May 01, 2023
Fiesta: If a Budget Reflects a Party’s Values, Then the GOP Must Not Value Seniors
Republicans in the U.S. House passed a bill on Wednesday to cut federal spending dramatically and unwind many of President Biden’s recent economic accomplishments, pairing those provisions with a plan to raise the debt ceiling until 2024.
H.R. 2811, called the “Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023” by the GOP, slashes numerous important programs and services that older Americans rely on. The vote tally was 217-215, with no Democrats voting for the legislation.
“Today the House Republicans voted on their so-called debt ceiling plan. A political party’s budget reflects its values, and clearly the GOP does not value older Americans,” said Richard Fiesta, Executive Director of the Alliance, immediately after the bill was passed.
Fiesta also stressed that Republicans are threatening to set off a national and global financial crisis if their demands are not met and issued a dire warning about what the bill entails.
“This dangerous bill will cut 22% of the Social Security Administration’s budget, forcing local Social Security offices to close and lay off their staff. That means seniors will have to wait even longer to get answers to questions about their earned benefits,” he said.
The bill also:
- slashes food assistance for more than 1 million low-income seniors — many of whom rely on government food programs to get their only meal of the day;
- cuts oversight of nursing homes, putting thousands of the most vulnerable seniors at risk of living in alarming and unsanitary conditions;
- jeopardizes millions of Americans’ multi-employer pensions that are guaranteed by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation; and
- would lead to the eviction of at least 430,000 low-income families from Section 8 housing, 80% of which are headed by seniors.
“Retirees are watching these developments closely. They will remember who values them — and who doesn’t,” Fiesta concluded.
