Anniversary and Reauthorization of the Older Americans Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, 51 years ago today--July 14, 1965-- President Johnson signed the Older Americans Act into law, solidifying our commitment to America's seniors and creating critical programs to ensure that all Americans can age with dignity and security. I am very pleased that President Obama signed the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act on April 19, 2016. My view is that a nation is judged not by how many billionaires and millionaires it has, but instead by how it treats the most vulnerable people among us.

I would like to thank Chairman Alexander and Ranking Member Murray for their efforts in getting this reauthorization passed into law. I would also like to acknowledge the many organizations representing tens of millions of Americans who worked with me and my staff to get this bill to President Obama, including the National Council on Aging, Meals on Wheels America, the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, and others.

Every day in my State of Vermont and around this country, millions of seniors are struggling with the difficult choice they must make with their limited budgets--whether to buy food, medicine, or keep a roof over their heads. These are not the choices seniors in this country should be forced to make.

More than half of older households have no retirement savings and are just one bad fall or illness away from economic catastrophe. The Older Americans Act provides important long-term services and supports that help keep older Vermonters and seniors across this country healthy and out of poverty. The Older Americans Act provides a broad range of services including home-delivered and congregate meals, transportation services, family caregiver support, preventive health services, and many supportive services. The law also funds job training, legal assistance, and elder abuse prevention and protection services.

I, along with my staff, worked on the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act for the past several years. During that time, we held hearings on senior hunger and convened listening sessions with advocacy groups to learn more about the best way to extend these programs. What I heard over and over again was simple: The law is working well, but it needs more funding to keep up with rising costs and a growing senior population. We must protect and expand funding for these important programs.

The simple fact is the amount of funding dedicated for these important programs is a disgrace. As a point of comparison, while funding for other programs has risen by 11 percent since 2009, Older Americans Act funding has dropped 7 percent over that same time. Funding for these crucial programs has not even kept up with inflation. That is why, for the past several years, I have led an appropriations request letter asking for a 12 percent increase in funding for the Older Americans Act. A 12 percent increase would make a meaningful difference for states struggling to provide services to their growing senior populations.

Some of the most important and well-known services funded by the Older Americans Act are the meals programs, often provided by Meals on Wheels. A Government Accountability Office, GAO, report I requested last year found that fewer than 10 percent of low-income seniors who needed a meal delivered to their homes in 2013 received one. The study also found that one in three low-income seniors are ``food insecure,'' yet fewer than 5 percent receive a meal at home or at a senior center. That is unacceptable.

Investing in senior nutrition programs is not only the moral thing to do, it is the financially smart thing to do. Proper nutrition can keep people out of long-term care and emergency rooms. Meal delivery is also a good opportunity for visiting with an isolated senior who might otherwise go days without seeing another person.

Another critical OAA program is the Senior Community Service Employment Program, SCSEP, which provides job training and employment services for older adults. Seniors are matched with part-time jobs at organizations in the community and many times these positions turn into permanent employment, increasing seniors' financial security.

Senior centers are another important way the Older Americans Act supports the needs of seniors in our communities. The reauthorization includes some policy changes to modernize senior centers to help ensure people are taking part in activities like group meals, afternoon activities, and exercise classes.

Another crucial service I strongly hope receives full funding is the Senior Medicare Patrol Program, SMP, which helps protect seniors and their families from health care fraud, errors, and abuse. We have bipartisan agreement that this is an important, cost-saving program, and if Congress does not appropriate sufficient funding for SMP, then those funds should be distributed from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program so the program does not experience a cut.

I am pleased that this title II of this bill continues funding for several important resource and information centers, including the Pension Counseling Program and the National Education and Resource Center on Women and Retirement Planning. These programs serve older adults across the nation by providing much-needed information on pensions, retirement issues, and avoiding poverty and financial fraud.

The number of Americans age 60 and over will grow from about 65 million today to 92 million by 2030. Our most vulnerable populations need to see that we care and are here to serve and support them.

Funding must keep up with the increases we see in the cost of living for seniors, including housing, food, transportation, and prescription drugs. The Older Americans Act reauthorization had the unanimous consent of all Senate and House Members and committed to a 7 percent increase in funding over the next 3 years. I am hopeful my colleagues on the Senate Appropriations Committee will use their authority to continue to meet or exceed this funding goal for these critically important programs. I will continue to advocate strongly for these funding increases.

The truth is that the priorities we hold--treating seniors with respect, making sure seniors have the support they need--have the overwhelming support of the American people. These principles are among the foundations of a just and fair society where people look forward to growing old. I thank my Senate and House colleagues for their support of this important reauthorization bill and President Obama for signing it into law. I am pleased to recognize the anniversary of the passage of the Older Americans Act today.

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