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Insider’s Report: National Committee Endorses Kamala Harris for President
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The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare proudly endorses Kamala Harris for President of the United States. As Vice President, she has championed the administration’s policies on behalf of older Americans — including strengthening Social Security and Medicare and lowering prescription drug prices for seniors. She has been
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in lockstep with the President in his pledge to protect Americans’ earned benefits against Republican proposals to cut and privatize them — including Donald Trump.
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The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare proudly endorses Kamala Harris for President of the United States. As Vice President, she has championed the administration’s policies on behalf of older Americans — including strengthening Social Security and Medicare and lowering prescription drug prices for seniors. She has been in lockstep with the President in his pledge to protect Americans’ earned benefits against Republican proposals to cut and privatize them — including Donald Trump.
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“(We) will protect Social Security. Donald Trump will not,” Harris recently posted on social media. “How can you claim to fight for seniors when you intend to cut Social Security and Medicare, which is a lifeline for so many older Americans?”
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Donald Trump, who once called Social Security a ‘Ponzi Scheme’ and said this year he was ‘open’ to ‘cutting entitlements,’ cannot be trusted to protect Social Security and Medicare. As President, he submitted successive White House budgets that would have slashed both programs by hundreds of billions of dollars.
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The former president also recklessly suspended Social Security payroll contributions during the pandemic and hoped that the FICA tax would be ‘terminated.’ He actively spreads disinformation that undermines seniors’ earned benefits — including the outright lie that undocumented workers are collecting Social Security.
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Unlike the GOP ticket, Vice President Harris has always been on the side of older Americans as a consistent supporter of Social Security, Medicare and lower drug prices. The Biden-Harris administration held the line against GOP-proposed benefit cuts — and was able to enact the historic Inflation Reduction Act, giving Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices with Big Pharma, capping insulin costs and limiting seniors’ out-of-pocket costs.
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But there is more to be done. That’s why the National Committee looks forward to working with President Harris to build on the tremendous successes of the past four years.
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Two Year Anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act
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Next week we celebrate the two-year anniversary of the historic Inflation Reduction Act which was signed into law on August 16, 2022.
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As a reminder, the Inflation Reduction Act requires Medicare to negotiate the price of certain prescription drugs for the first time ever. The powerful prescription drug industry lobbied hard to convince lawmakers to oppose this measure. In fact, they are now trying to overturn this critical policy in the courts.
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The Inflation Reduction Act also:
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--Starting in 2025, caps Medicare Part D patients’ annual out-of-pocket payments at $2,000;
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--Caps the cost of insulin for Part D patients at $35/month, which went into effect in January 2023; and
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--Penalizes drugmakers for raising the prices above the rate of inflation, which also went into effect at the start of 2023.
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These provisions represent meaningful reform that is changing lives for the better by taming drug prices. And the National Committee continues to put pressure on Congress to pass additional drug pricing improvements that build on this important legislation
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We couldn’t have won this historic victory without your petitions, letters, emails, phone calls and of course your financial support which enabled us to keep fighting on your behalf day in and day out on Capitol Hill.
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Ask Us!
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Whether you’re retired or approaching retirement, our team of experts in the field of Social Security policy is available to answer your questions about benefits.
You can either search our archives for valuable advice on a broad range of concerns or submit your question here.
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This week’s question is:
I am 62 and am divorced after a marriage that lasted 15 years. Can I receive benefits on my former husband’s record, even though he is still working?
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Click here to read the answer.
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Ask Us
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Whether you’re currently retired or approaching retirement, we can help answer your questions and provide valuable advice on Social Security.
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Join Now/Donate
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Your support sustains our campaigns in Washington to protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare.
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Social Security Benefits
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Learn more about the Social Security program and the policies the National Committee supports that would strengthen your earned benefits.
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Once Kamala Harris was tapped to step in to the 2024 Democratic campaign for president, she readily got the endorsement of retirement advocacy groups. “Unlike the GOP ticket, Vice President Harris has always been on the side of older Americans as a consistent supporter of Social Security, Medicare and lower drug prices,” Max Richtman, President & CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, said in a statement. (August 1, 2024, CNBC, Lorie Konish)
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Read Here →
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To be sure, the tax on Social Security benefits is a burden for many seniors. Max Richtman, President and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, said he frequently hears people complain about the levy at town halls. But he is concerned about eliminating the tax without a commitment to replace the lost revenue, because it will hurt both Social Security’s and Medicare’s finances. “It’s a ploy,” Richtman said, noting that he’d prefer the income threshold be raised and adjusted for inflation. (August 5, 2024, CNN, Tami Luhby)
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Read Here →
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“The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare commends Senator Hirono for introducing the Protecting and Preserving Social Security Act — important legislation that will extend the solvency of the program's trust fund and boost benefits for America’s seniors,” said NCPSSM President and CEO Max Richtman. (August 2, 2024, Senate.gov, U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono (HI) Press Release)
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Read Here →
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The Senate bill “is a step in the right direction” and is better than the House bill passed July 10 “that cuts the SSA’s operating budget by $453 million below the fiscal year 2024 level and is $1.6 billion below the President’s request,” Max Richtman, President and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, told Think Advisor. (August 1, 2024, Think Advisor, Melanie Waddell)
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Read Here →
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Starting in January 2025, the maximum amount anyone with Part D drug coverage will pay for medications will be $2,000. That’s only four months away so this is a good time to get to know the Part D cap. (August 1, 2024, Forbes, Diane Omdahl)
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Listen Here →
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Charlie Cooke is 100 percent right about President Trump’s proposal to lift taxes on Social Security benefits. It’s a bad idea. Exempting Social Security benefits from taxation will further increase the insolvency of Social Security. Since these tax receipts also help fund the Social Security and Medicare Hospital Insurance (HI) trust funds, the Committee for Responsible Budget calculates that the move would “advance the insolvency date of Social Security’s retirement trust fund by over one year,” and “advance the insolvency date of the Medicare HI trust fund by six years.” (August 1, 2024, National Review, Veronique De Rugy)
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Read More →
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A new KFF analysis examines some of the forces that are likely to shape Medicare Part D premiums in 2025, explaining how and why premiums might change. (August 1, 2024, Kaiser, Juliette Cubanski and Tricia Neuman)
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Read More →
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Seniors will soon find out the new prices for several drugs under Medicare, and their wallets may be better off for it. Under the Inflation Reduction Act, Medicare gained the ability to negotiate drug prices after years of the practice being banned. Those prices will be made official in September. Medicare Part D covers prescription drugs, but there were no rules in place allowing price negotiation, often leaving seniors with hefty bills and limited ways of covering necessary drugs. (Updated August 1, 2024, Newsweek, Suzanne Blake)
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Read More →
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