From DC: Virtual Town Hall with Senate Leadership to Protect Medicaid, Congress Passes Year-Long CR, and more

March 21, 2025

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:

Join a Virtual Town Hall with Senate Leadership to Protect Medicaid

Next week, Congress returns from recess and is expected to turn their attention to budget reconciliation. The budget blueprints under consideration call for massive cuts to Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and other programs older adults rely on to meet their basic needs.

On Wednesday, March 26, Senate Democrats are hosting a virtual town hall to talk about the fight to defend health care from efforts to kick people off Medicaid and let tax credits expire for people who buy health insurance on their own.

Participants will hear from advocates in communities across the country who are mobilizing to make sure the message gets through: Congress cannot cut healthcare to pay for tax cuts for billionaires and wealthy corporations. When you sign up, you can also share your story, which will be sent directly to Senators from your state. Register for the virtual town hall here.

To learn more about the threats to Medicaid, register for Justice in Aging’s webinar on March 25 at 3:00 p.m. ET and explore our resources on Medicaid Defense.

Congress Passes Year-Long Continuing Resolution

Last week, Congress passed a stopgap funding bill (known as a continuing resolution, or CR), to fund the federal government through the rest of fiscal year (FY) 2025. The CR will expire on September 30.

Under a CR, funding for federal programs generally remain at the same level as the prior fiscal year, with some adjustments. This new bill:

Continues funding for outreach and enrollment assistance for low-income Medicare enrollees;
Maintains Older Americans Act funding at FY 2024 levels; and
Includes funding to mostly maintain current levels of assistance in some key housing programs, such as Housing Choice (“Section 8”) Vouchers and Section 202 housing for seniors. However, the CR will result in a $150-$200 million shortfall for homeless assistance programs, which will affect services for an estimated 18,500 households.

The CR is separate from budget reconciliation. Congress will continue negotiating a reconciliation bill in the coming weeks.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) recently announced that, starting March 31, it will no longer allow Social Security applicants and recipients to verify their identities over the phone.

Instead, SSA will require people applying for or receiving Social Security benefits to verify their identity online or in-person at an SSA field office to complete applications or make certain changes. These restrictions in phone service come amidst record-low staffing levels at SSA and plans to further cut staff and close offices.

SSA’s policy change will harm older adults and people with disabilities, who may have more difficulty accessing or navigating the internet and in-person visits. Advocates also expect substantial benefit delays.

Read more about concerns over SSA’s new policy, and check out Justice in Aging’s fact sheet about how Social Security is Vital to Americans Nationwide.

Legislation Introduced to Add Dental, Vision, Hearing to Medicare

Last week, Senator Sanders and Representative Doggett introduced bicameral legislation (S.939/H.R. 2045) that would add dental, hearing, and vision coverage to Medicare. Justice in Aging has long advocated for the inclusion of comprehensive oral health coverage in Medicare in Part B and fully supports this legislation.

Today, the absence of dental care in Medicare is a significant barrier to accessing oral health care and exacerbates racial, geographic, and disability-related health and wealth disparities. Adding a dental benefit to Medicare Part B would extend coverage to all 68 million Medicare enrollees and integrate oral health care with other medical care.

Read more about the Medicare Dental, Hearing, and Vision Expansion Act in this one-page summary.