In our area, managers of the programs say they are facing financial hardships, and fewer needy seniors are being fed. This is happening all across the country. While Congress has not cut funding for these programs, it has been frozen for four years. But with more and more seniors in need of meals program benefits, it's becoming increasingly difficult for providers in a community to meet the demand. The need for the meals programs is quite real.
Participants are disproportionately poor.
One third of congregate meal participants and half of home delivered meal participants have incomes below the poverty level. With House passage, we are now working to ensure that the measure remains in the Senate version of the bill and that the President signs it into law. I am reminding Senators and the President that our measure was endorsed by the National Council of Senior Citizens, the Meals on Wheels Association of America, the Senior Citizens League, the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs, and the National Association of State Units on Aging and will urge them to support it. Another recent House action bodes well for seniors too. We passed legislation to ensure that every senior citizen and every disabled person who chooses to participate will have essential prescription drug coverage to help them with increasing increasing costs.