President Roach Urges House Subcommittee to Expand Social Security, Oppose Cuts

On Wednesday, Alliance President Robert Roach, Jr. testified during a U.S. House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee hearing entitled “Social Security Administration’s Role in Combating Identity Fraud.” During his testimony, President Roach mentioned the Alliance’s retiree town hall with Dr. Kilolo Kijakazi, MSW, Ph.D., Acting Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), and how she discussed what SSA is doing to raise awareness of and combat fraud.

President Roach testifies at Wednesday’s hearing.

He also made it clear that Republican proposals to cut Social Security benefits and to slash the SSA’s budget would hamstring efforts to address fraud, saying "if the already short staffed Social Security Administration was forced to cut the budget by 22 percent, as prescribed in House Bill 2811, the agency's work to protect Americans from identity theft would be hampered. In fact, the drastic spending cuts in the bill would dramatically reduce the services beneficiaries depend on.”

He also touched on the steps Congress can take to strengthen and expand Social Security, and warned the subcommittee that the current failure to increase the debt limit without preconditions will hurt seniors the most, adding “if there's a default, retirees will take the first brunt of it.”

The hearing occurred on the same day that Rep. John Larson (CT) introduced the Social Security 2100 Act. The Alliance-endorsed bill would strengthen Social Security by:

Boosting benefits across the board;
Extending Social Security’s solvency until 2044;
Removing the payroll tax cap for individuals with income above $400,000; and
Repealing the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO)

“We hope that Congress will pass a bill, the Social Security 2100 Act or something similar, and work together to fix this problem for all Americans,” said President Roach.

Retired Americans PAC Releases Ads Warning Seniors About Threats to Social Security if Congressional Republicans Refuse to Raise the Debt Ceiling

This week, Retired Americans PAC, an independent project of the Alliance for Retired Americans, launched a series of digital ads in 10 congressional districts and Washington, DC. The ads warn voters that Social Security checks could be disrupted if Congress doesn’t raise the debt ceiling and urge them to call their Representatives.

Default would be devastating for retirees, who often rely on fixed income and have savings that are subject to the ebbs and flows of economic pressures. The federal government has more than $90 billion in benefit payments, including Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, set to go out at the beginning of June. If the government cannot send the first round of Social Security checks out at that time, beneficiaries who are 88 years or older will face the largest burden. Low-income beneficiaries will also be especially hard hit. Late payments could create a vicious cycle that leads to more seniors living in poverty and becoming food insecure.

Saundra Cole, President of the Arizona Alliance, told the Associated Press what default could mean for older Americans in her community: “What I’m worried about is food banks and electricity here because you know, we’ve had deaths with seniors because of the heat,” she said.

“Extremist Republicans are threatening to tank the economy to demand devastating cuts to programs seniors rely on,” said Richard Fiesta, Executive Director of the Alliance. “We cannot allow these partisan games to continue. Please call your member of Congress at 855-254-1564 and urge them to raise the debt limit and oppose cuts to essential services.”

Alliance Marks Memorial Day

Memorial Day is Monday, May 29 and the Alliance encourages its members to remember those who sacrificed their lives while serving our country. Memorial Day began in the years following the U.S. Civil War and is set aside specifically for those who were killed in action.

“As you enjoy a cookout or spend time outside with your loved ones this weekend, please take a moment to honor every American who made the ultimate sacrifice and keep their families in your thoughts,” said Joseph Peters, Jr., Secretary-Treasurer of the Alliance.

Kaiser Health News - Remote Work: An Underestimated Benefit for Family Caregivers By Joanne Kenen

For Aida Beltré, working remotely during the pandemic came as a relief.

She was taking care of her father, now 86, who has been in and out of hospitals and rehabs after a worsening series of strokes in recent years.

Working from home for a rental property company, she could handle it. In fact, like most family caregivers during the early days of covid-19, she had to handle it. Community programs for the elderly had shut down.

Even when Beltré switched to a hybrid work role — meaning some days in the office, others at home — caring for her father was manageable, though never easy.

Then she was ordered back to the office full time in 2022. By then, Medicaid was covering 17 hours of home care a week, up from five. But that was not close to enough. Beltré, now 61, was always rushing, always worrying. There was no way she could leave her father alone for so long.

She quit. “I needed to see my dad,” she said.

In theory, the national debate about remote or hybrid work is one great big teachable moment about the demands on the 53 million Americans taking care of an elderly or disabled relative.

But the “return to office” debate has centered on commuting, convenience, and child care. That fourth C, caregiving, is seldom mentioned.

That’s a missed opportunity, caregivers and their advocates say.