PROTECTING OUR SENIORS

Social Security and Medicare are the linchpins of modern America. Together, these New Deal and Great Society programs ensure that the parents and grandparents of our country are protected from poverty when they reach retirement. No other government programs have done so much to improve the lives of so many. They are the most critical social programs in this country. They are also under threat—for our seniors today, and for the generations to come.

Chronic mismanagement of the tax dollars Americans have paid into these programs for their own retirements has placed them in danger. Social Security will run out of a surplus in 2034, Medicare Part A will only be able to pay full benefits through 2026. 2026! Medicare has five years.

That’s absurd. Both programs must be fully funded. In fact, both programs must be strengthened. Accounting tricks have been used to lower SS checks for years. Medicare reimbursement rates are so low that many doctors no longer accept Medicare patients. And while Republicans and some very misguided Democrats will tell you that that’s “just the way it has to be,” I assure you that it is not. This is a matter of priorities. In Congress, I will prioritize the health and financial independence of our seniors.