By Douglas J. Usiak
As an advocate for people with disabilities, I have always told my staff, “We don’t advocate against, we advocate for.” I say this because the moment you speak out against something, the people you hope to reach often begin—consciously or not—to look for reasons to disagree. When you speak to the value of what you are asking for, people are more likely to listen and consider how it applies to the issue at hand.
I begin this column with that perspective—not to diminish the importance of national defense, but to ask you to consider a broader responsibility.
Forty years ago, I received a call from my cousin, who was 32 at the time and had recently lost her mother. Because of her developmental and intellectual disabilities—including cerebral palsy—none of her extended family in New York City were able to take her in. Facing the prospect of spending the rest of her life in a nursing home, she called and asked me for help.
At the time, I was serving as CEO of WNY Independent Living Inc., Family of Agencies, so my fiancée and I flew down, rented a small truck, and helped her move into her own apartment with the supports she needed. Later, she chose to build a life in Buffalo and became an active part of the community. She found a job, participated in neighborhood activities, stayed connected to family, and lived with a level of independence that once seemed out of reach. Eventually, she made the decision to move to Tennessee, where she lives today.
Why am I telling you this? Because those outcomes were made possible through programs and services now administered by the Administration on Community Living. Those same programs, four decades later, are now being proposed for elimination and redirection toward military spending.
In explaining this budget shift, the President stated, “It’s not possible for us to take care of day care, Medicaid, Medicare, all these individual things. They can do it on a state basis. You can’t do it on a federal. We have to take care of one thing: military protection. We have to guard the country.”
I beg to differ, sir.
We can support our national defense and people with disabilities. We can protect our country while ensuring that our friends and families with disabilities have the support they need to live and work in their communities.
Even within the President’s own statement, there is an acknowledgment that these programs are essential. The issue is not their worth, but the decision to pull resources away from them—despite clear evidence that they reduce reliance on high-cost institutional care and save taxpayers billions over time.
Programs funded through the Administration on Community Living support millions of Americans while helping states avoid far more expensive institutional placements. In that context, these investments are not excess—they are cost-effective, long-term solutions, freeing up and redirecting tax dollars. By comparison, current military operations are costing hundreds of millions—sometimes billions—in a matter of a day. Individual weapons systems alone can run from tens of thousands to tens of millions apiece.
I do not claim to fully understand every national security threat and I do support maintaining a strong defense. At the same time, I have seen what’s possible when a country invests in the well-being of its people. When we support access to healthcare, education, and community-based services, we create conditions where people can grow, contribute, and live with dignity.
The preamble of the Constitution reminds us of that balance:
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty…”
The responsibility is not one or the other—it has always been both.
We are called to do both.
Douglas J. Usiak is the retired Chief Executive Officer of WNY Independent Living Inc., Family of Agencies, including Independent Living of Niagara County, which empowers individuals with disabilities to participate fully in society. For more information, contact (716) 284-4131, ext. 200 or visit: ILNC.org.