House Committee Approves FY 2017 Labor-HHS Spending Plan
House Committee Approves FY 2017 Labor-HHS Spending Plan
Important Boosts for OAA and Aging Programs
July 14, 2016
This morning the House Appropriations Committee approved, by a vote of 31 to 19, its FY 2017 spending plan for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS). The bill sets discretionary funding levels for the bulk of the federal workforce, education and health and social services programs, which includes Older Americans Act and other critical aging programs.
The details of the plan that passed out of the full Committee offer some rare good news for many OAA and other aging programs. While overall funding for the Labor-HHS title was over $500 million below FY 2016 amounts, we greatly appreciate that many aging programs saw modest, but long overdue, bumps in funding. An updated n4a Appropriations Chart is available that details the House Labor-HHS appropriations recommendations.
House Appropriators Reject Senate Cuts
As n4a reported last week, we were thrilled to see that the House Labor-HHS bill rejects the concerning and misinformed Senate-proposed elimination of the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), and recommends fully funding SHIPs at the FY 2016 level of $52.1 million. We believe that effective advocacy by national aging advocacy organizations and AAAs and SHIP programs across the country ensured that the House rejected the Senate elimination of SHIP programs. However, we must continue our efforts this summer and fall to ensure that SHIP funding is preserved in the final spending package that House and Senate negotiators will have to agree upon.
The House bill also countered Senate cuts to Title VI Native American aging programs and the Title V Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP). Instead, House appropriators included very modest increases of $50,000 to Title VI Part A nutrition services and $25,000 for Part B Caregiver support programs. The House also proposed level funding for SCSEP at $434 million.
Other Highlights of the House Bill
Overall, the Administration for Community Living received an $11.4 million boost above FY 2016 levels. While this is less than a 1 percent increase, given the cut in top-line funding for the Labor-HHS bill, this is good news reflecting House support for many ACL and Administration on Aging programs!
Core OAA programs also fared well despite the incredibly tough budget environment. On the heels of celebrating OAA reauthorization this spring, we are very pleased that appropriators echoed support for critical aging programs. Key increases included a $5.3 million (1.5 percent) bump for Title III B Supportive Services ($353 million). While this increase did not match the President’s requested $10 million boost for III B programs, which n4a supports and has heavily advocated for, it does represent the first increase for III B funding since an across-the-board sequester in FY 2013.
Title III C Congregate and Home-Delivered Meals also received $5.8 million (1.2 percent) and $8.1 million (3.4 percent) increases ($454 and $234 million, respectively). The increases for the III C programs are notable because they both match the President’s request.
Additional Small Increases for OAA and Aging Programs
Several other OAA programs received small increases that are noteworthy considering the fiscal and political environment in which this bill was drafted. Title III E Family Caregiver Support Services received a $325,000 bump ($151 million); Title VII Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program received a $165,000 increase ($20.8 million); and Lifespan Respite received a $640,000 boost to $4 million. Unfortunately, the House rejected the Senate-proposed boost for Elder Justice Programs and level funded that program at $10 million.
Other HHS programs were also spared cuts and level funded, including Senior Corps at $202 million, Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) at $1.7 billion and the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) at $715 million. However, the House proposed a $100 million increase for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), funding that program at $3.49 billion.
What’s Next?
Following the full Committee mark-up this week, the House and Senate will recess for seven weeks. While Members are in their districts and states this summer campaigning, it is a critical time to ensure that local advocates are communicating with their Congressional delegations about the importance of funding for OAA and other aging programs!
Both chambers will leave for the summer without passing the Labor-HHS spending bills. After lawmakers return to DC in September, they will have very limited time to pass a federal spending plan before the beginning of the next fiscal year on October 1. Therefore, at this point, we anticipate that Members will pass a short-term (but how short-term remains to be seen) continuing resolution, or CR, this fall before the end of the current fiscal year and before they leave again in October to campaign in the final weeks before the November election. A CR would mostly likely lock in FY 2016 levels, which would prevent the Senate-proposed cuts from taking place, but would also mean that the increases in the House bill would not become a reality in the CR.
Final spending levels for FY 2017 will likely be decided following the election, and the spending strategy during that lame-duck session will probably depend largely on the election outcomes. We will continue to send updates as more details are revealed throughout the summer and fall.
However, it is critical that we keep up the drumbeat about the need for funding increases for OAA and other aging programs. Stay tuned for updates about the FY 2017 appropriations process as they are available and continue to contact your Members of Congress with these important messages!
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This Legislative Update is an n4a membership benefit. For more information about these and other federal aging policy issues, please contact n4a’s policy team: Amy Gotwals (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) and Autumn Campbell (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), 202.872.0888.