Defending the Administration for Community Living
On March 27, the Trump Administration and DOGE proposed the so-called “Make American Healthy Again” (MAHA) plan, which would include the dismantling of the Administration for Community Living (ACL), the federal agency focused on aging and disability. This could have disastrous implications for older people, disabled people, family caregivers, and the programs upon which they rely.
Most people, including LGBTQ+ elders and people living with HIV, overwhelmingly prefer to age at home and receive care from family, friends, or chosen family. ACL has been the primary voice within the government to advocate for programs like home-delivered meals, adult day programs, caregiver respite, elder abuse prevention, transportation to medical care, free legal aid, and other critical resources. Programs that allow aging-in-place are both popular and cost-effective, reducing taxpayer spending on expensive institutional long-term care. Dismantling this agency would not only harm older people, family caregivers, and people with disabilities, but it would also cost taxpayers more money and put additional pressure on our already-strained healthcare system.
“ACL has consistently fought for the right of all older people, including LGBTQ+ older people and older people living with HIV, to age-in-place,” said Aaron Tax, SAGE’s Managing Director of Government Affairs and Policy Advocacy. “It has a dedicated staff with unparalleled subject matter expertise that administers critical programs that support all of us as we age. ACL has been a champion for all of us. Now it’s time for us to be a champion for ACL.”
SAGE urges our community to call and email your Members of Congress and ask that they speak out against this potentially catastrophic plan. Critical supports for older people, disabled people, and family caregivers are on the line, and we must do everything in our power to preserve these life-saving programs.
