As Congress gets back to work the week of March 24, and negotiations between House and Senate Republican leaders on a federal budget reconciliation package resume, opportunities for advocacy are emerging.
Lawmakers are focused on extending expiring tax cuts and boosting spending on border security and defense, among other priorities, and homing in on options to pay for this package of policies.
This process holds both risks and opportunities for aging services providers.
Lawmakers are seriously considering hundreds of billions in cuts to federal Medicaid spending, which would be devastating for providers and those they serve, as well as for states. Also on the table are policies that would raise revenue including: the elimination of the tax exemption for interest on municipal bonds, which is a critical source of financing for LeadingAge members across the continuum including affordable housing– and ending the Employee Retention Tax Credit, which offered essential funding to address pandemic losses for aging services providers across the country.
Action is needed to protect all of these programs.
At the same time, budget reconciliation creates an opportunity to advocate for issues LeadingAge supports, including a repeal of the nursing home staffing standard and increasing Low Income Housing Tax Credit allocations to states.
As lawmakers lean in, now is the time to make our voices heard through these Action Alerts:
Contacting your representatives and senators will make a real difference. It takes just a few minutes to send each of these Alerts, and the system makes personalizing your message easy. Explaining the impact of an issue on your specific organization and those you serve is especially powerful for lawmakers to hear.
Congress is listening. Let’s make sure they hear from all of us to help ensure that budget policies reflect the priorities of LeadingAge members and support nonprofit providers’ mission of service to older adults.
Improving Medicare Advantage
