Seniors deserve their fair share of the pie

As the AARP DC Volunteer State President, I am proud to represent 68,000 AARP members in the District, and on behalf of them and all older District residents, we are advocating for a budget that honors their dignity and needs. For the District’s FY2026 budget, our message is clear: District seniors deserve their fair share of the pie.

Data compiled by AARP shows 17 percent of residents over 45 rarely eat a nutritious meal weekly. To help address this, we applaud Mayor Bowser for including increases for home-delivered meals and community dining in her proposed budget. With 11 percent of older households facing food insecurity and the District ranking number one for senior hunger, these are essential investments.

Additionally, we are pleased that the Mayor included a $300,000 boost to the Safe at Home program. This program assists older adults with making in-home preventative adaptations to reduce the risk of falls, helping them live safely and securely in their own residences.

However, we’re deeply concerned about the proposed cuts to the Department on Aging and Community Living (DACL). These include:

• $1.2 million cut to caregiving services, threatening support for 74,000 unpaid family caregivers in the District who provide 69 million hours of care annually, valued at $1.37 billion.
• $517,000 cut to senior transportation services, further limiting access to community and resources.
• $170,000 cut to Senior Wellness Centers, which are essential for seniors’ physical and mental wellbeing.

Our ask is simple. We are calling on the Council to commit to restoring DACL funding to last year’s level because seniors across the District shouldn’t be short changed.

We are also concerned with proposed cuts to the following programs, and call on the Council to:

• fully fund the Certified Nurses Aide Amendment Act of 2024, to ensure fair pay for frontline care workers.
• restore the Access to Justice Grants to FY25 levels to support legal services for vulnerable residents, including older adults and persons with disabilities.
• reject reductions to government employees access to paid family leave hours for family caregivers, which would cut leave from 80 to 20 hours to reduce risk of costly institutionalization of older adults.
• restore Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) funding to prevent housing instability among low-income seniors.

These aren’t just budget items—these are essential services that District residents rely on. Investing in aging programs is both the right and fiscally smart choice. They help seniors stay safely in their homes, avoid costlier institutional care, and build an Age-Friendly DC. We urge the Council to restore these funds and ensure every older resident gets their fair share of the pie.

Scan the QR code to join AARP DC’s fight on behalf of District seniors.