Large-scale job cuts and an extensive overhaul at the Department of Health and Human Services might interfere with initiatives providing aid to Holocaust survivors as well as delivering Kosher food to elderly individuals who are confined to their homes and those with disabilities.
As part of the Trump administration’s To cut federal spending, the department is downsizing its staff by 25% and discontinuing the Administration for Community Living, an organization responsible for coordinating government assistance programs like Meals on Wheels, adult day care, elder abuse prevention, and aids for independent living.
Across the nation, Jewish social service organizations provide kosher meals to people’s residences as part of the Meals on Wheels initiative. The ACL also offers additional support to Holocaust survivors via a dedicated program run by them. Federations of Jewish Communities of North America .
An estimated 40,000 Holocaust survivors reside in the United States presently, with over a third of them facing poverty.
Cuts to Holocaust survivors
JFNA, having received numerous phone calls and emails from worried Jewish groups regarding the federal budget reductions, states that it is actively lobbying the government to safeguard these essential services.
ACL plays a vital role in promoting the independence of individuals with disabilities. older adults Including Holocaust survivors and Jewish Federations are committed to making sure that the essential programs they manage continue without disruption regardless of any possible administrative shifts," stated David Goldfarb, who serves as the senior director at JFNA’s strategic health center.
Launched in 2015, the Holocaust Survivor Assistance Program seeks to enhance the effectiveness of social service providers by educating them about an inclusive health-care method called person-centered, trauma-informed care. This initiative has garnered significant backing from both sides of the political aisle in Congress. Most recently, lawmakers have provided $8.3 million towards this program, while reducing numerous other designated funds within the budget resolution passed last month.
When announcing the restructuring, the department stated that critical services would remain unaffected. They mentioned that vital programs currently under ACL will be transferred to other entities within the department, such as the Administration for Children and Families, the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The reductions at the Department of Health and Human Services coincide with a spending embargo at another federal entity, which has left security subsidies for synagogues and Jewish non-profits uncertain. Jewish organizations along with bipartisan legislators are urging the Trump administration to reinstate the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which became stagnant due to the halt imposed on FEMA, the federal emergency management body.