Back from August recess, the House of Representatives on September 1, 2026, passed the Continuing and Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027. The House’s action, which was expected, avoids a government shutdown before a consequential midterm election.

The bill, a Continuing Resolution (CR) which will keep the government open at limited funding levels through December 11, passed with a vote of 370-48. The CR now heads to the President’s desk for signature. 

Enacting the CR keeps the federal government funded past the end of the fiscal year on September 30, averting a funding lapse that would have impacted aging services providers participating in federal programs. LeadingAge supports the short-term funding measure and will continue to advocate for strong full-year funding levels for critical programs serving older adults and the aging services workforce.

Housing programs funded by annual appropriations bills, such as the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Section 8 and Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly programs, as well as the Older Americans’ Act (OAA) services, Department of Labor (DOL) programs, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) survey and certifications, will continue to operate at FY2026 levels for the CR’s duration.

Given the tight political margins in the House, the 2/3 vote required to pass a CR needed significant support from both the Republican majority and the Democratic minority. This support was won through the inclusion of certain key priorities.

First was ensuring that the House bill retained several of the anomalies (exceptions to the typical flat funding levels provided by CRs) passed by the Senate. One specific anomaly allows public housing authorities (PHAs) to repurpose unobligated Tenant-Based Rental Assistance funds to help households renew expiring vouchers. This will prevent voucher recipients from experiencing a gap in support.

Second is a key provision in the Senate bill that will prohibit through the end of the CR the implementation of a recent proposed rule from the administration that would shift control over federal grants to political appointees. LeadingAge is deeply concerned by this proposal from the administration, because access to funding would be determined by alignment with administration priorities rather than established administrative processes or previous agreed-upon grant terms, even for grants already underway, causing unpredictability within federal financial assistance.

The passage of the CR pushes the funding fight to the end of the year, when the midterm election results and the imminent holiday season could raise the stakes for negotiation between political parties. LeadingAge will track appropriations closely as this CR’s term comes to an end and continue to advocate for strong final funding levels for HUD, HHS, DOL and other programs.