Seniors Win with Twin Senate Victories in Georgia
This week’s twin Democratic victories in the Georgia Senate runoffs were a big win for seniors. Voters elected two champions of older Americans, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, to the U.S. Senate — giving Democrats the majority in the upper house of Congress for the first time since 2014.
“Seniors in Georgia and throughout the country have reason to cheer the results of the runoff elections. We endorsed Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock because they understand seniors’ needs, especially during this time of crisis — and pledged to protect their lifeline social insurance programs, Social Security and Medicare.” – Max Richtman, president and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
In December, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare launched a voter outreach campaign in Georgia to support both candidates. The campaign included radio ads, an online video, postcard mailings to thousands of National Committee members and supporters across Georgia, and social media outreach to the state’s voters.
Watch the National Committee campaign video:
As part of a new Senate majority, Ossoff and Warnock have pledged to defend seniors’ earned benefits – and expand them to meet current needs. Legislation to improve Social Security and Medicare, though far from assured of passage, could at minimum receive fair consideration in the U.S. Senate – where such efforts have been continually blocked by outgoing majority leader Mitch McConnell.
Most urgently, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), has promised to enact $2,000 stimulus payments, which would help seniors who are financially strained by the pandemic, among other vulnerable citizens.
The new majority also has an historic opportunity to lower prescription drug prices by passing House legislation (H.R. 3) allowing Medicare to negotiate costs directly with Big Pharma. Seniors have been struggling to afford ever-rising drug costs, too often forced to choose between paying for medication or other essentials like groceries. Making matters worse, Big Pharma raised the prices of more than 300 drugs in the United States on January 1st. Medicare price negotiation is the single most effective tool for relieving the pain of sky-high drug costs.
“Medicare ought to be able to negotiate for lower prescription drugs, and the VA does this right now… It’s cut the cost of prescription drugs in half. Why can’t we do it for Medicare?” – GA Senator-elect Raphael Warnock
“The drug companies have… bought off politicians, who let the drug companies keep price-gouging the American citizens. Lowering the cost of medicine in America will be among my top priorities in the U.S. Senate.” – GA Senator-elect Jon Ossoff
One of the most likely results of the change in Senate control is the strengthening of the Affordable Care Act. The ACA helped seniors by improving Medicare and limiting insurance companies’ ability to overcharge older customers for coverage – along with protecting patients with pre-existing conditions. President Trump and his party have spent four years trying to undermine the ACA; President-elect Biden and a Democratic Senate can fortify it, and possibly protect the ACA from being overturned by the Supreme Court.
The Georgia runoff results were historic in several ways. Rev. Warnock is the first African-American to be elected to the U.S. Senate from Georgia; Jon Ossoff the first Jewish-American with that distinction. Black voters, in particular, helped propel Ossoff and Warnock to victory in a runoff election that saw record turnout.
“Today, we celebrate. Tomorrow, we begin to seize the opportunity Georgia voters have given us to enhance the financial and health security of workers and retirees alike, at a time when both are at serious risk.” – Max Richtman
Georgia Seniors Need Warnock and Ossoff in the Senate
While it’s true that control of the U.S. Senate rests on the outcome of the Georgia runoff elections, there is something more immediate at stake for the state’s voters – especially seniors. The future of their vital Social Security and Medicare benefits – earned after a lifetime of hard work – rides on the results of tomorrow’s runoffs.
Perhaps at no other time since the Great Depression have seniors’ earned benefits been so crucial. The pandemic has taken a heavy toll on seniors – both physically and financially. Before and during this crisis, Social Security and Medicare have functioned as social insurance lifelines, which is, of course, their original purpose. Without Social Security, the poverty rate in Georgia would be a whopping 44%. (With those benefits, it is 13%.) For Black and LatinX seniors – who are especially reliant on Social Security for income – the poverty rate would approach or exceed 50% without their earned benefits.
Valuable as they are, Social Security and Medicare both need enhancements to meet seniors’ actual needs. Today, too many seniors find themselves unable to afford basics like housing, food, and healthcare, caught between modest fixed incomes and escalating living costs. Nearly 54 percent of older Georgians “struggle to pay for basic necessities,” according to a report by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). “Only two other states have a greater proportion of economically vulnerable residents age 65 and older,” says EPI.
President-elect Biden and Georgia’s two Democratic Senate candidates recognize that seniors are in a serious financial vise. They want to expand Social Security and Medicare benefits to reflect the realities of growing old in American today. But conservatives insist that both programs must be “reformed” – which really means cut and privatized. Republicans even hinted that seniors’ earned benefits should be reduced to help pay for the Trump/GOP tax cuts of 2017, which inordinately benefited the wealthy and big, profitable corporations.
Incumbent GOP Senator David Perdue pays lip service to protecting Social Security, but has suggested that benefits for future retirees may have to be cut. “Their deal is going to have to be different,” he said. He also has said that Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid should no longer be protected as mandatory spending programs. For her part, Senator Kelly Loeffler endorsed President Trump’s reckless payroll tax deferral of last August, which reduced the flow of revenue into Social Security and will force cash-strapped workers to repay those funds in early 2021.
The Democratic candidates believe otherwise. Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff have pledged to protect seniors’ earned benefits from cuts. “We’ve seen those in Washington willing to give trillion-dollar tax cuts to their corporate friends while sacrificing the future of Medicare and Social Security in the process. I’ll stand up to that,” says Rev. Warnock.
“These are earned benefits that Americans have paid into over their entire lives,” says Ossoff. “I will oppose efforts to cut these vital… benefits that so many of our seniors depend upon. And I’ll work to strengthen and protect those benefits.”
Warnock and Ossoff have backed up their statements by supporting policies that will boost seniors’ financial and health security. Both Democratic candidates want to see Social Security and Medicare expanded. Both believe that seniors should not be forced to choose between prescription drugs and groceries – or compelled to cut pills in half to try to ration medications. They know that the best way to relieve the pain of soaring drug prices is to allow Medicare to negotiate costs with Big Pharma.
Seniors have suffered enough during the pandemic. They need champions in the U.S. Senate like Rev. Warnock and Jon Ossoff. If both candidates win, there is a far greater chance that the improvements older Georgians badly need will become law: increased Social Security benefits and cost-of-living adjustments, expanded Medicare benefits, a strengthened Affordable Care Act, and lower prescription drug prices. Georgians are uniquely positioned to make a real change. For the sake of current and future seniors throughout the state, let’s hope that they do.
********************************************************
Watch the National Committee’s endorsement video of Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock here.
COVID Relief Deal Will Help Struggling Seniors
***THIS IS AN UPDATE OF A BLOG POST ORIGINALLY
PUBLISHED ON FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2020***
While not as comprehensive as advocates had hoped, the new $900B COVID relief deal announced by Congressional leadership includes some much-needed help for American seniors. Here is what is in the relief bill and why it matters for seniors:
STIMULUS PAYMENTS
After initial resistance from Republicans, the relief package now includes another round of stimulus payments, $600 for adults and $600 per child for individuals earning up to $75,000. Though not as generous as last summer’s $1,200 payments, any additional money would no doubt help seniors living on fixed incomes who face rising costs for everything from housing to prescription drugs. Most Social Security beneficiaries will receive their stimulus payments automatically, though some will get paid sooner than others.
“How fast that money is received is largely dependent on whether the recipient already uses direct deposit for their monthly benefit payment. If they do, the stimulus cash will likely be credited to their account automatically. If Social Security benefits are sent by mail, however, a longer wait is expected.” – CNBC, 12/19/20
UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE
In its current form, the relief package includes extended unemployment benefits in the amount of $300 per week. Additional unemployment assistance will be a lifeline for older workers who may have been furloughed or fallen ill with COVID, who are not yet eligible for Social Security.
RENTAL ASSISTANCE
The proposal as it now stands provides $25 billion in emergency assistance for Americans struggling to pay rent; it would also extend a ban on evictions through January, 2021. This could represent real relief to seniors, who have been renting homes in greater numbers during the past decade or so.
VACCINE FUNDING
According to The Hill newspaper, “The agreement includes $20 billion for the purchase of COVID vaccines, $8 billion for vaccine distribution, $20 billion for states to conduct testing and $20 billion in extra federal relief for health care providers.” This is good news for long-term care residents and staff – as well as for older Americans not in long-term – who await inoculation.
WHAT THE BILL DOESN’T INCLUDE
The relief deal excludes other high-priority items that Democrats have advocated – especially additional federal aid to state and local governments reeling from the COVID crisis. When the 117th Congress convenes in January, the National Committee also would like lawmakers to fix the “notch” in Social Security benefits for workers turning 60, and provide Social Security beneficiaries with an emergency bump in benefits. NCPSSM also supports a bill from Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) to enact a 3% Social Security cost-of-living adjustment to make up for paltry COLAs in recent years (including the meager 1.3% scheduled for 2021).
Nevertheless, the COVID package should be “welcome relief to millions of Americans, including seniors who have been hurt the most by the pandemic,” said Dan Adcock, the National Committee’s director of government relations and policy.
Are We There Yet? American Seniors Anxiously Await COVID Relief
Congress was once again unable to reach a deal on COVID relief this week, delaying much-needed aid to struggling Americans – especially seniors. The pandemic has hit seniors especially hard, both physically and financially. Lawmakers came close to agreement this week on a $900 billion relief package, but do not expect to have a final agreement until next week.
Republicans threw in a monkey wrench yesterday, with one GOP Senator pushing to block the incoming Biden administration and the Federal Reserve from reviving expired loan programs for struggling businesses.
“We almost have a bipartisan COVID package, but at the last-minute Republicans are making a demand that WAS NEVER MENTIONED AS KEY TO THE NEGOTIATIONS. They want to block the Fed from helping the economy under Biden. It’s the reason we don’t have a deal.” – Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) on Twitter
If Congressional negotiators can work through this latest demand, Americans may finally receive the pandemic relief they so urgently need – and have been waiting for – since lawmakers passed the most recent COVID aid bill last spring.
Here is what is in the tentative agreement and why it matters for seniors:
STIMULUS PAYMENTS
After initial resistance from Republicans, the proposed package now includes another round of stimulus payments, reportedly $600 for adults and $600 per child for individuals earning up to $75,000. Though not as generous as last summer’s $1,200 payments, any additional money would no doubt help seniors living on fixed incomes who face rising costs for everything from housing to prescription drugs. Social Security beneficiaries probably will not have to file income tax returns to get their stimulus checks. When the first stimulus payments were rolled out last summer, seniors originally were told that they would be required to file income taxes in order to receive stimulus payments – though that policy was later clarified so that Social Security recipients were eligible automatically.
UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE
In its current form, the relief package includes extended unemployment benefits in the amount of $300 per week for ten weeks. Democrats have been pushing for 16 weeks, but Republicans have not yielded. Additional unemployment assistance will be a lifeline for older workers who may have been furloughed or fallen ill with COVID, who are not yet eligible for Social Security.
RENTAL ASSISTANCE
The proposal as it now stands provides $25 billion in emergency assistance for Americans struggling to pay rent; it would also extend a ban on evictions through January, 2021. This could represent real relief to seniors, who have been renting homes in greater numbers during the past decade or so.
FEDERAL SENIORS’ PROGRAMS
Lawmakers are planning to wrap the COVID relief package and a continuing resolution for federal spending for fiscal 2021 into one “omnibus” bill. The funding levels for the Social Security Administration, the home heating assistance program (LIHEAP), and Older Americans Act programs that benefit seniors (especially the elderly and poor), are not certain at this point. The National Committee has been advocating for funding increases for these programs because in the past they have been flat-lined or cut, while the senior population – and their corresponding needs – have continued to grow.
WHAT THE BILL DOESN’T INCLUDE
So far, the relief bill excludes other high-priority items that Democrats have advocated – especially additional federal aid to state and local governments reeling from the COVID crisis. When the 117th Congress convenes in January, the National Committee also would like lawmakers to fix the “notch” in Social Security benefits for workers turning 60, and provide Social Security beneficiaries with an emergency bump in benefits. NCPSSM also supports a bill from Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) to enact a 3% Social Security cost-of-living adjustment to make up for paltry COLAs in recent years (including the meager 1.3% scheduled for 2021).
“GUARDEDLY OPTIMISTIC”
As for the COVID relief bill expected to be solidified next week, National Committee legislative director Dan Adcock says that “there are some things in the package that we don’t yet know enough about and are unable to judge.” But Adcock is “guardedly optimistic” that a COVID relief package will pass before the holidays. “From what we know at this point, we think overall it is good for seniors.”
Warnock, Ossoff Get Boost from National Committee
Georgia Senate candidates Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff are getting a boost from one of the nation’s leading seniors’ advocacy groups. The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare has launched a voter outreach campaign in Georgia to encourage turnout and promote both candidates as champions for seniors. The campaign includes radio ads in the Atlanta market, postcard mailings to thousands of National Committee members and supporters across Georgia, and social media outreach to the state’s voters.
“We need the leadership, vision and determination of Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff to fight for seniors in the U.S. Senate. They will work to protect Social Security and Medicare from harmful proposals to cut the benefits Georgians have earned. They will be voices to strengthen the critical lifelines of Social Security and Medicare during the COVID pandemic, when older Georgians are counting on their earned benefits more than ever.” – Max Richtman, president and CEO, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare.
Georgia has 1.3 million Social Security beneficiaries and 1.8 million Medicare enrollees. The average Social Security benefit in Georgia is $1,500 per month. Those benefits provide $45.3 billion in annual economic stimulus to communities across the state.
The National Committee has made a five-figure advertising buy on three Atlanta radio stations beginning December 15th through the runoff election on January 5th. “Only two candidates are ready to put Georgia seniors’ health and economic well-being first, Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock,” the radio ad tells voters. Postcards are being mailed to more than 7,000 National Committee members in Georgia, bearing the message, “Your best future starts with your vote for John Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.”
Warnock and Ossoff earned the National Committee’s endorsement by making clear that they will be champions for seniors in the U.S. Senate. Rev. Warnock has said that he will stand up to those who want to cut Social Security and Medicare after giving “trillion-dollar tax breaks to their corporate friends.” Jon Ossoff pledged to “strengthen and protect these earned benefits” that retirees have “paid into for their entire lives.” Both candidates will fight for lower prescription drug costs by empowering Medicare to negotiate prices directly with Big Pharma.
On the other side, incumbent GOP Senator David Perdue pays lip service to protecting Social Security while suggesting that benefits for future retirees may have to be cut. He also has said that Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid should no longer be protected as mandatory spending programs. For her part, Senator Kelly Loeffler endorsed President Trump’s reckless payroll tax deferral of last August, which reduced the flow of revenue into Social Security and will force cash-strapped workers to repay those funds in early 2021.
“Wins by Warnock and Ossoff would not only be a victory for Georgians. It would give President-elect Biden and his party the power in the U.S. Senate to actually get things done for seniors after four years of obstruction. With a new majority, we can protect and expand Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act – and tame the soaring prescription drug prices that force too many seniors to cut pills in half or to choose between food and medicine. The financial and health security of older Americans literally rests on the outcome of this election. Georgia voters have the power.” – Max Richtman
******************************************************************
View the postcard mailing to National Committee members in Georgia.
Listen to the National Committee’s radio spot to air in the metro Atlanta market.
Seniors Win with Twin Senate Victories in Georgia
This week’s twin Democratic victories in the Georgia Senate runoffs were a big win for seniors. Voters elected two champions of older Americans, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, to the U.S. Senate — giving Democrats the majority in the upper house of Congress for the first time since 2014.
“Seniors in Georgia and throughout the country have reason to cheer the results of the runoff elections. We endorsed Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock because they understand seniors’ needs, especially during this time of crisis — and pledged to protect their lifeline social insurance programs, Social Security and Medicare.” – Max Richtman, president and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
In December, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare launched a voter outreach campaign in Georgia to support both candidates. The campaign included radio ads, an online video, postcard mailings to thousands of National Committee members and supporters across Georgia, and social media outreach to the state’s voters.
Watch the National Committee campaign video:
As part of a new Senate majority, Ossoff and Warnock have pledged to defend seniors’ earned benefits – and expand them to meet current needs. Legislation to improve Social Security and Medicare, though far from assured of passage, could at minimum receive fair consideration in the U.S. Senate – where such efforts have been continually blocked by outgoing majority leader Mitch McConnell.
Most urgently, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), has promised to enact $2,000 stimulus payments, which would help seniors who are financially strained by the pandemic, among other vulnerable citizens.
The new majority also has an historic opportunity to lower prescription drug prices by passing House legislation (H.R. 3) allowing Medicare to negotiate costs directly with Big Pharma. Seniors have been struggling to afford ever-rising drug costs, too often forced to choose between paying for medication or other essentials like groceries. Making matters worse, Big Pharma raised the prices of more than 300 drugs in the United States on January 1st. Medicare price negotiation is the single most effective tool for relieving the pain of sky-high drug costs.
“Medicare ought to be able to negotiate for lower prescription drugs, and the VA does this right now… It’s cut the cost of prescription drugs in half. Why can’t we do it for Medicare?” – GA Senator-elect Raphael Warnock
“The drug companies have… bought off politicians, who let the drug companies keep price-gouging the American citizens. Lowering the cost of medicine in America will be among my top priorities in the U.S. Senate.” – GA Senator-elect Jon Ossoff
One of the most likely results of the change in Senate control is the strengthening of the Affordable Care Act. The ACA helped seniors by improving Medicare and limiting insurance companies’ ability to overcharge older customers for coverage – along with protecting patients with pre-existing conditions. President Trump and his party have spent four years trying to undermine the ACA; President-elect Biden and a Democratic Senate can fortify it, and possibly protect the ACA from being overturned by the Supreme Court.
The Georgia runoff results were historic in several ways. Rev. Warnock is the first African-American to be elected to the U.S. Senate from Georgia; Jon Ossoff the first Jewish-American with that distinction. Black voters, in particular, helped propel Ossoff and Warnock to victory in a runoff election that saw record turnout.
“Today, we celebrate. Tomorrow, we begin to seize the opportunity Georgia voters have given us to enhance the financial and health security of workers and retirees alike, at a time when both are at serious risk.” – Max Richtman
Georgia Seniors Need Warnock and Ossoff in the Senate
While it’s true that control of the U.S. Senate rests on the outcome of the Georgia runoff elections, there is something more immediate at stake for the state’s voters – especially seniors. The future of their vital Social Security and Medicare benefits – earned after a lifetime of hard work – rides on the results of tomorrow’s runoffs.
Perhaps at no other time since the Great Depression have seniors’ earned benefits been so crucial. The pandemic has taken a heavy toll on seniors – both physically and financially. Before and during this crisis, Social Security and Medicare have functioned as social insurance lifelines, which is, of course, their original purpose. Without Social Security, the poverty rate in Georgia would be a whopping 44%. (With those benefits, it is 13%.) For Black and LatinX seniors – who are especially reliant on Social Security for income – the poverty rate would approach or exceed 50% without their earned benefits.
Valuable as they are, Social Security and Medicare both need enhancements to meet seniors’ actual needs. Today, too many seniors find themselves unable to afford basics like housing, food, and healthcare, caught between modest fixed incomes and escalating living costs. Nearly 54 percent of older Georgians “struggle to pay for basic necessities,” according to a report by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). “Only two other states have a greater proportion of economically vulnerable residents age 65 and older,” says EPI.
President-elect Biden and Georgia’s two Democratic Senate candidates recognize that seniors are in a serious financial vise. They want to expand Social Security and Medicare benefits to reflect the realities of growing old in American today. But conservatives insist that both programs must be “reformed” – which really means cut and privatized. Republicans even hinted that seniors’ earned benefits should be reduced to help pay for the Trump/GOP tax cuts of 2017, which inordinately benefited the wealthy and big, profitable corporations.
Incumbent GOP Senator David Perdue pays lip service to protecting Social Security, but has suggested that benefits for future retirees may have to be cut. “Their deal is going to have to be different,” he said. He also has said that Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid should no longer be protected as mandatory spending programs. For her part, Senator Kelly Loeffler endorsed President Trump’s reckless payroll tax deferral of last August, which reduced the flow of revenue into Social Security and will force cash-strapped workers to repay those funds in early 2021.
The Democratic candidates believe otherwise. Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff have pledged to protect seniors’ earned benefits from cuts. “We’ve seen those in Washington willing to give trillion-dollar tax cuts to their corporate friends while sacrificing the future of Medicare and Social Security in the process. I’ll stand up to that,” says Rev. Warnock.
“These are earned benefits that Americans have paid into over their entire lives,” says Ossoff. “I will oppose efforts to cut these vital… benefits that so many of our seniors depend upon. And I’ll work to strengthen and protect those benefits.”
Warnock and Ossoff have backed up their statements by supporting policies that will boost seniors’ financial and health security. Both Democratic candidates want to see Social Security and Medicare expanded. Both believe that seniors should not be forced to choose between prescription drugs and groceries – or compelled to cut pills in half to try to ration medications. They know that the best way to relieve the pain of soaring drug prices is to allow Medicare to negotiate costs with Big Pharma.
Seniors have suffered enough during the pandemic. They need champions in the U.S. Senate like Rev. Warnock and Jon Ossoff. If both candidates win, there is a far greater chance that the improvements older Georgians badly need will become law: increased Social Security benefits and cost-of-living adjustments, expanded Medicare benefits, a strengthened Affordable Care Act, and lower prescription drug prices. Georgians are uniquely positioned to make a real change. For the sake of current and future seniors throughout the state, let’s hope that they do.
********************************************************
Watch the National Committee’s endorsement video of Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock here.
COVID Relief Deal Will Help Struggling Seniors
***THIS IS AN UPDATE OF A BLOG POST ORIGINALLY
PUBLISHED ON FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2020***
While not as comprehensive as advocates had hoped, the new $900B COVID relief deal announced by Congressional leadership includes some much-needed help for American seniors. Here is what is in the relief bill and why it matters for seniors:
STIMULUS PAYMENTS
After initial resistance from Republicans, the relief package now includes another round of stimulus payments, $600 for adults and $600 per child for individuals earning up to $75,000. Though not as generous as last summer’s $1,200 payments, any additional money would no doubt help seniors living on fixed incomes who face rising costs for everything from housing to prescription drugs. Most Social Security beneficiaries will receive their stimulus payments automatically, though some will get paid sooner than others.
“How fast that money is received is largely dependent on whether the recipient already uses direct deposit for their monthly benefit payment. If they do, the stimulus cash will likely be credited to their account automatically. If Social Security benefits are sent by mail, however, a longer wait is expected.” – CNBC, 12/19/20
UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE
In its current form, the relief package includes extended unemployment benefits in the amount of $300 per week. Additional unemployment assistance will be a lifeline for older workers who may have been furloughed or fallen ill with COVID, who are not yet eligible for Social Security.
RENTAL ASSISTANCE
The proposal as it now stands provides $25 billion in emergency assistance for Americans struggling to pay rent; it would also extend a ban on evictions through January, 2021. This could represent real relief to seniors, who have been renting homes in greater numbers during the past decade or so.
VACCINE FUNDING
According to The Hill newspaper, “The agreement includes $20 billion for the purchase of COVID vaccines, $8 billion for vaccine distribution, $20 billion for states to conduct testing and $20 billion in extra federal relief for health care providers.” This is good news for long-term care residents and staff – as well as for older Americans not in long-term – who await inoculation.
WHAT THE BILL DOESN’T INCLUDE
The relief deal excludes other high-priority items that Democrats have advocated – especially additional federal aid to state and local governments reeling from the COVID crisis. When the 117th Congress convenes in January, the National Committee also would like lawmakers to fix the “notch” in Social Security benefits for workers turning 60, and provide Social Security beneficiaries with an emergency bump in benefits. NCPSSM also supports a bill from Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) to enact a 3% Social Security cost-of-living adjustment to make up for paltry COLAs in recent years (including the meager 1.3% scheduled for 2021).
Nevertheless, the COVID package should be “welcome relief to millions of Americans, including seniors who have been hurt the most by the pandemic,” said Dan Adcock, the National Committee’s director of government relations and policy.
Are We There Yet? American Seniors Anxiously Await COVID Relief
Congress was once again unable to reach a deal on COVID relief this week, delaying much-needed aid to struggling Americans – especially seniors. The pandemic has hit seniors especially hard, both physically and financially. Lawmakers came close to agreement this week on a $900 billion relief package, but do not expect to have a final agreement until next week.
Republicans threw in a monkey wrench yesterday, with one GOP Senator pushing to block the incoming Biden administration and the Federal Reserve from reviving expired loan programs for struggling businesses.
“We almost have a bipartisan COVID package, but at the last-minute Republicans are making a demand that WAS NEVER MENTIONED AS KEY TO THE NEGOTIATIONS. They want to block the Fed from helping the economy under Biden. It’s the reason we don’t have a deal.” – Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) on Twitter
If Congressional negotiators can work through this latest demand, Americans may finally receive the pandemic relief they so urgently need – and have been waiting for – since lawmakers passed the most recent COVID aid bill last spring.
Here is what is in the tentative agreement and why it matters for seniors:
STIMULUS PAYMENTS
After initial resistance from Republicans, the proposed package now includes another round of stimulus payments, reportedly $600 for adults and $600 per child for individuals earning up to $75,000. Though not as generous as last summer’s $1,200 payments, any additional money would no doubt help seniors living on fixed incomes who face rising costs for everything from housing to prescription drugs. Social Security beneficiaries probably will not have to file income tax returns to get their stimulus checks. When the first stimulus payments were rolled out last summer, seniors originally were told that they would be required to file income taxes in order to receive stimulus payments – though that policy was later clarified so that Social Security recipients were eligible automatically.
UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE
In its current form, the relief package includes extended unemployment benefits in the amount of $300 per week for ten weeks. Democrats have been pushing for 16 weeks, but Republicans have not yielded. Additional unemployment assistance will be a lifeline for older workers who may have been furloughed or fallen ill with COVID, who are not yet eligible for Social Security.
RENTAL ASSISTANCE
The proposal as it now stands provides $25 billion in emergency assistance for Americans struggling to pay rent; it would also extend a ban on evictions through January, 2021. This could represent real relief to seniors, who have been renting homes in greater numbers during the past decade or so.
FEDERAL SENIORS’ PROGRAMS
Lawmakers are planning to wrap the COVID relief package and a continuing resolution for federal spending for fiscal 2021 into one “omnibus” bill. The funding levels for the Social Security Administration, the home heating assistance program (LIHEAP), and Older Americans Act programs that benefit seniors (especially the elderly and poor), are not certain at this point. The National Committee has been advocating for funding increases for these programs because in the past they have been flat-lined or cut, while the senior population – and their corresponding needs – have continued to grow.
WHAT THE BILL DOESN’T INCLUDE
So far, the relief bill excludes other high-priority items that Democrats have advocated – especially additional federal aid to state and local governments reeling from the COVID crisis. When the 117th Congress convenes in January, the National Committee also would like lawmakers to fix the “notch” in Social Security benefits for workers turning 60, and provide Social Security beneficiaries with an emergency bump in benefits. NCPSSM also supports a bill from Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) to enact a 3% Social Security cost-of-living adjustment to make up for paltry COLAs in recent years (including the meager 1.3% scheduled for 2021).
“GUARDEDLY OPTIMISTIC”
As for the COVID relief bill expected to be solidified next week, National Committee legislative director Dan Adcock says that “there are some things in the package that we don’t yet know enough about and are unable to judge.” But Adcock is “guardedly optimistic” that a COVID relief package will pass before the holidays. “From what we know at this point, we think overall it is good for seniors.”
Warnock, Ossoff Get Boost from National Committee
Georgia Senate candidates Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff are getting a boost from one of the nation’s leading seniors’ advocacy groups. The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare has launched a voter outreach campaign in Georgia to encourage turnout and promote both candidates as champions for seniors. The campaign includes radio ads in the Atlanta market, postcard mailings to thousands of National Committee members and supporters across Georgia, and social media outreach to the state’s voters.
“We need the leadership, vision and determination of Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff to fight for seniors in the U.S. Senate. They will work to protect Social Security and Medicare from harmful proposals to cut the benefits Georgians have earned. They will be voices to strengthen the critical lifelines of Social Security and Medicare during the COVID pandemic, when older Georgians are counting on their earned benefits more than ever.” – Max Richtman, president and CEO, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare.
Georgia has 1.3 million Social Security beneficiaries and 1.8 million Medicare enrollees. The average Social Security benefit in Georgia is $1,500 per month. Those benefits provide $45.3 billion in annual economic stimulus to communities across the state.
The National Committee has made a five-figure advertising buy on three Atlanta radio stations beginning December 15th through the runoff election on January 5th. “Only two candidates are ready to put Georgia seniors’ health and economic well-being first, Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock,” the radio ad tells voters. Postcards are being mailed to more than 7,000 National Committee members in Georgia, bearing the message, “Your best future starts with your vote for John Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.”
Warnock and Ossoff earned the National Committee’s endorsement by making clear that they will be champions for seniors in the U.S. Senate. Rev. Warnock has said that he will stand up to those who want to cut Social Security and Medicare after giving “trillion-dollar tax breaks to their corporate friends.” Jon Ossoff pledged to “strengthen and protect these earned benefits” that retirees have “paid into for their entire lives.” Both candidates will fight for lower prescription drug costs by empowering Medicare to negotiate prices directly with Big Pharma.
On the other side, incumbent GOP Senator David Perdue pays lip service to protecting Social Security while suggesting that benefits for future retirees may have to be cut. He also has said that Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid should no longer be protected as mandatory spending programs. For her part, Senator Kelly Loeffler endorsed President Trump’s reckless payroll tax deferral of last August, which reduced the flow of revenue into Social Security and will force cash-strapped workers to repay those funds in early 2021.
“Wins by Warnock and Ossoff would not only be a victory for Georgians. It would give President-elect Biden and his party the power in the U.S. Senate to actually get things done for seniors after four years of obstruction. With a new majority, we can protect and expand Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act – and tame the soaring prescription drug prices that force too many seniors to cut pills in half or to choose between food and medicine. The financial and health security of older Americans literally rests on the outcome of this election. Georgia voters have the power.” – Max Richtman
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View the postcard mailing to National Committee members in Georgia.
Listen to the National Committee’s radio spot to air in the metro Atlanta market.