“Under this program, every state and every community can now move toward a coordinated program of services and opportunities for our older citizens,” Johnson said.

In 2016 the Administration on Aging distributed $1.3 billion ― 0.09 percent of discretionary federal spending ― that states could use for senior nutrition and a variety of other services, including family caregiver support and health promotion initiatives. The Congressional Research Service reported last year that in 2014, the most recent year for which data is available, nearly 11 million senior citizens received services funded by the Older Americans Act, including 138 million home-delivered meals.

Research has suggested that home-delivered meals help senior citizens live independently in their homes, both thanks to the food itself and the social contact with the volunteers who deliver the meals. Keeping seniors out of nursing homes potentially saves the government money, as a significant portion of Medicaid costs go to long-term care facilities.

The government did cut senior nutrition services in 2013 as part of an across-the-board reduction of discretionary spending agreed to by President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans. Meals on Wheels America says its affiliates distribute fewer meals today than they did 10 years ago, though the group received a surge in donations thanks to the Trump administration’s negative attention.

This article has been updated with comment from OMB Communications Director John Czwartacki.