Wednesday, January 11, 2023
Congress:
The dramatic saga is now over and the House has a Speaker – Kevin McCarthy. In the 15th ballot, McCarthy finally became the next Speaker and the House can now begin to legislate. There were considerable concessions made by McCarthy to get the votes he needed including an agreement to cap discretionary spending at fiscal 2022 levels. If that happens, that will slice over $130 billion, or 8 percent, from levels in the recently enacted omnibus spending law.
Federal Budget:
On December 22, 2022, leaders in both the Senate and the House came to a bipartisan agreement and passed the FY23 omnibus spending bills to secure funding.
Overall, the majority of the Older Americans Act (OAA) programs and services received increases for 2023, although most increases were modest when compared to the President’s original budget request, as well as the House Appropriations Committee’s request. The original requests better reflected the need for enhanced resources for the Aging Network given growing demand and workforce challenges. The funding bill represents a bipartisan effort to finalize the budget for FY 2023, eliminating the uncertainty of funding for the Aging Network.
Key increases in the Older Americans Act (OAA):
- $410 million (2.7 percent increase above the FY 2022 enacted level) for Home & Community-Based Supportive Services.
- $1.1 billion (10 percent increase) for Nutrition Services.
- $205 million (5.6 percent increase) for the National Family Caregiver Support Program.
- $26.2 million (6 percent increase) for Evidence-BasedHealth Promotion and Disease Prevention.
- $26.6 million (8 percent increase) for Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program.
To review the final allocations compared to previous years’ budgets and this year’s original proposals in a chart format, please click here: USAging’ s appropriations chart.
Although the increases in the FY23 budget will be helpful, it’s likely things are going to get bumpy this year due to the concessions made by our new Speaker of the House. McCarthy promised to consider each of the 12 annual appropriations bills individually – which hasn’t been done successfully in decades. There’s a real possibility of a government shutdown and a national debt default in our future.
Advocacy Next Steps:
As a means of expanding funding for older adults and increasing advocacy efforts, AgeGuide is hosting its annual Advocacy Breakfast Collaborative event both in person and virtually! We invite elected officials, aging network providers, local partners, and concerned citizens to a community discussion about current issues facing Illinois older adults, caregivers & families. Please join us to connect with your local legislators and inspire meaningful conversation!
Virtual Event:
March 13 from 10:00-11:30 A.M.
In Person Event:
March 17 from 9:00-11:00 A.M.
Location: Senior Services Associates, Inc
2111 Plum Street, Aurora, IL 60506
