September in Washington: What to Know

• By: USAging
• On: 09/09/2022 09:22:31
• In: Policy & Advocacy

Election season is ramping up and there is very little time left for legislating in this Congress. With the fiscal year drawing to a close, House and Senate negotiations on FY 2023 appropriations remain at a standstill as Congress waits to see what midterm elections will mean for the future control of Congress. While we can't read the tea leaves for election outcomes, we do expect Congress to pass a continuing resolution (CR) before October 1.
 
By passing a CR to avoid a government shutdown and pushing off the start of difficult bipartisan negotiations on FY 2023 spending levels, Congress is buying itself more time—and additional knowledge of the political landscape for the 118th Congress that waiting until after the election will bring. We expect the CR will run through mid-December and is likely to freeze spending for all aging programs at FY 2022 levels. 
 
The Biden Administration is also seeking to add funding for Ukraine, disaster-relief for the Kentucky floods and the Mississippi water crisis, and additional COVID-19 funding to the CR. Republicans have indicated they will not support adding additional COVID-19 funding but remain open to the other added funding measures.
 
USAging thanks you for your advocacy throughout the year, but clearly our work is not done. We must continue to advocate for the investment we know is sorely needed. The robust increases reflected in the President's budget and the Democratic House bill (and to a lesser extent the Democratic Senate bill) remain a proposed starting point for future negotiations with Republicans and, as in FY 2022, these numbers will likely come down in order to secure overall Republican support for the final bill.
 
We need you to continue to communicate the importance of these programs and services, particularly with Republican lawmakers, to ensure that they understand the size and scope of aging services that are needed to help enable older adults to age with dignity in their homes and communities. Please continue to check USAging's Appropriations Campaign page to help you connect with your elected officials on this and other critical issues.

For more information about these and other federal aging policy issues, please contact USAging's policy team: Amy Gotwals and Monica Billger at policy@usaging.org, 202.872.0888.