BUFFALO, N.Y. — President Donald Trump's advisors are looking to cut nearly $2 trillion from the annual budget, nearly a third of the entire budget. With another government shutdown looming, lawmakers can keep the government running through the end of September at current funding levels or pass spending bills that could mean deep cuts, especially to older adults across New York.
The state's nutrition program, designed to feed those facing food insecurity, is the nation's largest, serving more than a nutritious meal to millions every year.
"These meals served at our senior centers go a long way in combating social isolation," Randy Hoak, Erie County commissioner of senior services, said while spending lunchtime with older adults at West Side Community Services.
Which is why many participate in a variety of activities.
"The educational programs, the wellness programs, contribute to a higher quality of life for older New Yorkers," said Hoak.
A quality of life with an uncertain future, as the federal government looks to trim $2 trillion out of the budget, with nearly $900 billion in cuts to the department that oversees Medicaid, as well as services funded through the Older Americans Act, like meals and transportation.
"I'm very much concerned," said Hoak. "These numbers, like $2 trillion do not take into account the impact, the very real impact that these cuts will have in the lives of people in the districts of these congressional representatives."
"So I think if we collectively are able to reach out to our federal elected officials, we can stop this. To make sure the Older Americans Act is not part of the targets for reductions," said Greg Olsen, director, New York State Office of Aging Services.
Olsen has put together a statewide impact statement and a county-by-county breakdown of what each stands to lose.
Proposed cuts to congregate dining and home-delivered meals for example means more than 7.5 million meals would no longer be provided.
"What we're not trying to do is say the sky is falling, but we want to make sure we get out in front of this," said Olsen. "I would rather be proactive and let folks know, rather than waiting for the reductions to happen and scramble and figure out what we're going to do."
Olsen says Congress has until this Friday to pass a resolution keeping the government running as is through September, or the bills that could contain the cuts.
Hoak and his statewide counterparts, currently drafting contingency plans, are afraid the cuts'll lead to older adults being institutionalized.
"There would be no choice but for them to leave their family, leave the community where they perhaps raised their family and live in a much more costly environment in a long-term care facility," said Hoak.
Both Hoak and Olsen are urging state lawmakers and their constituents to contact their Congressional leaders about these proposed cuts.
