From DC is Justice in Aging's weekly roundup of national news and resources about issues impacting older adults. To receive From DC in your inbox as soon as its published, sign up for our mailing list.
Here’s what we’re watching in Washington:
Funding Deadline Nears as Senate Aims to Vote on Funding Package
Congress is still considering a Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 funding package that includes spending bills for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and some other agencies.
Federal funding for these agencies is set to expire after today, January 30. At least a short partial government shutdown is therefore likely.
The Senate recently blocked the House-passed funding package due to objections over funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and recent incidents involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
However, a bipartisan Senate deal will now reportedly separate the DHS spending bill from the rest of the package. If the Senate passes an amended funding package, it will return to the House for another vote.
HR 1 Implementation Updates
In late December, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the first round of Rural Health Transformation Program (RHT) funding authorized under the 2025 budget reconciliation bill (H.R. 1). Every state was awarded funding for fiscal year 2026.
Learn more about the RHT program and funding in your state. KFF’s issue brief and RHT funds tracker provide more context of H.R. 1’s $900 billion in Medicaid cuts and links to available application documents for each state.
KFF has also launched a Medicaid work requirements implementation tracker, which includes information about states’ existing policies and eligibility data systems.
Join Justice in Aging next Thursday, February 5, for a webinar, Implementing New Medicaid Work Requirements: Strategies to Mitigate Harm in Your State where we’ll walk through our toolkit, provide advocacy tips, and answer questions.
Find all of Justice in Aging’s H.R. 1 and Medicaid defense resources on our website.
New Justice in Aging Resources
- Alert: Take Action to Stop Attack on Disability Rights (1/29)
- Fact Sheet: March 31 is a Double Deadline for People Eligible for Medicare (1/27)
- Comment Letter: Justice in Aging’s Comment on the Notice of Proposed Rule Making for Medicare Advantage, Contract Year 2027 (1/26)
- Fact Sheet: Medicare & Transgender Older Adults: What Advocates Need to Know (1/14)
- Blog: A Message from the Future (1/13)
- Fact Sheet: Medicaid’s Cost Collection Policy Hurts Families & Perpetuates Poverty (1/7)
- Fact Sheet: Protecting Oral Health for Older Adults in Medicaid (1/5)
- Comment Letter: Justice in Aging Comments on DHS’s Proposed Changes to the Public Charge Grounds of Inadmissibility (12/19)
- Fact Sheet: A Lifeline for New Jerseyans: The Importance of Protecting and Expanding NJ FamilyCare Home and Community-Based Services (12/18)
- Toolkit: Template Comments & Instructions: Medicare Part C & Part D Rule (12/17)
- Comment Letter: Justice in Aging Comments on the CFPB’s Proposed Changes to the EQCA (12/15)
