New Details: Officials from AFL-CIO and Congress Will Speak at the Alliance’s Annual Retirement Security Symposium on November 19

We have confirmed new speakers for our annual Retiree Security Symposium, The Looming Retirement Security Crisis, on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM at AFL-CIO headquarters in Washington, DC.

Liz Shuler, President of the AFL-CIO, and Rep. John Larson (CT), Ranking Member, House Committee on Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee, have been invited to speak at the event.

Due to limited space, please RSVP at https://tinyurl.com/Symposium111925 by November 1, 2025. A continental breakfast and lunch will be provided. The event will also be livestreamed. Respondents who RSVP to attend virtually will receive the link for the livestream. 

If you have any questions, please contact Joni Jones at [email protected] / 202-637-5377. 

Shakeups at Social Security Administration Cause More Turmoil for Retirees and Staff

The Trump Administration kicked off this week with major changes at the Social Security Administration (SSA) that threaten to further weaken the agency.  

On Monday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano will now also serve as CEO of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Alliance Executive Director Richard Fiesta blasted the move – which essentially treats the position of SSA Commissioner as a side gig – in a statement.

The Washington Post reported that the Administration is also considering changing the Social Security disability criteria. Currently SSA reviews disability claims by looking at a person’s age, work history, and education to decide whether they can adjust to other kinds of work. Applicants over 50 generally have a higher chance of qualifying, since age is recognized as a factor that can make it harder to adapt to new types of jobs. 

The SSA is considering raising the age threshold to 60 years or completely eliminating age as a factor altogether. If the changes take effect, advocates say thousands of older people with disabilities will need to find work, or if they are 62, claim their Social Security retirement benefits early, significantly reducing their monthly benefit amount.  

“After cutting thousands of staff members and replacing them with AI chatbots, the Administration has decided to deepen the chaos at SSA by giving Bisignano another job and cutting older disabled beneficiaries off from their benefits,” said Robert Roach, Jr., President of the Alliance. “Older Americans have earned their benefits over a lifetime of hard work. They deserve better from the Administration.”

Older Enrollees and Patients Living in Red States Will Be Hurt Most If ACA Subsidies Lapse

Americans between the ages of 50 and 64 and those living in Republican congressional districts will be the hardest hit if the current Affordable Care Act tax credits are not renewed by Congress, according to new analyses from KFF.

The tax credits expanded eligibility for subsidies so that more middle-income Americans could get help paying health insurance premiums. Fifty-one percent of these enrollees are 50 to 64 years old. They are not eligible for Medicare and do not have health insurance through their employment. Since insurers are already allowed to charge older patients up to three times as much for ACA plans, if subsidies expire, this group would be hit with a “double whammy,” where they could no longer get help paying for premiums but also would face the steepest increases.

and South Carolina are enrolled in a Marketplace plan.

The five congressional districts with the most ACA enrollees are all in Florida: FL-27, FL-24, FL-28, FL-09, and FL-26. At least 30% of residents in each of these districts are enrolled in an ACA plan.

The ACA tax credits will expire on December 31, 2025. If Congress does not take action, on January 1, health insurance premiums will skyrocket by as much as 114 percent for 22 million Americans who rely on ACA Marketplace plans. Democrats attempted to get an extension included in a government funding bill last week, but Republicans pushed a “clean” bill that would keep spending at previous levels for seven weeks instead. 

“This new research highlights how devastating it will be for millions of Americans across the country,” said Richard Fiesta, Executive Director of the Alliance. “It’s time to fund the government and extend ACA subsidies to avert a preventable health care catastrophe.”

Alliance Commemorates Hispanic Heritage Month

The Alliance has joined the AFL-CIO in celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. Hispanic workers are a crucial part of the workforce and have been invaluable in the fight for workers’ rights.

The AFL-CIO has spotlighted some of these contributions in a series of profiles on its website and social media, as well as select displays in the lobby of the headquarters building in Washington, D.C. 
 
 “We are grateful for the work and accomplishments of our friends in the Hispanic community and appreciate the work of our allies in the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA),” said Joseph Peters, Jr., Secretary-Treasurer of the Alliance. “One way we can reward this work is by strengthening Social Security and increasing benefits, which research shows Hispanic seniors are particularly reliant on because they often have less access to other sources of retirement income.”

KFF Health News: Health Centers Face Risks as Government Funding Lapses
By Paula Andalo

About 1,500 federally funded health centers that serve millions of low-income people face significant financial challenges, their leaders say, as the government shutdown compounds other cuts to their revenue.

Some of these community health centers may have to cut medical and administrative staff or reduce services. Some could eventually close. The result, their advocates warn, may be added pressure on already crowded hospital emergency rooms.

“This is the worst time in all the years I have been working in health care,” said Jim Mangia, president and CEO of St. John’s Community Health, a network of 28 clinics that serves more than 144,000 patients in Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties in California. “We are facing federal cuts and extreme state cuts that will impact services.”

St. John’s and other federally qualified health centers offer primary care and a wide range of other services free of charge or on a sliding fee scale. Nationwide, they see nearly 34 million patients in the country’s most underserved areas.

Read more here.

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