July 16, 2026 Advocacy Alert

Urge the House to Take Up OAA Reauthorization

July 16, 2026

Snapshot
(A 30-second read for busy people)

• On July 14, the Senate passed the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act (S. 2120) through unanimous consent and the bill will now move to the House for consideration.
• With only two weeks remaining until the August recess, the House is likely to wait until September to consider the bill, giving advocates time to elevate the bill and build support in the House.
• ACT NOW: Please contact your Representatives and urge them to support the OAA reauthorization bill. Please also be sure to thank your Senators for supporting the bill. Use our email templates below.

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On Tuesday, the Senate passed the Older Americans Act (OAA) Reauthorization Act (S. 2120). S. 2120 is a bipartisan bill with bicameral support, and it reflects the realities of a bipartisan Hill process and the input of dozens of aging organizations over the past two years. The bill was passed under a process reserved for non-controversial legislation, so while there were no recorded votes, essentially every Senator supported its passage!
 
USAging supports this bill and is strongly advocating for final passage of OAA reauthorization by the end of this year. It incorporates many of USAging’s OAA reauthorization recommendations, including our language on contracting freedom for AAAs, support for a national resource center for social isolation, codification of grab-and-go meals and a 4.62-percent increase in authorization levels each year for five years.
 
The bill’s next step is the House of Representatives, where the House Education and Workforce Committee has jurisdiction. In 2024, the House required changes to the authorization levels in the Senate’s previous bill, so we can expect additional negotiations between the chambers before the bill can pass the House and ultimately be signed into law.
 
With August recess starting in two weeks, the House is likely to wait until September to consider the bill, giving advocates time to elevate the bill and build support in the House.

We need your loudest and strongest advocacy NOW and throughout the August recess to get the bill across the finish line when Congress returns in September! Please use the email template below to contact your Representatives and urge them to support the OAA Reauthorization Act, as well as to thank your Senators for supporting the bill.

Take Action Now

STEP 1: Send an email to your Representative(s) requesting their support for the OAA Reauthorization Act! Use our email template below to get started and be sure to customize it to your agency/community. Send your email to their DC and district offices, which you can find by clicking here. Please be sure to send an email to any House members whose constituents you serve!
 

Email Template to Your Representatives Note: Areas with yellow highlighting require customization. Dear [Representative NAME]:   On behalf of [AGENCY NAME] in [AGENCY LOCATION AND STATE], we are writing to urge you to support advancing the bipartisan Older Americans Act (OAA) Reauthorization Act (S. 2120), which passed the Senate on July 14.   The bipartisan Senate bill includes critical updates to the law that help agencies like ours better serve older adults and their family caregivers. The bill was originally introduced in 2024 through bipartisan collaboration from both chambers and nearly passed as part of a broader legislative package in late 2024 but fell out due to no fault of its own. This bill largely mirrors the 2024 bill with the only difference being minor increases to authorization levels.   The Act has operated unauthorized since 2024 so it is imperative Congress act quickly to reauthorize the Act to ensure the continued health and well-being of the 11 million older adults and family caregivers who receive OAA services in every congressional district in the country.   I’d be happy to share how the OAA affects the older adults and family caregivers in your district and our agency’s role in providing critical programs and services to help older adults age well at home.   Sincerely,   [NAME, affiliation, address, etc.]

 
STEP 2: Send an email to your Senators thanking them for supporting the OAA Reauthorization Act of 2025! Use our email template below to get started and be sure to customize it to your agency/community. Send your email to their DC and state offices, which you can find by clicking here. 
 

Email Template to Your Senators Note: Areas with yellow highlighting require customization.   Dear [Senator NAME]:   On behalf of [AGENCY NAME] in [AGENCY LOCATION AND STATE], we are writing to thank you for advancing the bipartisan Older Americans Act (OAA) Reauthorization Act (S. 2120), which passed the Senate on July 14 under Unanimous Consent.   The bipartisan Senate bill includes critical updates to the law that help agencies like ours better serve older adults and their family caregivers.   [ADD A PARAGRAPH ON HOW YOUR AGENCY SUPPORTS OLDER ADULTS AND CAREGIVERS THROUGH OAA] Once again, we thank you for supporting the reauthorization of the OAA, which will help to ensure the continued health and well-being of the 11 million older adults and family caregivers who receive OAA services in every corner of every state in the country.   Sincerely,   [NAME, affiliation, address, etc.]

STEP 3: Engage your provider network. Urge your vendors/providers, advisory board members and other important stakeholders to send their own emails to their Representatives. Please do all you can to amplify the message and engage others who understand the value of OAA in their community! Forward this Alert to your networks or edit it to be best received by your agency’s advocates. Your advocacy will help to ensure OAA is reauthorized before the new year!

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If you have questions or concerns about this Advocacy Alert or USAging’s policy positions, please contact the USAging Policy Team, Amy Gotwals, Olivia Umoren Ezeuko and Seth Ickes at policy@usaging.org.