The fiscal 2026 spending bill approved by Congress this month preserves federal funding for most senior service programs. Perhaps surprisingly, the GOP majority on Capitol Hill rejected many deep program cuts proposed by the Trump Administration. However, the measure excludes Medicaid, which Congress cut deeply in a separate budget package last summer.

The spending bills, passed four months after the start of the budget year that began last October 1, effectively freeze funding for most programs aimed at supporting older adults. In some cases, the measures raised spending by small amounts. The National Council on Aging has an excellent summary of most of these changes here.

Freezes Beat Cuts But Have Costs

Keep in mind, however, with the population of older adults rapidly increasing, and with costs of food, housing, and staff rising, funding freezes effectively amount to program cuts.

For instance, Congress increased the federal contribution to Meals on Wheels programs by 1%. But with food costs expected to rise by 3% this year, the program is likely to deliver fewer meals and waiting lists will lengthen.

Similarly, while energy costs are expected to increase by 4% this year, Congress added only about 0.5% to an energy assistance program for low-income seniors.

Last summer Congress voted to cut Medicaid spending by roughly $1 trillion over the next decade. More than half of Medicaid dollars are spent on medical and long-term care for older adults and younger people with disabilities.

Still, effectively freezing federal spending for non-Medicaid programs was a big victory for advocates since the Trump Administration kicked off the 2026 budget debate by proposing to cut or even eliminate many programs.

Saving Subsidized Housing

Perhaps the three biggest changes from the Trump budget came in senior housing, energy assistance, and in a jobs program for low-income older adults.

The Administration initially proposed entirely eliminating the $930 million rental assistance for low-income seniors, called Section 202. Instead, it would have taken all federal subsidized housing programs, cut them by 43%, rolled the remaining dollars into a single pot of money called a block grant.

That would have left it to states to decide how to disburse the funds. In effect, low-income seniors would have had to compete with parents and children for shrinking subsidized housing dollars. Older adults almost always lose in those competitions.

In the end, Congress dumped the block grant idea, retained the Section 202 senior housing program, and even increased its funding to $1.031 billion.

Jobs and Energy

Congress also saved the $4 billion low-income home energy assistance program, which the Administration also tried to kill. Instead, it effectively froze spending at last year’s levels.

One reason may have been that Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) is chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Energy assistance for seniors is extremely important in Maine, a cold weather state with one of the largest shares of older adults in the country. Collins announced this week that she is running for reelection.

The third big program Congress saved was the Senior Community Service Employment Program. Trump also tried to eliminate this $400 million program, which helps low-income seniors get jobs at non-profits.

The Administration unilaterally halted the program last year, costing thousands of seniors their jobs, even though Congress had funded it. After a big fuss, funding was restored but the Administration then tried to kill the program permanently.

Instead, Congress extended the program for another year, though it trimmed its budget from $405 million to $395 million.

Food And The Future

These were just some of the programs for older adults that Congress saved from Trump Administration efforts to eliminate them. The Community Services Block Grant program, a small falls prevention effort, a chronic disease self-management program, home modification grants, and an Agriculture Department food assistance program all were on Trump’s chopping block.

All were saved, most at 2025 funding levels. The USDA commodity food program even saw a big bump from $389 million to $460 million.

The Trump Administration has not yet proposed its budget for fiscal year 2027, although it should have done so by now. Since we are in an election year, the best bet is that Congress will continue to fund most programs for older adults at this year’s levels, no matter what the White House proposes.

But with the federal budget deficit approaching $2 trillion this year, and with the national debt exceeding $30 trillion, federal spending battles are far from over. It will be difficult, if not impossible, for these senior services programs to get funding increases in future years that will keep up with growing costs and demand.