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:
Submit Comments on HUD’s Proposed Rule on Work Requirements and Time Limits
Last month, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published a proposed rule that would allow Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) and HUD-assisted owners to impose work requirements and time limits for HUD housing assistance.
Under HUD’s proposal, PHAs and owners would be able to impose work requirements of up to 40 hours per week and time limits as short as two years. Despite HUD’s claims to the contrary, this proposal would take away housing assistance from older adults and people with disabilities. Read more about the proposed rule and how it would harm older adults in Justice in Aging’s fact sheet.
Comments on the proposed rule are due May 1, 2026. Organizations can also join these sign-on comments from the National Low Income Housing Coalition by April 30.
The Senate Adopts Budget Resolution Starting New Budget Reconciliation Process
This week, the Senate voted 50 to 48 to adopt a budget resolution for fiscal year (FY) 2026 that starts the budget reconciliation process, allowing the Republican Majority in Congress to enact three years of funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs Border Patrol (CBP) without support from Democrats. The Senate resolution is narrowly focused on ICE and CBP funding, without any guardrails or accountability.
The FY 26 budget resolution now moves to the House where some Republican members are calling for more cuts to Medicaid, SNAP food assistance, and other programs either in this package or in an FY 2027 budget reconciliation bill.
The nearly $1 trillion Medicaid funding cuts and SNAP cost-shifts to states that Congress enacted in the 2025 budget reconciliation act (H.R. 1) are already pushing states to cut home-based care and other supports for older adults and people with disabilities.
It is important for advocates to weigh in with Congress now to stop these harmful budget reconciliation proposals from moving forward.
Use these letters to support your advocacy:
- February letter asking Congress to stop harmful immigration enforcement and invest in programs that older adults rely on to meet their basic needs.
- Letter from aging and disability advocacy organizations and allies urging Congress to reject any further cuts to Medicaid.
Senior Hunger Prevention Act Introduced in Congress
U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and John Fetterman (D-PA), along with Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) and Andrea Salinas (D-OR), recently introduced the Senior Hunger Prevention Act in Congress. This bill would strengthen and expand access to SNAP food assistance for low-income older adults.
The bill aims to increase the minimum monthly SNAP benefit for all participants, reduce administrative barriers that prevent seniors from accessing SNAP, and more. The Senior Hunger Prevention Act is endorsed by Justice in Aging.
New Justice in Aging Resources
- Issue Brief: Access to Home- and Community-Based Services for People with Disabilities Leaving Incarceration: Barriers and Policy Priorities (4/22)
- Comment Letter: Justice in Aging’s Comments on HUD’s Proposed Rule on Mixed-Status Households (4/21)
- Fact Sheet: FAQ: Adding a Dental Benefit to Medicare Part B (4/20)
- Blog: The Future of Aging Policy: Defending What Exists While Preparing for What Comes Next (4/16)
- Issue Brief: Equity in Aging: Public Benefits and the Realities of Black Older Adults (4/14)
- Alert: Take Action to Stop Harmful HUD Proposals (4/9)
- Fact Sheet: H.R. 1 Reduces Medicaid Retroactive Eligibility Starting in 2027 (4/9)
- Fact Sheet: H.R. 1 Imposes New Limit on Home Equity for Medicaid Long-Term Services and Supports Effective 2028 (4/9)
- Fact Sheet: How Medicare and Medi-Cal Work Together for Older Adults (4/6)
- Toolkit: Provider Network Protections for D-SNP State Medicaid Agency Contracts (3/31)
- Resource: Supplemental Security Income Restoration Act of 2026 (HR 7828, S. 4001) Sponsors and Supporters (3/25)
- Fact Sheet: How H.R. 1 Impacts People Dually Eligible for Medicare and Medicaid (3/24)
Upcoming Justice in Aging Webinars
- Fighting Evictions in Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities (4/29)
- Understanding California's Eviction Process: A Primer for Advocates (5/12)
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Basics (5/20)
