Earlier this month, the Biden Administration released its $1.5 trillion budget request for fiscal year 2022, which includes a 16% increase in domestic spending. This increase is long overdue after a decade of flat funding and cuts. The proposal invests in America and Americans, and several items particularly invest in programs that directly support the health and well being of older adults. For example, it proposes investing $14.2 billion into Social Security, a 10% increase from last year, to improve customer service, increase outreach to vulnerable populations, and strengthen program integrity. For the Department of Health and Human Services, it proposes $131.7 billion, a 23.8% increase from 2021, to fund home and community-based programs, a respite care program, Older Americans Act nutrition programs and expanded services for people with disabilities. It also includes a 15% funding increase for housing programs, including those for affordable housing for older adults and people with disabilities.
See the National Council on Aging’s summary for more information. Further details will come as the White House releases the full budget request in the coming weeks.
