May 21, 2020 Advocacy Alert
Connect With Your Members of Congress During Memorial Day Recess
May 21, 2020
Congress is scheduled to be on recess from May 22 to June 1 for the Memorial Day holiday. This is an important time to engage with federal lawmakers—especially your Senators—about the need for additional funding to continue supporting older adults and caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last week, the House passed a $3 trillion relief measure, the HEROES Act, H.R. 6800,
to send nearly $1 trillion to state and local governments to fill budget gaps, another round of stimulus checks to many individuals, and other significant investments in safety-net programs, including $85 million for OAA programs.
However, the Senate seems to be in no rush to act, and in order to move another round of relief to states and communities—including to the Aging Network—Senators must hear from local advocates about critical priorities!
Additionally, because the House-passed HEROES Act did not include n4a’s specific funding recommendations to alleviate social isolation among older Americans, Senators must also hear about the importance of promoting those investments. The upcoming congressional recess is a key opportunity for Members of Congress to hear from local advocates about how important it is to prioritize programs that provide relief and assistance for vulnerable older adults and caregivers in future relief funding packages.
Action Requested:
⇒Use n4a’s social media toolkit to engage your Senators when they are back in their states next week. Make sure to tag your Senators in your posts and urge your agency’s stakeholders and advocacy network to do the same! This is especially important if you have a Republican Senator(s)! We are hearing that the Senate majority doesn’t understand why there is an urgent need to act.
⇒If you have time, send a more detailed request via email. Ask your Senators to support key policy and funding opportunities to ensure that older adults and caregivers get the services they need to stay safely at home for the duration of the pandemic. Use n4a’s recent letter to Senate and House leadership as a guide or, for a simplified version that’s ready to be customized to your agency, use our template. Find how to email them on your Senator’s website.
⇒If you can, ask other advocates to do the same! Urge colleagues, advisory board members, volunteers and clients to send social media messages and make calls to Senators, as well.
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If you have questions or concerns about this Advocacy Alert or n4a’s policy positions, please contact Autumn Campbell at acampbell@n4a.org and Amy Gotwals at agotwals@n4a.org.