As a board member of MCH, Maine’s Knox County Meals on Wheels provider, I am writing today with deep concern over the federal government’s recent dismantling of critical infrastructure that supports our nation’s most vulnerable.

The decision by the Department of Health and Human Services to eliminate 40% of the staff at the Administration for Community Living (ACL) and shutter its regional offices is not just a bureaucratic reshuffling — it’s an act that risks lives.

The ACL has been a lifeline for organizations like ours, ensuring that older adults and individuals with disabilities receive the support they need to live with dignity and independence. These abrupt, sweeping cuts create uncertainty and instability in programs serving millions of seniors nationwide, including the thousands we serve in Maine.

To be clear, these reductions do not reflect thoughtful reform. They are arbitrary and reckless, without stakeholder input, congressional transparency, or a continuity plan. Eliminating regional ACL offices disrupts federal oversight and funding and severs the vital connections that ensure Meals on Wheels programs are responsive, efficient, and effective.

This is more than a policy disagreement—it’s a moral issue. And in Maine, where our population skews older and more rural, the consequences could be devastating.

I call on our elected leaders in Washington — Senators Collins and King, as well as our congressional delegation — to stand up for Maine’s seniors. Demand accountability. Demand restoration of these critical supports. And most importantly, ensure that no Mainer is left behind because of political gamesmanship.

Now is the time to speak clearly: Protect the ACL. Protect our seniors. Protect the programs that keep our communities fed, connected, and cared for.

Jim Swan lives in Waldoboro