Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg released a comprehensive new plan Saturday to increase the rights of people with disabilities by implementing a series of Social Security reforms, doubling down on efforts to employ more disabled workers, and fully funding disabled students’ access to education, among other proposals.
The proposals include ending a legal loophole that allows employers to pay disabled employees less than the minimum wage, and passing a $15 minimum wage that would apply to all Americans. There is also a proposal for an executive order, à la former President Barack Obama, to boost the hiring of people with disabilities across the workforce. Buttigieg promises to “double labor force participation for people with disabilities” over the next decade, “with a focus on closing racial inequities.
Several health care proposals are also on the list, including guaranteed paid sick leave and an investment of $300 billion to improve mental health and addiction care. Buttigieg also aims to get rid of the so-called “benefit cliff” for Social Security Disability Insurance recipients, who lose their benefits if they earn more than $14,640 annually under the current SSDI policy.
As part of Buttigieg’s disability rights plan, he also says he will reduce drug prices, get rid of the 24-month waiting period for Medicare so coverage becomes automatic with eligibility, and reduce wait times for SSDI and Supplementary Security Income appeals cases. The report notes that “people with disabilities can and do live independent, dignified, self-affirming lives, and add incalculable value to the American story.”
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More like trying to expand his voting base.
What’s with the rolled sleeves? So tired of this fake “working man” look.