A Look at the 2016 Congressional Budget Plans
Published On: Mar 31, 2015 The U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate both have passed budget plans for fiscal year 2016.
The 2 houses now must find consensus on the final provisions of the budget. The Appropriations Committees on both sides of Capitol Hill then will develop spending bills in line with the spending totals set out in the budget.
Unlike the budget plan submitted by President Obama earlier this year, the congressional budget resolutions would reinstate the spending caps contained in the Budget Control Act of 2011.
Senior housing and home- and community-based services programs belong to a category of federal programs that would take substantial hits under the budget resolutions.
The House budget measure also calls for substantial Medicaid savings through the conversion of the program to a system of block grants. Every state would lose Medicaid funds under the House proposal.
The budget process sets the stage for congressional work in the coming months on fiscal 2016 spending bills and potentially a reconciliation bill affecting Medicare and/or Medicaid.
We will continue working with legislators to maximize resources for aging services programs.