Over the last two weeks, the Administration and Congress have made clear their intentions to cut funding for vital services that support children, youth, caregivers, and older adults, which may include Kinship Navigator Programs, child welfare services, foster care payments, Meals on Wheels and Older Americans Act programs, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) assistance, HeadStart, childcare assistance, housing supports, food and nutrition assistance, Medicaid, the Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network, and more. It’s important that they hear from you now about how key supports and services are critical to your family and others in your community.   

Sample Messages for Your Elected Officials

“I am calling because I am a grandparent raising my grandchild and I am concerned about how cuts to [kinship navigator programs, foster care payments] would affect families like mine. I urge [Senator/Rep X] to protect these critical supports for kinship families.” 

“I am calling because I run [program name], a program that helps children and older adults in my community, and I am concerned about how a funding freeze to [Medicaid, TANF, housing, senior nutrition] programs would harm them. I urge [Senator/Rep X] to protect these critical supports for your constituents.” 

To stay up to date on the 119th Congress and the Trump Administration’s actions impacting children, youth, older adults, and kinship/grandfamilies, and ways you can raise your voice, sign up for alerts from Generations United. 

Help Generations United Advocate for Your Communities 

Generations United reaffirms our unwavering commitment to working with and on behalf of all generations, especially those who will be most impacted by these actions. We recognize that diverse perspectives are essential in our work and will continue to create an inclusive environment where every individual feels valued and empowered. 

Generations United’s mission is as important as ever. Help us build a society that values all generations by making a donation today. If you're an organization, join us!

Background



On Tuesday January 28th, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memo for a temporary pause of federal government assistance and grants, to be in effect at 5pm that evening. The list of potentially impacted programs included a broad range of critical services that support children, youth, and older adults, including kinship/grandfamilies. The short notice for states, tribes, and nonprofit organizations, along with confusion and uncertainty about what programs would be impacted, led the federal payment management systems to be shut down for many agencies and nonprofit organizations across the country and widespread fear and anxiety among young people, families, older adults and those committed to helping them.  

Following pressure from advocates and lawsuits from nonprofits and states, the Trump Administration rescinded the memo on Wednesday January 29th. However, there continues to be uncertainty as the Administration has indicated that they will continue to require federal agencies to complete a comprehensive review of all their financial assistance programs to identify programs, projects, and activities that may be implicated by any of the President’s executive orders or do not align with the President’s priorities. 

This comes on the heels of earlier messages about many programs being targeted for cuts, including House members circulating a list of options to cut a broad range of programs. This “cut list” includes cuts to Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps), and more. This, coupled with the memo from the Office on Management and Budget, sends a clear signal that a wide range of critical benefits, services, and supports for children, families, caregivers, and older adults are at risk. 

If you have any questions or insights, please let us know at gu@gu.org.  

About Generations United: For over three decades, Generations United has been the catalyst for policies and practices stimulating cooperation and collaboration among generations, evoking the vibrancy, energy, and sheer productivity that result when people of all ages come together. We believe that we can only be successful in the face of our complex future if generational diversity is regarded as a national asset and fully leveraged. For more information, visit www.gu.org.

Questions? Please email gu@gu.org.