November 5, 2026 Advocacy Alert

URGENT: Tell Congress to Protect Funding, Reauthorize OAA and Delay OMB Rule

November 5, 2026

Snapshot
(A 30-second read for busy people)

• USAging has three top priorities for the final weeks of the 119th Congress: pass funding increases for Older Americans Act (OAA) programs, reauthorize OAA and continue to prevent implementation of the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) controversial proposed rule on federal grantmaking.
• Congress will reconvene next week and must pass final funding for fiscal year 2027 before December 11, when the current continuing resolution expires, or pass another short-term patch to prevent a government shutdown.
• ACT NOW: Contact all your Members of Congress and urge them to support funding increases for OAA, finish OAA reauthorization and continue to push off the OMB proposed rule on federal grantmaking in any final funding bill. Our email template below makes it easy for you to take action today!

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Congress returns to Capitol Hill next week with approximately five legislative weeks remaining in the 119th Congress to address many key legislative priorities—and we want USAging’s and our members’ priorities to be on their must-pass list! Here’s the to-do list we need to give Congress: ensure Older Americans Act (OAA) FY 2027 federal funding, finish OAA reauthorization and continue to push back on the proposed rule from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that threatens to politicize federal grantmaking.
 
The continuing resolution (CR) currently funding the government at FY 2026 levels expires on December 11, and without a final appropriations package or another CR, the government would shut down. Government shutdowns have repeatedly proven to be a serious pain point for the Aging Network, disrupting the flow of funding and essential services to older adults and another shutdown must be avoided.
 
In any final appropriations package, we continue to urge Congress to protect and increase funding for all OAA programs and specifically prioritize subtitles of the Act that have been historically underfunded. The House's FY 2027 Labor/HHS funding bill, approved over the summer, provided modest increases for several aging programs, including OAA Title III C Nutrition Programs, Title VI Native American Aging Programs and Title VII’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program. USAging’s other priorities, OAA Title III B and III E were level funded, as was Title III D. However, the bill eliminates all funding for the OAA Title V Senior Community Service Employment Program. The Senate has yet to release or mark up their FY 2027 Labor/HHS funding bill, but we are hoping they will do so this month.
 
As Congress negotiates an appropriations solution, it is our last opportunity to push both chambers to use the package as a vehicle for a final OAA reauthorization bill. USAging strongly supports the Senate’s OAA reauthorization bill (S. 2120) which incorporates many of USAging’s OAA reauthorization recommendations, including our language on contracting flexibility 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. (See our recent OAA letter to Congress with our national allies.)
 
Finally, the appropriations measure is also an opportunity to further delay implementation of the controversial OMB proposed grantmaking rule. Under OMB’s proposal, all discretionary awards from the federal government would require review by senior administration officials, who could deny them if they do not align with the President’s agenda. The rule also contains potentially burdensome requirements that would affect all grantees receiving formula funds such as OAA. The current CR delays implementation of the rule until after December 11. Without a temporary or permanent pushback from Congress, OMB will implement the rule, potentially impacting funding for the Aging Network.
 
That’s why your strongest advocacy is critical NOW. We only have a short window to ensure OAA funding stability, finish up OAA reauthorization and get the OMB rule pushed off. Please use the email templates below to contact your lawmakers today!
 
Take Action Now

STEP 1: Click here to access a template letter you can use to email to your Senators and Representative(s) requesting support for increases in OAA funding, inclusion of OAA reauthorization and pushing off the OMB rule in a final bill. Use our email template 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 member whose constituents you serve!

STEP 2: Engage your provider network. Urge your vendors/providers, advisory board members and other important stakeholders to send their own emails to their Senators and 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. 

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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.