Flat funding for aging and family caregiver programs in the President’s FY27 budget proposal fails to meet the rising demands of caregiving in America. As families providing care have grown nearly 50% in the last decade, reaching 63+ million, program funding has stagnated. Family caregivers increasingly must coordinate care and manage complex conditions with inadequate support.
The stakes are high: cuts to NIH research may slow advances on illnesses such as Alzheimer’s and cancer that create caregiver hardship. Federal agency reorganization increases uncertainty for the infrastructure vital to caregiving programs, affecting both current and future caregivers.
Level funding for caregiver programs reinforces a system that expects families to shoulder increasing responsibilities with few resources. Family caregivers are vital to the nation’s health and economy, and federal investment should match their importance. The FY27 budget is a critical opportunity, and Congress must act to align resources with the realities of care in America.
