ANCOR Sends Condolences to Senator McCain’s Family, and Thanks Him For His Service to Our Country and Community

Dear members of the ANCOR community,

ANCOR staff were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Senator John McCain this weekend. His career as a statesman was eclipsed only by his record as a war hero, and his valiant fight against brain cancer was simply another marker of his resilience. To say he will be missed is an understatement.

In 2017, ANCOR awarded Senator McCain with its Congressional Leadership Award. Over the span of the three and a half decades he spent in Congress, Senator McCain sponsored or lent his support to countless bills aimed at ensuring the rights of people with disabilities to live fulfilling, dignified lives, integrated in their communities and embedded in the fabric of our society. Most notably, in 2017 he cast the critical deciding vote to protect the Affordable Care Act—and, with it, Medicaid—maintaining funding for the critical supports and services ANCOR members provide to more than a million individuals each year.

As a bipartisan association, we seek legislative champions on both sides of the aisle. In Senator McCain, we consistently found a champion and a friend for people with disabilities. The true essence of people over party, Senator McCain’s measured approach to policymaking will be sorely missed, and his legacy impossible to outshine.

On behalf of the entire ANCOR community, I invite you to join us in keeping Senator McCain’s family in your thoughts at this difficult time.

Sincerely,

Barbara Merrill

Chief Executive Officer

ANCOR

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For nearly 50 years, the American Network of Community Options and Resources (ancor.org) has been a leading advocate for the critical role service providers play in enriching the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). As a national nonprofit trade association, ANCOR represents 1,400+ organizations employing more than a half-million professionals who together serve more than a million individuals with I/DD.