Facing potential cuts to vital programs, Utahns rally for ‘Disability Advocacy Day’ at the Capitol

Demonstrators rally for funding for disability programs at the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (Will Ruzanski/Utah News Dispatch)

Hundreds of Utahns gathered at the Capitol steps Monday afternoon — many holding signs, maneuvering wheelchairs, or pushing strollers — to celebrate Disability Advocacy Day, an annual event organized by the Utah Parent Center. After marching through the Capitol plaza, Utahns with disabilities and advocates alike rallied, urging lawmakers to reconsider potential cuts to vital disability support programs. 

The demonstration comes as Utah’s Legislature looks to make budget cuts amid federal funding uncertainty and Medicaid reductions from President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” Advocates warn that Utah’s proposed 5-10% funding reductions would disrupt important disability services, negatively affecting thousands of people across the state.

“Some of the cuts on the table include a proposed 10% cut to DSPD waivers, which are Medicaid programs that essentially allow people to live in the community, in their homes,” said Nate Crippes, the public affairs supervising attorney with the Disability Law Center. 

“A 10% cut would really be a devastating thing to the system, where you’d see providers struggle to make it, you’d see people lose access to services that help them stay in their homes, live with their families, in the community, in their own apartment, things of that nature,” he said. “That would be pretty devastating to people with intellectual developmental disabilities and people who are aging.”

Joey Hanna, executive director of the Utah Parent Center, said the disability “service system is already really stretched,” emphasizing that funding cuts could increase backlogs and lead to closures.

“This is a system where it’s already really hard to get and keep quality employees for our most vulnerable population,” she said. “A 10% cut on top of that would see some really reliable, excellent providers close their doors and go out of business.”

The rally

Discussing the event’s turnout, Hanna pressed the importance for advocates, especially younger Utahns, to “have their voices heard and exercise their civil duties.”

“This is a community that already deals with having to jump through so many hoops, having to be bottom-of-the-barrel feeders when it comes to a lot of different services and different things,” she said. “I think when you threaten to take away even more or make additional barriers, it really gets people riled up.”

Rep. John Arthur, D-Holladay, was among the legislators who attended the rally. While speaking with Utah News Dispatch, he said “if anything, this is a program that needs more funding, not less.”

Outside of the Legislature, Arthur is a sixth grade teacher. He cited his experience with disabled students in the Salt Lake City School District. 

“These are the kids who need the most help and funding for their education,” Arthur said. “It’s more expensive, and unfortunately, it’s also more necessary. Without it, they can’t have access to an education, and I’ve watched kids try to make do with less over the years. … These folks are making it clear that if you do (reduce funding), their lives are going to be horribly affected.”

Response from legislators

Several legislators spoke with Utah News Dispatch about the proposed budget reductions, emphasizing uncertainty for what the final cuts will look like. 

“Every budget committee in the legislature was asked to look at at least 5% cuts,” said Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross. He emphasized that “no decisions have been made” and budget requirements are still in the air. 

“We may get to a point where they say, ‘we asked you for 5% (reduction but) we actually only need to do 2 or 3%,’” he said. “They might say, ‘we asked you for 5%, we need 10%.’ So, I mean, I’ll know a lot more in a month than I know now.”

Rep. Jen Dailey-Provost, D-Salt Lake City, echoed Weiler’s uncertainty. 

“I don’t want people to think that coming up with this list of a 5% cut necessarily means that we’re going to cut all these things,” she said. “I’m hoping when the time comes, we’ll find that our financial situation is better than we hoped, and that the cuts that may or may not be recommended would be less necessary.”

Utah’s Legislature is making widespread budget cuts after congressional Republicans’ “Big Beautiful Bill” reduced federal funding for programs like Medicaid, placing financial burden on the states. 

“In the Big Beautiful Bill, they decided in order to fund some of their tax cuts, they were going to put money that they normally spent and funded, that we didn’t, onto the states,” said Rep. Christine Watkins, R-Price. 

“It’s going to take us time to make those adjustments, because it’s not going to change,” she added. “It’s going to happen next year too, we will not get that federal funding so we have to make those adjustments.”

Weiler agreed that the federal legislation forces Utah to reduce its budget, saying the state will collect “$300 million less in income tax this year than we would have.”

“I do think it’s a wise principle for a state government to constantly be asking if there is some fat that we could cut,” he said. “I don’t agree that the fat that should be cut relates to people with disabilities, because they need services.”

Both Republican legislators emphasized the importance of a careful review process before making cuts. 

“We’re just getting started in that process, and we’re going to be asking a lot of questions and looking out for people who need that extra help,” Watkins said. 

Weiler echoed Watkins’ sentiment, encouraging constituents to “make your voices heard.”

“Don’t give up, not all is lost,” Weiler said. “We’ll probably land in a good place, but stay tuned because there’s a lot of moving parts.”

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