The Real Threat is MAHA

*TW: ableism, anger, and criticism of the US government ahead

Yesterday the White House released an Executive Order (EO) announcing the “Make America Healthy Again Commission” (MAHA). Mixed in among the antivaxx and conspiracy drivel was a direct attack on neurodivergent, mentally ill, and disabled Americans. This is nothing new of course, the Musk/Trump administration has been planning to remove disabled people from public life since 2015, but yesterday’s EO felt like one of the most direct attacks so far.

Trump has never attempted to hide his ableism. He publicly mocked a disabled reporter in 2015. In 2024 his bigotry hit the news cycle again when Trump’s nephew shared Trump told him his son and others like him with intellectual and developmental disabilities “should just die”. Now Trump has found a way to make that happen without the extra step of herding disabled people into camps.

The MAHA EO targets access to supportive and in many cases life saving medications used by neurodivergent, mentally ill, and disabled people. Specifically stimulants, serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), antipsychotics, and mood stabilizers. In the EO Trump says their strategy is to “assess the prevalence of and threat posed by the prescription of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, stimulants”.

When I read the word Threat I nearly had a panic attack. For me and many like me, these classes of medications enable our ability to function in our daily lives. Without access to the stimulant ADHD medication I take daily I would not be able to work or continue grad school at the level I am currently. In fact, I question whether I would be able to continue being a part of the workforce in general without medication.

Stimulants, SSRIs, antipsychotics, and mood stabilizers are already tightly controlled. My stimulant ADHD medication for instance can only be filled as a 30 day supply, can not be filled early, and refills are not allowed. I need a new prescription from my provider every month. Unlike with birth control or Plan B we can’t stock up in preparation of the impending ban. Additionally many of these medications require a tapering off period as ending them cold turkey can be life threatening.

So what can we as disabled people do to ensure we have continued access to the medications we need? I don’t have an answer to that question but what I do have are things you can do to help prevent this public health crisis from happening.

• Call, email, and write letters to your representatives, remind them of their responsibility to protect disabled people’s access to public life and participation in the workforce and society as a whole

• Join disabled actions happening across the country to increase visibility

• Support your disabled coworkers and employees by providing additional resources and if possible contracting with an international pharmacy to prevent a disruption in supply

• Speak up when you see or hear others use disabled people as a punch line or scapegoat

Trump, Musk, and their fellow traitors in their coup to destroy the government from within are using shock and awe tactics to overwhelm and exhaust you. Their goal is to ensure they can subjugate the most people possible with the least amount of resistance. They’ve already made a boogeyman out of trans people, migrants, government employees, educators, and now disabled people. Don’t give into the fear or the despair they’re looking to create. Stand with us and other marginalized people, help us fight back and maintain access to the medications we need, for many of us, our lives depend on it.