Alliance Releases New Congressional Voting Record

The Alliance released its 2023 Congressional Voting Record, which scored each U.S. Senator and Representative on critical retirement security issues, today.

Ten Senate and House floor votes are considered in the report. They include votes on bills and amendments to establish a fiscal commission — leading to potentially deep cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and other essential government programs; avoid default on the national debt; and undermine numerous health care protections for older Americans in the Affordable Care Act.

"Almost every member of Congress claims to care about seniors," said Robert Roach, Jr., President of the Alliance. "Our annual voting record shows which House and Senate members actually back up their words with actions and vote in older Americans’ best interests."

Among the senators earning a score of 90% or higher were Tammy Baldwin (WI), Sherrod Brown (OH); Bob Casey, Jr. (PA), Jacky Rosen (NV), and Jon Tester (MT).

"What happens in Washington, DC has real everyday consequences for retirees and their families nationally," said Richard Fiesta, Executive Director of the Alliance. "Votes in Congress can either strengthen Americans’ retirement security or make it more difficult to achieve."

Both the national 2023 Congressional Voting Record and a version for each state delegation is available on the Alliance’s website.

In his State of the Union Address, President Biden Calls for Continued Lowering of Prescription Drug Prices, Pledges to Keep Social Security and Medicare Cuts off the Table

President Biden delivered his State of the Union address Thursday, mentioning seniors and labor multiple times in his remarks. The Alliance issued a statement supporting his accomplishments on behalf of older Americans.

"Tonight President Biden told the American people that the state of the Union is strong," said Executive Director Fiesta. "That’s not news to older Americans who are paying less for prescription drugs now than they were before President Biden took office in 2021."

Fiesta noted the President’s plan to defend Social Security and Medicare from politicians who want to slash benefits or even end these programs as we know them, adding, "President Biden made clear that he gets it when he again stated his firm opposition to any legislation that will cut the benefits Americans earn over a lifetime of work or raise the retirement age."

Biden pledged to keep the pressure on the pharmaceutical industry to lower prices, stating that Americans pay the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs. He also said he wants Medicare to negotiate the lower prices for 500 drugs over ten years, a dramatic increase from current policy.

Negotiating lower prices will save seniors and taxpayers billions of dollars and strengthen the Medicare system for years to come.

"President Biden has continued to meet seniors’ highest expectations and even surpass them," Fiesta concluded. "With another term he can continue to lower drug prices and protect their hard earned Social Security, Medicare and pension benefits from attack."

House Budget Resolution (Again) Includes Tax Cuts for the Ultra-Wealthy and Will Lead to Cuts to Social Security and Medicare

On Thursday, the House Budget Committee held a markup on the House Republican FY2025 budget resolution. The budget resolution was reported out of committee with support from every Republican present, while every Democrat voted against it.

Executive Director Fiesta issued a statement Wednesday in anticipation of the vote, saying the budget proposal would make trillions of dollars in cuts to older Americans’ earned benefits.

He added, "The budget resolution is bringing back the Fiscal Commission and the GOP leadership doesn’t even know that Social Security cannot add to the debt. Incredibly, the resolution states that Social Security is a driver of the federal debt when, in fact, Social Security by law can’t borrow one thin dime."
 
He went on to say that the House Budget Committee "evidently thinks they can unilaterally decide our spending priorities. It is highly unusual for Congress to preempt the White House and vote on their own budget before waiting for the President’s budget to arrive on Capitol Hill." 

"This is nothing but a political stunt that shows we have a Congress more interested in headlines than doing the work of the people," Fiesta concluded. "This budget resolution puts seniors on a path to cuts to their earned Social Security and Medicare benefits. Our members will continue to fight against these cruel measures."

Alliance Marks the 5th National “Slam the Scam” Day

The Social Security Administration’s (SSA’s) 5th National “Slam the Scam” Day took place on Thursday as a part of the National Consumer Protection Week. “Slam the Scam” Day has been designated by SSA to raise public awareness of Social Security and other government imposter scams, and the Alliance promoted it on social media.

Knowing the common signs of a scam is crucial to spotting and reporting them. Scammers often show fake federal credentials, demand secrecy, or pressure targets to take immediate action through specific methods of payment. These scams will often pretend to be from an agency or organization that you know. They’ll usually either say that there is a problem or there is a prize if you participate.

Social Security will never use these approaches when contacting beneficiaries. If you receive a suspicious phone call, email, text, or message on social media, remain calm, hang up, and protect your money and personal information. Also, report it immediately at oig.ssa.gov and spread the word about the threat to others. 

"Protecting retirees from fraud is extremely important," said Joseph Peters, Jr., Secretary-Treasurer of the Alliance. "Please contact SSA if you suspect a message is a scam."

Alliance Celebrates International Women's Day, Women’s History Month

International Women’s Day is today — Friday, March 8 — and the Alliance joins the AFL-CIO in celebrating the occasion, as well as Women’s History Month throughout March.

In this year’s White House Women’s History Month proclamation, President Biden noted that he had launched the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research to change how the nation approaches and funds women’s health research, in order to pioneer the next generation of discoveries in women’s health care.

In addition, thanks to the American Rescue Plan, the Biden-Harris administration has delivered $37 billion to all states to improve the quality of caregiving jobs, which are overwhelmingly filled by women. The administration is taking steps to make sure home care workers get a bigger share of Medicaid payments for the critical services they provide and is working to improve the quality of caregivers’ jobs and wages.

"Today and during this month, we celebrate and applaud the accomplishments of not only the women of Labor, but all women, for the progress they have made across countless industries and sectors," said President Roach. "From caregivers to CEOs of major firms and throughout the government, they are the backbone of our country."

Save the Dates: 2024 Regional Meetings

The Alliance for Retired Americans will hold four Regional Meetings this spring, beginning in May 2024. During the meetings, four Alliance Executive Board Members from each Region will be elected. Registration will be open soon. Questions? Please contact Joni Jones at [email protected].

Mid-West: May 15-16, 2024

UAW Region 1A

9650 Telegraph Road

Taylor, MI 48180

West: June 5-6, 2024

Westgate Hotel 

3000 Paradise Road

Las Vegas, NV 89109

Southern: June 11-12, 2024

IUPAT Council 78

2153 W. Oak Ridge Road

Orlando, FL 320809

Northeast: July 30-31, 2024

AFL-CIO headquarters

815 Black Lives Matter Plaza, NW

Washington DC 20006

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