FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, July 5, 2024
Contact: Sabrina Davis, sdavis@socialsecurityworks.org
Joe Biden: The Most Pro-Senior President in Over Half a Century
While the current administration’s record on senior issues is impeccable, Donald Trump’s return to the presidency is an existential threat to our earned benefits, including Social Security and Medicare.
President Biden and Vice President Harris have been fighting for seniors from day one. And, when re-elected, will continue that fight. This is why we strongly and unequivocally support President Biden’s re-election efforts.
President Biden has delivered for seniors in enormously consequential ways during his first term and will deliver even more if re-elected.
For years, politicians have talked about giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower prescription drug prices. President Biden got it done. He took on Big Pharma and won. Thanks to President Biden, seniors’ out-of-pocket drug costs are capped at $2000 a year starting next year, out-of-pocket insulin costs have been capped at $35 per month, vaccinations are free, hearing aids are cheaper, and inhaler prices are lower.
He is an unwavering protector of Social Security and Medicare. In his 2023 State of the Union Address, Biden powerfully stood up to Republicans who want to cut Social Security and Medicare. Republicans were threatening to hold hostage an increase in the debt limit—legislation essential to avoid a worldwide economic crash—in exchange for benefit cuts. Biden stood strong and won.
In his 2024 State of the Union Address, Biden made it crystal clear that he would shut down any Republican attempts to create a closed-door commission to cut Social Security and Medicare: “If anyone here tries to cut Social Security or Medicare or raise the retirement age, I will stop them.”
And he’s gone further. Biden has endorsed Congressional efforts to expand both Social Security and Medicare, and he supports paying for those expansions by requiring billionaires and the ultra-wealthy to pay their fair share.
Biden replaced the no-show Trump crony heading the Social Security Administration with a proven champion and leader who is successfully reducing wait times and backlogs, so that the American people can receive the first-class service they have paid for and deserve.
And that’s not all. The Biden-Harris administration has also proposed minimum staffing standards for nursing homes, worked to boost compensation and job quality for care workers, and fought to improve and expand care options. Moreover, the Biden-Harris administration has forced shady financial advisers to stop ripping off working people planning for retirement.
In stark contrast, Donald Trump failed seniors more than any president in history. Despite his rhetoric to the contrary, as president he championed policies extremely harmful to seniors and older Americans.
Every single one of Trump’s budgets as president proposed deep cuts to Social Security. If returned to power, Donald Trump and his Republican allies have promised to slash Social Security benefits, to repeal Medicare‘s power to negotiate lower drug prices, to defund Social Security, to privatize Medicare, and more, all while giving massive tax handouts to billionaires and the ultra-wealthy.
While the Biden-Harris administration’s record on senior issues is impeccable, Donald Trump’s return to the Presidency is an existential threat to our earned benefits. Social Security and Medicare are once again on the ballot, and the choice for seniors this November couldn’t be clearer. There really is no choice at all.
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