In addition to providing funding for bridges, highways, airports and other public structures and facilities, the recently proposed $2 trillion infrastructure plan from the Biden Administration has committed major spending to home and community-based services dedicated to people with disabilities.
Michelle Diament of Disability Scoop has reported that the proposal, known as the American Jobs Plan, calls for “$400 billion in spending to expand access to Medicaid home- and community-based services for those currently on waiting lists.” The proposal would also “expand access to competitive, integrated employment for people with disabilities and bar employers from paying people with disabilities what’s known as sub-minimum wage — pay that’s less than the federal minimum.”
In a statement, the White House said, “These investments will help hundreds of thousands of Americans finally obtain the long-term services and support they need while creating new jobs and offering caregiving workers a long-overdue raise, stronger benefits, and an opportunity to organize or join a union and collectively bargain.”
