined to being at home with mom or dad,” she said.

“That peace of mind exists because of the supports funded through DDA and provided by a trusted community provider,” she said. “The proposed budget cuts threaten both his present stability and his future.”