The following Action Alert was sent out on March 18, 2020 from the National Council on Independent Living.
Urge Your Members of Congress to Support Funding for CILs in the Next COVID-19 Package!
NCIL has been closely monitoring and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. We have been working to provide tools and resources to the Independent Living network; engaging with partner organizations, Congress, and the ILA; and continuing to advocate for the needs of people with disabilities across the country.
Earlier this week NCIL sent a request to the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (L-HHS-Ed). NCIL requested $100 million for Centers for Independent Living (CILs) in the next COVID-19 response package. [Read the letter](https://advocacymonitor.com/letter-of-support-for-funding-for-cils-in-the-next-covid-19-package/) .
CILs around the country have been actively responding to the needs of disabled people in their communities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. CILs are coordinating services, providing information and referrals, helping people avoid involuntary institutionalization, and advocating for the disability community’s rights and evolving needs during this crisis. People with disabilities are at disproportionate risk during this pandemic, and all around the country, CILs are working – on their own, and with community partners and governments – to ensure people with disabilities survive. [Read the letter](https://advocacymonitor.com/letter-of-support-for-funding-for-cils-in-the-next-covid-19-package/) to see some examples of what CILs around the country are doing in response to COVID-19.
Take Action!
CILs are well-positioned to meet the needs of disabled people in their communities, but current funding levels are barely sustaining day-to-day operations. We need Congress to hear from their constituents about the vital work CILs are doing right now and the importance of additional funding. If you have members on the Appropriations L-HHS-Ed Subcommittees, contact them and urge them to support adding $100 million in funding for CILs in the next COVID-19 package!
All members of Congress can be reached by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 or 202-224-3091 (TTY). You can find your Senators’ direct phone number and contact form at [senate.gov](https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm) and your Representative’s direct number and contact form at [house.gov/representatives](https://www.house.gov/representatives) .]
*House and Senate Members to Contact*
*House Appropriations (Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies):*
Democrats:
* Rosa DeLauro, Connecticut, Chair
* Lucille Roybal-Allard, California
* Barbara Lee, California
* Mark Pocan, Wisconsin
* Katherine Clark, Massachusetts
* Lois Frankel, Florida
* Cheri Bustos, Illinois
* Bonnie Watson Coleman, New Jersey
Republicans:
* Tom Cole, Oklahoma, Ranking Member
* Andy Harris, Maryland
* Jaime Herrera Beutler, Washington
* John Moolenaar, Michigan
* Tom Graves, Georgia
*Senate Appropriations (Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies):*
Democrats:
* Patty Murray, Washington, Ranking Member
* Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin
* Richard Durbin, Illinois
* Joe Manchin, West Virginia
* Jeff Merkley, Oregon
* Chris Murphy, Connecticut
* Jack Reed, Rhode Island
* Brian Schatz, Hawaii
* Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire
Republicans:
* Roy Blunt, Missouri, Chair
* Lamar Alexander, Tennessee
* Lindsey Graham, South Carolina
* Cindy Hyde-Smith, Mississippi
* John Kennedy, Louisiana
* James Lankford, Oklahoma
* Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia
* Jerry Moran, Kansas
* Marco Rubio, Florida
* Richard Shelby, Alabama