From DC: States Sue USDA Over Refusal to Fund SNAP During Shutdown, Lawmakers Express Concern Over Potential Cuts to Permanent Supportive Housing and more

October 31, 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:

States Sue USDA Over Refusal to Fund SNAP During Shutdown

A group of 25 states sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) this week over its refusal to use contingency funds to continue providing SNAP food assistance during the government shutdown.

The states’ lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order that would compel USDA to provide SNAP benefits in November. A similar lawsuit was also filed yesterday by a nationwide coalition of local governments, small businesses, and workers’ rights organizations.

If USDA ceases to provide SNAP food assistance, it would be the first suspension of benefits in the program’s history. Some states are planning to draw on state and local funding to support SNAP recipients who may lose assistance.

Over 40 million low-income people – including 8 million seniors – rely on SNAP to afford groceries. Learn more about SNAP and other programs supporting older adults’ basic needs.

Lawmakers Express Concern Over Potential Cuts to Permanent Supportive Housing

Over 20 House Republicans sent a letter to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to urge the agency to extend current grants for HUD’s Continuum of Care (CoC) program through 2026 and delay any potential funding cuts.

The CoC program is HUD’s primary homeless assistance program and prioritizes funding permanent supportive housing (PSH), which provides long-term rental assistance with supportive services for people experiencing chronic homelessness. Older adults age 55 and over comprise 40% of PSH residents, who include people with disabilities and complex health conditions.

According to recent reports, HUD intends to slash funding for PSH next year by over 65% to shift more funding to temporary forms of assistance, such as transitional housing. These drastic cuts would put approximately 170,000 people in PSH at risk of losing their housing and services.

The letter from House Republicans notes that changes in CoC funding priorities “should be implemented carefully to avoid destabilizing programs that serve individuals with severe disabilities related to mental illness, chronic health conditions, or substance use disorders, as well as seniors with disabilities.”

Learn more about PSH and HUD homeless assistance in this Justice in Aging primer. Advocates should also urge Congress to include a provision in upcoming spending bills that protects PSH funding for next year.

New Report Demonstrates True Costs of Cutting Medicaid Home-Based Care

Due to the nearly $1 trillion in federal Medicaid cuts Congress enacted in H.R. 1, states are facing difficult budget decisions. In the past when federal funding was cut, every state cut one or more of their Medicaid home- and community-based services (HCBS) programs.

A new report from the California Health Care Foundation and ATI Advisory analyzes how the federal Medicaid cuts and other pressures on California’s budget could impact HCBS and state spending. ATI found that if the state were to cut Medicaid HCBS, overall spending on aging and disability care would increase due to higher use of nursing facilities.

For example, a 10% cut to five key HCBS programs could increase California's Medicaid long-term care spending by $57 million in the first year alone and $1.17 billion over five years. Moreover, if only 3% of people receiving HCBS shifted to nursing facilities, the state would run out of nursing facility beds.

Advocates can use this report to educate their own state policymakers about the true costs of cutting HCBS and why access to these programs should be preserved and expanded. Read more about what Medicaid cuts mean for low-income older adults’ access to health and long-term care and the importance of protecting and expanding Medi-Cal HCBS.