Executive Office of the President of the United States
President George H. W. Bush signs the Americans with Disabilities Act into law on the White House South Lawn on July 26, 1990. Pictured (left to right): Evan Kemp, Rev Harold Wilke, Pres. Bush, Sandra Parrino, Justin Dart. The act prohibited employer discrimination on the basis of disability.
It may appear as if nothing in the White House is functioning properly. But that’s not entirely true.
July 26 was the twenty-seventh anniversary of the day President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law. On that day this year, the White House issued a statement by the squatter currently occupying the Oval Office proclaiming “a day in celebration of the ADA.”
The statement said, among other things, “Americans are justifiably proud of the ADA and its accomplishments, but more can be done to protect the rights and dignity of Americans living with disabilities. . . . On the anniversary of the ADA, we reaffirm our commitment to fostering an environment that provides all Americans with the opportunity to pursue their American dream. Let us all take this time to refocus our efforts to support our fellow Americans and help them succeed, no matter the obstacles they may face.”
This proves that somewhere deep within the communication structure of the White House is a computer programmed to sniff out anniversaries of historic civil rights milestones and issue trite, hypocritical proclamation templates insincerely honoring those events.
On July 26, that computer did its job just fine.
The squatter’s ADA proclamation called on all Americans to “observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities that celebrate the contributions of Americans with disabilities and to renew our commitment to achieving the promise of our freedom for all Americans.”
Ironically, on the previous day, about 250 disability rights activists did just that. They occupied the atrium of the Senate Hart Office Building and shook the rafters with their echoing chants. They were expressing their vehement opposition to a Senate vote on a motion to proceed on legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act that was taking place at that moment. Between the office building and visitor galleries, nearly 100 activists were arrested.
When the motion to proceed passed, the squatter released a statement that said, “I applaud the Senate for taking a giant step to end the Obamacare nightmare. As this vote shows, inaction is not an option, and now the legislative process can move forward as intended to produce a bill that lowers costs and increases options for all Americans. The Senate must now pass a bill and get it to my desk so we can finally end the Obamacare disaster once and for all.”
Yep, on ADA anniversary day, Trump and Republican leaders in the Senate celebrated “the contributions of Americans with disabilities” by desperately trying to come up with a repeal bill that would destroy the Medicaid system that millions of us rely upon for our freedom and independence. Fortunately, they failed.
To add to the sadistic irony of it all, a few days later, July 30, was the fifty-second anniversary of President Lyndon Johnson signing Medicaid into law.
But actually, this was the perfect way for this bunch to publicly express how they feel about the ADA and Medicaid. At least they were being honest, though I’m sure that was hardly their intention.