Wyden, Colleagues, Slam Trump Administration’s Plan to Dismantle Federal Agency that Helps Seniors Live Independently, Stay in their Homes as they Age
53 million family caregivers will be left without support, forcing some to leave the workforce to care for their loved ones
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Bernard Sanders, D-Vt., and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., today led a group of 22 senators in slamming Trump administration's decision to dismantle a critical federal agency that helps seniors and people with disabilities live independently and fully participate in their communities.
The federal agency, the Administration for Community Living (ACL), provides home-delivered and congregate meals for older adults, Medicare enrollment assistance, peer supports, community living activities, and support for family caregivers, among other functions. The Trump administration recently announced it would dismantle the agency, fire over half its workforce, and scatter its functions across several different agencies. The lawmakers are calling on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to halt this shortsighted effort that will cause tangible and enduring harm to older adults and people with disabilities.
“For over a decade, ACL and its expert staff have coordinated services across federal, state, and local governments to ensure that older adults and people with disabilities live healthy, connected, independent lives in the community,” the senators wrote Kennedy. “In fact, ACL saves the Federal government and taxpayers money by keeping older adults and people with disabilities out of institutions; for example, it costs less to feed a senior for an entire year through the Older Americans Act than it does for a senior to spend one night in a hospital.”
The letter to Kennedy noted that transferring ACL programs to other federal agencies —also reeling from devastating staffing reductions by the administration— will create havoc and disrupt delivery of bipartisan supported programs such as home-delivered and congregate meals for older adults, Medicare enrollment assistance, peer supports, community living activities, and interventions to support family caregivers.”
“Interruption to nutrition programs means millions of older adults may go hungry without the over 220 million meals they rely on,” the lawmakers wrote. “53 million family caregivers will be left without support, forcing some to leave the workforce to care for their loved ones. Vital evidence-based research and services for people with developmental disabilities will be in jeopardy. Your illegal attempt to dismantle ACL will have far-reaching implications…We strongly urge HHS to consider the needs of seniors, people with disabilities, and those who care for them, and halt this effort to dismantle ACL.”
The letter was led by Senator Kristen Gillibrand, D-N.Y. In addition to Wyden, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Bernard Sanders, I-Vt., Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Mazie Hirono, D-Hawai’i, Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., Chris Coons, D-Del., Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Jack Reed, D-R.I., Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., Andy Kim, D-N.J., John Fetterman, D-Pa., Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Tim Kaine, D-Va., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., and Mark Warner, D-Va.
Full letter text is here.
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