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    Super Committee Letter

    * a copy of this letter was sent to the Senate and the House of Representatives

     

    November 16, 2011

    The Honorable Patty Murray
    The Honorable Jeb Hensarling
    Co-Chairs, Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction

    Dear Co-Chairs,

    As your November 23 deadline approaches, I am writing to urge you and your colleagues on the Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction not to make cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. These programs are critical to the financial and health security of the millions of members and supporters of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare.

    The middle class has already sacrificed more than its fair share with stagnant wages, plunging home values and vanishing savings.  For those fortunate enough to have jobs, fewer employers offer retirement and health benefits. For too many, the social safety net is all they have left to rely on - cutting these programs just adds insult to injury.

    You and your colleagues cannot and must not fail America's seniors.  They have paid for their Social Security and Medicare benefits though a lifetime of hard work.  America made a promise to them that if they worked hard and played by the rules, the benefits they earned would be there for them when they retired.  This is no time to break that promise. 

    The choice you have to make is not between getting a deal or making cuts.  Congress can cut the deficit without cuts to these cherished and successful programs if it focuses on improving the economy and asking those who have done extremely well in the last decade to finally pay their fair share .  In fact, 70 percent of the American people of all ages and political stripes soundly rejected the idea that cuts in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid should be part of a deficit reduction package.

    The middle-class and poor in our nation have sacrificed enough.  Now is the time for Congress to honor its obligation to the millions of Americans - young and old - who rely on Social Security benefits and Medicare and Medicaid coverage for their health and long-term care needs. For these reasons, I urge you not to make cuts to our vital social insurance safety net programs.

     

    Sincerely,

    Max Richtman
    President & CEO