Proposed federal funding cuts threaten local services to seniors

LOVELL — Senior citizens may suffer from a reduction or elimination of services if the 2026 federal budget – which includes cuts in the Older Americans Act – is passed in its current form, according to officials of the North Big Horn Senior Citizens Center in Lovell.

The center provides low cost services to senior citizens residing in communities throughout North Big Horn County. The services impacted include nutrition, transportation, education and social programs.

The center sent out an SOS (signal for distress) this week, asking its members and the community at large to call members of Wyoming’s Congressional delegation – U.S. Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis and U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman –  to oppose proposed budget cuts to the Older Americans Act.

The Older Americans Act was first enacted 60 years ago.

It was stalled by Congress last year and is now being addressed in the federal budget. In addition to the deep funding cuts, the department that oversees the Older Americans Act has been eliminated, and the administration of the program will be managed by three different departments.

Representatives of national aging associations across the country have expressed concern that those departments do not have the historical knowledge or insight regarding how program grants are most helpful to seniors.

What lies ahead

According to the senior center’s director, Kim Gifford, the proposed budget cuts, as they are currently written, would reduce the center’s federal funding for nutrition services, including both congregate and home delivered meals, by as much as 12 to 15 percent.

She said funding for the center’s supportive programs like transportation, education and social programs could see cuts up to 68 percent.

The senior center is mobilizing its membership to urge federal legislators to reject the proposed cuts and keep in place programs senior citizens depend on for support.

Gifford cautioned that the proposed cuts to nutrition programs, meal delivery, transportation, exercise programs and social programs would be felt locally, along with programs slated for elimination altogether like preventative health, adult protection services and the Low-income home Energy Assistance Program.

Gifford emphasized the urgency of the situation, since the budget process is already in motion, with a final vote expected in the near future.

For that reason, the center is asking citizens to call their representatives rather than write. The contact information is as follows:

• Barrasso – 202-224-6441 or 866-235-9553
• Lummis –  202-224-3424
• Hageman – 202-225-2311

Programs potentially affected

The meal program is by far the most used offering at the center. It’s also a program that will be greatly impacted should the funding cuts be implemented.

Currently, the center serves around 138 low cost meals daily, five days a week. About 50 of those meals are served in a group setting at the center, and the remainder are picked up at the center or delivered for free to those unable to travel in Lovell, Byron, Cowley, Deaver and Frannie and to those living in rural areas in between.

The bulk of the congregate meals are served daily at the center in Lovell. Group meals are also served a few days per month in the towns of Frannie, Deaver and Cowley. Gifford said the number of senior citizens relying on the meals continues to increase every year.

The cost to prepare the meals is about $10 to $12 per meal; however, those 60 or older pay only $4 for the meal, and those who are not senior citizens pay $8. The meal cost is subsidized by several sources, including the Older Americans Act.

In a rural area like North Big Horn County, where there is no other public transportation, the senior center’s low-cost rides are a service its members rely on to get to medical appointments, the grocery store, post office, hairdresser or barber, to the senior center itself or to visit friends and family. Many seniors are no longer able to drive and do not have a reliable source of transportation other than the senior center’s van service.

The rides are subsidized, in part, by Title IIIB of the Older Americans Act, a section slated to receive some of the biggest cuts. The senior center’s transportation program provides around 4,000 rides per year, with roughly 90 percent provided to seniors. The need for the program continues to grow as the senior population ages. The vans are used for meal delivery in addition to transportation.

The senior center operates on a very tight budget, relying on several sources to fund its programs from state, federal and local resources, as well as the relatively small donations and fees paid by its members for meals and rides.

With many seniors living at or below the poverty level, Gifford said she fears some of the most vulnerable will not be able to afford the services if the cost increases. She noted that, for many, the meal they receive at the center is not only their only meal of the day, but their only social contact, as well.

“We’re so rural, and we cover a wide area,” she said. “If we can’t provide these services people will be hurting.”

As seniors age, it’s common to find themselves living alone.

A study conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2020 found that 27 percent of adults nationwide, age 60 and older, were living alone. The number is expected to increase as the baby boomer generation gets older. The isolation of living alone does present challenges like loneliness, depression, inability to get services and proper nutrition.

To help alleviate this problem, the center offers several free programs that give seniors the opportunity to interact with others. Oftentimes, the center schedules these programs around meal service to encourage those attending to grab an inexpensive nutritious meal while at the center.

These programs are reliant on funds from the Title IIIB section of the Older Americans Act and would be greatly impacted by budget cuts.

Making ends meet

The center’s bookkeeper, Melissa Cavender, noted that the center struggled last year to make ends meet due to cuts from other funding sources. She said it relied heavily last year on sources that will not be available this year like residual funds from COVID relief programs to deal with the shortfall.

The center is also bracing for future cuts to local funding due to a recently implemented reduction in property tax revenue that will affect the amount the center receives as part of its mill levy, she said.

“Every dollar we lose must be made up somewhere,” explained Cavender. “In our case, you either have to make it up in terms of local funding (like increasing the mill levy) or you have to pass it on to the seniors (with higher costs for services). Raising prices is something we hesitate to do because quite a few people wouldn’t be able to afford it.”

The center launched a mail and printed flyer campaign this week to encourage seniors and the community at large to speak up before the federal budget is finalized.

“We just want people to be aware that this is happening,” Gifford said.

Cavender added, “The senior center maintains a reserve from its mill levy funds for emergencies. If the center starts using those emergency funds just to get by, the funds won’t last long.”

According to the National Council on Aging, more than 11,000 senior centers serve more than 1 million older adults each day.

In the 53 years since its creation in 1972, the North Big Horn Senior Center in Lovell has become a hub of activity for the senior citizen community, centralizing services and information with the goal of improving the quality of life for the elderly population residing in the area.

This story was published on May 22, 2025.