Press Releases
May 29, 2014
Press Release: 2013 Retiree Voting Record Released for 1st Session of 113th Congress
For Immediate Release
“A Year of Endless Attempts to Cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and Repeal Health Care Reform”
Washington, DC – The Alliance for Retired Americans today released a new report detailing the voting record of every U.S. Representative and Senator on key issues affecting current and future retirees. The document is available at https://retiredamericans.org/voting-record/. The Alliance is winding down the month of May, which is Older Americans Month, with the release of the report.
The voting record examined 10 key Senate votes and 10 key House votes in 2013, showing the roll calls on issues such as:
• whether to raise the retirement age and fast-track cuts to Social Security;
• whether to privatize Medicare;
• whether to turn Medicaid into a block grant system;
• whether to limit voters’ rights by implementing photo identification requirements; and
• whether to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which would take away some gains for seniors and Medicare beneficiaries in terms of coverage and benefits.
“The first session of the 113th Congress was one of the least productive in modern American history. It enacted just 55 substantive pieces of legislation, the fewest in decades,” said Barbara J. Easterling, President of the Alliance “The House Speaker said that Congress should be judged on how many laws it repeals. We looked, and it repealed none. It was a year of endless attempts to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and repeal health care reform.”
“In contrast, simultaneous to the attacks on core retiree programs, income inequality grew,” said Ms. Easterling. “For more than a decade, the wealthiest Americans have received trillions in tax breaks while older Americans have continued to see rising drug, health care, food, and energy costs.”
According to the Alliance, 154 U.S. House members achieved perfect scores of 100 percent in 2013. One hundred thirty-two received scores of zero. One of those zeroes belonged to Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI), whose budget continues to be used as a blueprint for House Republican leaders.
Forty-seven members of the U.S. Senate achieved perfect scores of 100 percent in 2013, while another 16 received zeroes.
“This Voting Record reflects how committed our elected representatives are to retirees and older Americans,” Ms. Easterling said. “It is intended to educate, thereby helping to create an America that protects the health and economic security of seniors, strengthens families and builds safe and thriving communities. Higher scores on the 2013 Voting Record reflect a commitment to protect and support our core retiree programs of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, rather than attack them.”
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Contact: David Blank – 202/637-5275 or dblank@retiredamericans.org
