Ohio Pension Warrior Rita Lewis to Address Alliance Symposium

Join the Alliance virtually at our Retiree Security Symposium Seminar, which will include a videotaped address by AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, on Tuesday, November 15, 2022 from 9:00 - 4:00 EST. Participants will also hear from special guest and pension advocate Rita Lewis, as well as officials from the National United Committee to Protect Pensions (NUCPP), who were added to the agenda this week.

Ms. Lewis is the widow of Butch Lewis, who lost much of the pension he was promised due to unfair cuts and for whom the historic Butch Lewis Act pension legislation was named. Rep. John Larson (CT) will speak about protecting and enhancing earned Social Security benefits. The current agenda is available here.

“We are honored to have Ms. Lewis and other NUCPP officials speak during a session entitled, ‘Broken Promises Mean Broken Lives. The Story Continues,’ said Robert Roach, Jr., President of the Alliance. “The nation is in the midst of a retirement security emergency and it is essential that we protect earned pension benefits.”

This educational seminar is for union leaders and staff, legislative representatives, pension advocates, academics, lawyers and young workers and will be livestreamed by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW). Register here to join the event.

Top House Republican Kevin McCarthy Vows to Create Global Financial Crisis to Force Cuts to Social Security and Medicare

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who is jockeying to become Speaker of the House if the GOP wins control in November, said this week that Republicans will use raising the debt limit as leverage to force cuts in spending, including Medicare and Social Security.

McCarthy’s remarks echoed what five House Republicans interested in top Committee assignments said recently: that next year’s deadline to raise or suspend the debt ceiling is a point of leverage if their party can win the House.

The five included Republican Reps. Jodey Arrington (TX), Buddy Carter (GA), and Lloyd Smucker (PA), who are each seeking the top spot on the Budget Committee, and Rep. Jason Smith (MO), currently the top Republican on the Budget Committee, who is seeking the top GOP spot on the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee. Rep. Kevin Hern (OK), head of the Republican Study Committee’s Budget and Spending Task Force, also said the upcoming debt-limit deadline is “obviously a leverage point.”

“Kevin McCarthy and his colleagues are coming for our earned benefits,” said Joseph Peters, Jr., Secretary-Treasurer of the Alliance. “This threat grows even more serious when the man who may be the next speaker says it.”

Despite the threats, an AARP poll released earlier this month found that only 49 percent of women aged 50 or older and 48 percent of men in the same age group have determined who they will vote for in November.

“Election Day is November 8, less than three weeks away, and a large percentage of seniors are still unaware that many GOP elected officials and candidates have threatened to cut and privatize Social Security and Medicare,” added President Roach. “The Alliance will continue to educate seniors about what is at stake until the last polling location has closed on November 8, and we will continue to fight for your rights after November 8.”

Visit www.vote.gov to check your voter registration and make your plan to vote today.

Alliance Celebrates Voting Rights Court Victory in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania

The Lehigh County Court in Pennsylvania rejected a GOP-led attempt to restrict access to ballot drop boxes in Lehigh County on Wednesday, just weeks before Election Day.

The Pennsylvania Alliance for Retired Americans intervened in a lawsuit by America First Legal Foundation (AFLF) that called for the physical monitoring of drop boxes. This is a tactic that intimidates voters and has historically oppressed marginalized communities. In this case, requiring in-person monitors also would have led Lehigh County to reduce or eliminate drop boxes due to resource constraints. The lawsuit also sought to prevent the use of drop boxes outside of regular business hours, which would create obstacles for voters who work during the day or depend on family members for transportation.

In Wednesday’s decision, the court determined there is no evidence of fraud associated with drop boxes from the past two election cycles; Lehigh County’s use of drop boxes is secure and legal; and voters should have free and legal access to drop boxes without in-person monitoring that has historically oppressed marginalized communities.The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court upheld the Lehigh County Court’s decision on Friday.

“We are relieved that this blatant scheme to suppress the vote in Lehigh County was stopped in its tracks,” said Richard Fiesta, Executive Director of the Alliance for Retired Americans. "There is nothing more sacred than the right to vote, and the Alliance will always fight to ensure every older voter can make their voices heard at the polls."

Alliance Hosts Teletown Hall with Sen. Cortez Masto; Fiesta Campaigns for Sen. Kelly

The Nevada Alliance hosted a telephone town hall meeting Thursday with Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, the Alliance's endorsed candidate for the U.S. Senate. During the town hall, Sen. Cortez Masto answered questions about threats to Social Security and prescription drug prices as well as her leadership in lowering drug costs.

“Our seniors matter, and they deserve a leader in the Senate who will fight for them,” said Sen. Cortez Masto. “Nevada seniors can count on me to lower costs, defend Social Security and Medicare, and ensure everyone can retire with dignity in this state.”

Executive Director Fiesta was in Phoenix last Friday with Sen. Mark Kelly and Arizona Alliance members at a Rally for Social Security. In his remarks Fiesta highlighted why Alliance-endorsed Sen. Kelly is the only U.S. Senate candidate in the state who will protect Social Security.

“Sen. Kelly's opponent, Blake Masters, spoke positively about privatizing Social Security and ‘cutting the knot' during a Republican candidate forum in June," said Fiesta. "He showed his true colors that day. And we should all believe that he meant what he said."

Sen. Kelly with Fiesta and Arizona Alliance members last Friday

Kaiser Health News: Say What? Hearing Aids Available Over-the-Counter for as Low as $199, and Without a Prescription

By Phil Galewitz

Starting Monday, consumers will be able to buy hearing aids directly off store shelves and at dramatically lower prices as a 2017 federal law finally takes effect.

Where for decades it cost thousands of dollars to get a device that could be purchased only with a prescription from an audiologist or other hearing professional, now a new category of over-the-counter aids are selling for hundreds of dollars.