Members of Congress Show Strong Support For MOW FY14 Appropriations Process Continues Restoring pre-sequester funding levels for the Older Americans Act (OAA) Nutrition Program is one of our greatest priorities and, at the same time, toughest challenges. As you may recall, several weeks ago we celebrated the Senate Committee on Appropriations’ passage of a bill that, if enacted into law, would achieve this goal. While we still must keep an eye on the Senate’s work in the weeks ahead, we also need your help to keep the pressure on the House of Representatives by urging them to follow suit. Working Together to Achieve Common Goals At the national level, the Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOW) and the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs (NANASP) have joined forces to give Meals on Wheels and congregate programs a louder voice throughout the appropriations process. Last week, our organizations worked closely to help secure 64 Representatives’ signatures on a letter supporting funding for OAA Nutrition Programs. The bipartisan letter was authored by two Meals on Wheels champions, Representatives Dave Loebsack (D-Iowa) and Tom Petri (R-Wisconsin). Please read their joint press release here, which includes quotes from MOW President and CEO, Ellie Hollander and NANASP Board President, Paul Downey. The letter, which was sent to leaders of the House Appropriations Committee on July 29, specifically urges the House to provide funding for OAA Nutrition Programs at or above the levels included in the Senate’s FY2014 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill. The Senate’s bill included $816 million for the three OAA Nutrition Programs—Congregate, Home-Delivered and the Nutrition Services Incentive Program. Given the limited number of days we had to reach out to Congressional offices before the letter sign-on deadline, we are pleased we garnered this level of support. We are hopeful that the leaders on key Committees, senior Members of the House and longtime supporters of Meals on Wheels who signed this letter will help lead the way to success. The full text of the letter and list of names and signatures can be found here. What You Can Do To Help Please look to see if your program’s Representative(s) signed this letter. If so, we ask that you send a personal thank you note for showing their support for your program and the work that you do each and every day to serve our nation’s most vulnerable seniors. As we had requested previously, we also strongly recommend that you reach out to your Senators and Representatives promptly to invite them to visit your programs and deliver meals this August during their recess to keep the momentum going. If you have any questions or would like more information, feel free to contact Erika Kelly, Chief Advocacy Officer, at [email protected]. Meals On Wheels Association of America 413 N. Lee Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 (P) 888.998.6325 | (F) 703.548.5274 Privacy Policy | Email Preferences loebsack.house.gov/uploadedfiles/senior_nutrition_letter.pdf
Posted on: Tue, 30 Jul 2013 21:14:15 +0000
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