DNC National Press Secretary ⁨Emilia Rowland⁩ released the following statement:

“President Biden has worked tirelessly to deliver for the millions of older Americans who have worked hard to support their families, communities, and our country their whole lives. President Biden is standing up to Big Pharma to lower the cost of prescription drugs, capped the price of insulin at $35/month for Medicare beneficiaries, and is protecting Social Security and Medicare against Trump and his MAGA minions in Congress fighting to cut these essential benefits. Seniors across the country will help reelect President Biden and Vice President Harris this November because they know that President Biden will spend his second term fighting to ensure every American can retire on time and with dignity, protecting Medicare and Social Security against MAGA attacks, and making health care affordable and accessible.”

President Biden has delivered on his promises to older Americans – and seniors have access to more affordable healthcare, medication, and housing as a result.

White House Fact Sheet: As part of President Biden’s historic Inflation Reduction Act, nearly four million seniors on Medicare with diabetes started to see their insulin costs capped at $35 per month this past January, saving some seniors hundreds of dollars for a month’s supply. But in his State of the Union, President Biden made clear that this life-saving benefit should apply to everyone, not just Medicare beneficiaries.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: “Biden-Harris Administration to Make First Offer for Drug Price Negotiation Program, Launches New Resource Hub to Help People Access Lower-Cost Drugs”

White House Fact Sheet: “Today’s announcements deliver on the President’s promise in the State of the Union to crack down on nursing homes that endanger resident safety as well as his historic Executive Order on Increasing Access to High-Quality Care and Supporting Caregivers, which included the most comprehensive set of executive actions any President has taken to improve care for millions of seniors and people with disabilities while supporting care workers and family caregivers.”

White House Fact Sheet: “Increases the Supply of Affordable Housing Financed by Existing HUD programs.

“In addition, the Budget provides $931 million to support housing for older adults and $257 million to support housing for persons with disabilities.”

In his second term, President Biden will follow through with his promise to protect the rights of older adults and ensure they are able to receive the proper care and respect they deserve.

White House Fact Sheet: “His plan would invest in expanding Medicaid home and community-based services to help a larger number of older adults and people with disabilities receive care in their home or community, and promote better opportunities for home care workers and family caregivers. There has been substantial growth amongst the younger population under 65 with disabilities living in nursing homes. The percentage of individuals younger than 65 living in residential nursing facilities grew from 10.6 in 2000 to 16.2 in 2017. The President’s investments will help ensure that they can receive care in their own homes and communities. The President has also proposed substantial investments for family caregivers serving our nation’s heroes, including stipends and support services for family caregivers of eligible veterans.”

The 19th: “Biden also promised to pass a rule to create minimum staffing requirements for nursing homes, a regulatory change that would occur through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and which would not require congressional action.”

President Biden’s budget expands Medicare access for millions of Americans and cuts down on prescription drug prices and out-of-pocket costs.

Axios: “The budget calls for expanding Medicare’s drug negotiation program and extending Medicare caps on insulin and out-of-pocket costs to people with private insurance.

“The budget also calls for a permanent expansion of enhanced subsidies for Affordable Care Act coverage that he pushed through Congress but are set to expire after 2025.”

Forbes: “President Biden’s 2025 budget proposal, which will double as his presidential campaign platform, includes major proposals aimed at supporting older adults. It would raise taxes to help fund Medicare, increase federal support for Medicaid home-based care, create a federal family leave program for those caring for older adults as well as children, and toughen regulation and inspections of nursing homes.”

Associated Press: “The president traveled Monday to Manchester, New Hampshire, where he called on Congress to apply his $2,000 cap on drug costs and $35 insulin to everyone, not just people who have Medicare. He also advocated for making permanent some protections in the Affordable Care Act that are set to expire next year.”

House Committee on the Budget: “President Biden’s Budget Protects Medicare, Medicaid and Continues to Lower Health Care Costs for American Families”

President Biden is dedicated to protecting Social Security and Medicare against attacks by Trump and MAGA Republicans: 

White House Fact Sheet: “The President supports efforts to improve Social Security benefits, as well as Supplemental Security Income benefits, for seniors and people with disabilities, especially for those who face the greatest challenges making ends meet.”

The Hill: “At last year’s State of the Union, President Joe Biden memorably called out Republicans for their support for Social Security cuts. 

“Reportedly, Biden is considering focusing on Social Security again in this year’s State of the Union address — by demanding that millionaires and billionaires contribute their fair share. This is both wise policy and winning politics, particularly if Biden pairs it with a call to expand Social Security’s modest benefits.”

NBC News: “President Joe Biden urged lawmakers to ‘stand up for seniors’ in his annual State of the Union address on Thursday, while pledging to protect Social Security and Medicare.

“If anyone here tries to cut Social Security or Medicare or raise the retirement age, I will stop them,’ Biden said.”

The Guardian: “Not on my watch’: Biden pledges to stop cuts to social security and Medicare”

The latest House Republican Study Committee Budget Plan includes proposals to drastically cut Medicaid and Medicare funding, directly affecting millions of seniors’ access to health care benefits INCLUDING life-saving prescription drugs. 

Fox Business: “The House Republican Budget Chair once again called for cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the ACA, saying it is “inevitable” that they will be on his chopping block.”

Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy: “Latest House Republican Study Committee Budget Plan Again Includes Draconian Medicaid Cuts”

Protect Our Care Fact Sheet: “Republicans Propose Budget That Will Raise Health Care Costs and Rip Coverage Away from Millions of Americans”

White House Fact Sheet: “On Wednesday, the Republican Study Committee – which represents 100% of House Republican leadership and nearly 80% of their members – just proposed yet another budget that would cut Medicare, Social Security, and the Affordable Care Act, as well as increase prescription drug, energy, and housing costs – all while forcing tax giveaways for the very rich onto the country. Their plan would even raise the Social Security retirement age.”

White House Fact Sheet: “The Republican Budget would side with Big Pharma to increase drug prices and seniors’ out-of-pocket costs by repealing the Inflation Reduction Act.

“Medicare would no longer be able to negotiate lower drug prices. Big Pharma would once again be allowed to set whatever price they want, leaving seniors and taxpayers on the hook and facing higher prices.

“Big Pharma would no longer pay Medicare back when they increase drug prices faster than inflation, allowing them to jack up prices with no accountability.

“Seniors would go back to paying up to $400 for insulin, instead of the $35 price cap per monthly insulin prescription they have today.”

Every single one of Trump’s budgets when he was president included proposals to gut Social Security and Medicare.

Washington Post: “His avowed stance, however, is at odds with Trump’s own record as president: Each of his White House budget proposals included cuts to Social Security and Medicare programs.”

Vox: “Trump said he wouldn’t cut Medicaid, Social Security, and Medicare. His 2020 budget cuts all 3.”

Trump’s FY18, FY19, FY20, and FY21 budgets each proposed billions of dollars in cuts to Social Security programs.

2019 and 2020: Trump proposed budgets that included hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts to Medicare.

REMINDER: Trump stated he wants to cut Social Security and Medicare if reelected, threatening the programs’ financial standing by promising to permanently eliminate the taxes that fund both programs.

National Review: “Speaking with CNBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump was asked whether he would cut entitlements at some point. ‘Will entitlements ever be on your plate?’ asked interviewer Joe Kernen. ‘At some point they will be,’ Trump responded. ‘At the right time, we will take a look at that. You know, that’s the easiest of all things [to cut].’”

CNN: “Trump now says he’s open to entitlement cuts, including Medicare”

Mediaite: “During a Fox News town hall, President Donald Trump promised to cut entitlements like Medicare and Social Security if he were to win a second term. … ‘But if you don’t cut something in entitlements, you will never really deal with the debt,’ town hall co-moderator Martha MacCallum interjected, alluding to social safety programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. ‘Oh, we’ll be cutting,’ Trump rushed to confirm.”

Washington Post: “President Trump pledged on Saturday to pursue a permanent cut to the payroll taxes that fund Social Security and Medicare if he wins reelection in November, a hard-to-accomplish political gambit that some experts see as a major headache for the future of the country’s entitlement programs.”

Trump: “If we win … the payroll tax will be rescinded.”

CNN: “Eliminating the payroll tax could deplete the Social Security trust fund within three years if there’s no alternative source of revenue, according to the agency’s chief actuary.”

Associated Press: “Trump, in effect, has proposed a dramatic restructuring of how Social Security is financed by not relying on the payroll tax as a dedicated source, but instead by tapping the general fund. … The risk is that the loss of a dedicated funding source could destabilize an anti-poverty program that provides payments to roughly 65 million Americans. It also could force people to cut back on the spending that drives growth so they can save for their own retirement and health care needs if they believe the government backstop is in jeopardy. … It is highly unlikely that economic growth would be enough to offset the loss of the payroll tax. Indeed, Trump suggested that his 2017 income tax cuts would propel economic growth as high as 6% annually. That never happened.”