Autism Funding Cuts Are Devastating Families While the Pentagon Spends $93 Billion in One Month

By Rob Gorski | March 11, 2026

Autism funding cuts are hitting our community hard right now and every parent needs to pay attention. As an autism parent of 25 years, I need to talk about what is happening because it affects every single one of us.

A report from the nonpartisan government watchdog Open the Books just revealed some shocking numbers. Specifically, the Pentagon burned through $93 billion in a single month. That is billion with a B. In September 2025 alone, the Department of Defense spent:

• $15.1 million on ribeye steak

• $6.9 million on lobster tail

• $2 million on Alaskan king crab

• $225 million on furniture

• $124,000 on ice cream machines

• $100,000 on a Steinway grand piano for a general’s house

Multiple outlets confirmed these numbers, including Newsweek, Mediaite, and The Daily Beast.

At the same time, the autism funding cuts keep coming. As a result, the programs that families like mine depend on for survival are being gutted. And somehow, they are calling us the waste.

Autism Funding Cuts Are Targeting Disability Programs

While the Pentagon ordered crab legs and grand pianos, the autism and disability community faced an entirely different reality.

First, the federal government tried to freeze funding for disability programs because officials now consider them DEI-related. According to the Autism Society of America, programs flagged for review or cuts include Kevin and Avonte grants, which help find our kids when they wander or elope. In addition, the freeze targeted special education funding, independent living grants, respite care, and grants that train law enforcement to safely interact with autistic people.

Second, autism research funding through the NIH dropped by 26%. A Reuters analysis reported by TIME found that NIH spending on autism-related research fell from $147 million to $116 million in the first four months of 2025. On top of that, multiple grants ended abruptly. Furthermore, the Department of Defense, which used to put $15 million a year toward autism research because it affects military families, did not include autism among its funded programs in 2025.

Third, these autism funding cuts now reach into special education as well. IDEA funding faces serious threats. The Autism Society’s Capitol Connection reports that the administration wants to combine IDEA Part B, Part C, Part D, and preschool grants into a single block grant. As a consequence, states could use the money however they see fit, including not spending it on your child’s education. Moreover, University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities face complete elimination.

Autism funding cuts highlighted by Pentagon spending $93 billion on lobster steak and grand pianos while therapy and special education are being slashed

Medicaid and SNAP Cuts Hit Autism Families Hardest

Beyond research and education, the autism funding cuts reach into the programs families rely on most. Medicaid faces deep reductions. According to CNBC and the Commonwealth Fund, 7.8 million people could lose Medicaid over the next decade. New work requirements, more frequent eligibility checks, and large funding reductions all play a role in this. The AARP published a full timeline showing when each change takes effect.

For autism families, Medicaid often serves as the only way to cover essential therapies and services that private insurance will not touch. My own son relies on Medicaid to support his independent living. Without it, families like mine lose their only safety net.

SNAP benefits face massive reductions as well. In fact, the same legislation includes the largest SNAP cuts in American history, amounting to a 20% or greater reduction in funding. Notably, this came just weeks after the Pentagon’s $93 billion spending spree, as AOL reported. In the past, my family depended on SNAP just to put food on the table. Millions of autism families across the country find themselves in the same position right now.

The Impact of Autism Funding Cuts Is Already Being Felt

These autism funding cuts are not just projections. The damage is showing up right now in communities across the country.

For example, the Autism Society of Minnesota now faces a $500,000 budget shortfall because government grants they depended on are drying up. Similarly, this pattern repeats at Autism Society chapters and comparable organizations nationwide.

Here in Ohio, the situation is just as dire. County Boards of Developmental Disabilities are declaring fiscal emergencies one after another. Butler County declared a fiscal emergency, which forced staff hour cuts and salary freezes. Meanwhile, Montgomery County slashed $4.4 million from its budget, which eliminated mental health services, recreation programs, and early intervention positions.

Across these boards, respite care is disappearing. So are transition programs for kids aging into adulthood, recreation services, and mental health support. If you are a parent navigating the financial challenges of raising an autistic child, these cuts make an already impossible situation even worse. On top of all this, the next generation of autism researchers is at risk because federal funding for training programs is vanishing.

This Is Not Political. This Is Personal.

I do not care what party you belong to. Autism funding cuts are a disability issue and a human issue, plain and simple.

My son relies on Medicaid to support his independent living. In the past, my family depended on SNAP benefits to put food on the table. The organizations that hold our community together rely on government grants that are now vanishing while the Pentagon orders crab legs.

Consider this contrast for a moment. Officials found $6.9 million for lobster tail but cannot fund your kid’s speech therapy. Congress approved $15 million for steaks, yet special education funding now faces block granting so states can do whatever they want with it. The Pentagon spent $225 million on furniture while millions of people stand to lose their healthcare.

Despite all of this spending, they still have the nerve to look families like mine and yours in the eye and say there is not enough money.

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A post shared by Rob Gorski | Autism Parenting Support (@theautismdad)

What You Can Do About Autism Funding Cuts

If this makes you angry, good. It absolutely should. Here is what you can do right now:

• Share this post and the video with everyone you know, because awareness is the first step toward change

• Contact your representatives and tell them that these autism funding cuts are unacceptable. You can find your representatives at usa.gov

• Vote when it comes time to vote, because your voice matters more than ever

• Support organizations like the Autism Society of America that fight these cuts on Capitol Hill every single day

• Use the Autism Society’s Action Center to send messages directly to your members of Congress

In the end, our kids’ futures should not come last while lobster tails, crab legs, steak, and grand pianos come first.

If you are an autism parent feeling the weight of all this, you are not alone. I have been doing this for 25 years and I am not going anywhere. We fight this together.

Rob Gorski is the founder of The Autism Dad and host of The Autism Dad Podcast. As a single father to three autistic sons, Rob has spent over 15 years educating, validating, and supporting autism families. His work has appeared on CNN, ABC News, BBC Worldwide, and the Tamron Hall Show.