From DC: Federal Funding Deadline, Tax Credit Cliff in Sight, HUD Rescinds Guidance, and more

September 26, 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:

Federal Funding Deadline Nears

Federal funding is set to expire on September 30, 2025. If the House and Senate do not pass a continuing resolution to temporarily fund the government, federal discretionary funding will cease on October 1. In that event, non-essential government services will be paused, although impacts will vary across agencies. For example, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has published their contingency plan, including the plans for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Administration for Community Living (ACL). Importantly, public benefits that are mandatorily funded, including Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid will continue.

Marketplace Tax Credit Cliff Quickly Approaching Without Congressional Action

Premiums for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace are expected to rise steeply in 2026 and enrollees will have to pay those higher costs unless Congress takes action to extend the enhanced premium tax credits (ePTCs). Congressional Democrats are demanding to make the ePTCs permanent as part of any stopgap funding bill to keep the government open beyond this month.

The ePTCs, which have provided many low-income older adults access to $0 premium plans, are set to expire at the end of this year. Without ePTCs, premium costs will increase by over 500% for enrollees with income below $25,000 and older adults ages 50 to 64 will be disproportionately harmed.

Tell Congress to extend the ePTCs as soon as possible. Use Families USA’s toolkit to learn more about the impacts in your state and contact your representatives.

HUD Withdraws Multiple Fair Housing Guidance Documents

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently issued two memos outlining a shift in fair housing enforcement priorities and withdrawing several fair housing guidance documents. In these memos, HUD states that it will only prioritize fair housing cases with “strong evidence of intentional discrimination” and rescinds prior guidance on language access, criminal records, reasonable accommodations, and more.

HUD’s memos were released amidst reporting about the Trump Administration’s efforts to undermine and limit enforcement of the Fair Housing Act. In response to the Administration’s actions, Senator Elizabeth Warren has requested that HUD’s Office of Inspector General investigate whether HUD is meeting its statutory duty to promote fair housing and prevent housing discrimination.

Each year, the majority of fair housing complaints involve disability discrimination, an issue often faced by older adults. Read more about fair housing issues affecting older adults and people with disabilities.

USDA Ends Annual Food Insecurity Survey

Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it will end its annual Household Food Security Report, which provides national data on food insecurity. The longstanding report informs policy on SNAP food assistance and combating hunger. The final report will be published next month.

Food insecurity is expected to increase in the coming years due to the 2025 Budget Reconciliation Act (H.R. 1), which slashes funding for SNAP food assistance by billions of dollars. These massive funding cuts will affect 40 million low-income people – including 8 million seniors – who rely on SNAP to afford basic groceries.