Republican Infrastructure Counter-Proposal Does Not Include $400B for HCBS

Last Thursday, Senate Republicans unveiled a $928 billion infrastructure counteroffer to President Biden’s original $1.9 trillion American Jobs Plan. The counteroffer is a substantial increase compared to the GOP’s previous five-year, $568 billion proposal, but still far less comprehensive than what the White House has called for, particularly when it comes to “soft infrastructure” like home- and community-based services. It seems unlikely that HCBS funding will be included in the initial infrastructure package, however, community-based services have historically been a bipartisan issue - so the funds could be included in a future package later this year.  ​

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The GOP plan does not include the same $400 billion boost to HCBS featured in Biden’s infrastructure proposal. The American Jobs Plan seeks to use the hundreds of billions of dollars to lessen the country’s reliance on long-term care facilities and keep more people in the home-based care profession. Additionally, the Republican counteroffer would likely result in cutting roughly $213 million of support for affordable housing for low-income seniors and others.

"Home- and community-based services should not be overlooked in the infrastructure plan. The pandemic has shown us how crucial these services are and will continue to be as more Americans prefer to age at home" said Vicki Hoak, HCAOA Executive Director.​