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40 Senators Call for Funding Increases for OAA Programs

Last week, Senator Bernie Sanders was joined by 39 of his Senate colleagues from both sides of the aisle on a Dear Colleague Letter asking Senate appropriators to increase federal FY 2020 funding for Older Americans Act programs by at least 12 percent. This effort comes as appropriations season in Congress is ramping up and on the heels of a bipartisan House letter that received 140 signatures thanks to your grassroots advocacy!

n4a encourages local aging advocates to keep up the drumbeat about the need to make significant investments in critical OAA services—especially OAA Title III B, III E and Title VI programs. For more about actions you can take, see our recent Advocacy Alert and stay tuned next week for messaging that you can use with your grassroots advocates!
 
Please take a few moments to send a thank you to your Senator(s) if they signed on to the Senator Sanders Letter. Use the following template language in an email to their district or DC staff.
 
Dear STAFF NAME,
 
On behalf of YOUR AGENCY NAME, which serves XXX number of older adults and caregivers in COMMUNITY in STATE, we wanted to say THANK YOU to Senator NAME for supporting the recent Dear Colleague Letter requesting funding increases for Older Americans Act programs and services in FY 2020.
 
We so appreciate your boss's support of these critical programs and look forward to working with you as these issues move forward. ADD SOME INFORMATION ABOUT HOW OAA PROGRAMS SUPPORT OLDER ADULTS AND CAREGIVERS IN YOUR COMMUNITY.
 
We welcome the Senator and your team to come see our programs in action anytime! Please let us know if there is a time that works. Please don't hesitate to reach out at any time if AGENCY NAME can be a resource for you, and please pass our appreciation on to Senator NAME.
 
Thank you again!
 

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USAging Fact: Learn about your peers’ work—and how it can fit into your agency’s goals! The AIA Awards recognizes successful and innovative programs that USAging members have developed to serve older adults. Get inspiration from our 2023 winners!