Seniors

Social Security and Medicare are two of the most important and successful government programs ever created. Each year, they reliably pay billions in benefits to millions of beneficiaries and deliver on our promise of protecting seniors who worked hard all their lives. Not only are they important for our seniors’ economic and health security, they are important to our economy. We must make sure the promise of Social Security and Medicare is 100 percent certain for generations to come.

Social Security and Medicare are two of the most important and successful government programs ever created. Each year, they reliably pay billions of dollars in benefits to millions of beneficiaries and deliver on our promise of protecting seniors who worked hard all their lives. As your representative in Congress, I am committed to making sure the promise of Social Security and Medicare is 100 percent certain today and for many years to come.

We must make sure today’s seniors are guaranteed the retirement security they’ve earned through a lifetime of hard work. And for tomorrow’s seniors, we must take whatever steps are needed to make sure that Social Security and Medicare continue delivering on their promise of protecting those who have worked hard all their lives.

I have always stood up for the promise of Social Security and Medicare, and I will continue to fight to make sure these programs are strong. Not only do Social Security and Medicare represent important promises to our seniors, they are also important to our economy.

More than $6.9 billion comes into the counties that make up our district each year from Social Security and Medicare. That money is spent in our communities where it helps to create jobs and grows small businesses. This, in turn, broadens our tax base and helps provide a means to further endow Social Security and Medicare.

I understand how important these programs are because my family, like every American family, has been touched by them. I’m reminded of the importance of Social Security whenever I think about my grandmother. She worked her entire adult life sewing gloves at the Napa glove factory and labeling wine bottles at Inglenook Winery.

When she retired, she had a small private pension of $53 per month. It was Social Security that gave her comfort in her golden years. It also provided her with peace of mind knowing that her children, her grandchildren, and her grandchildren’s children would share the same securities.

Just like my grandmother, many seniors depend on Social Security to pay the bills and put food on the table. And many depend on Medicare for their doctor visits and prescription drugs.

As your representative in Congress, and as a senior member on the House Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Social Security, I will fight to make sure Social Security and Medicare will continue to be a guaranteed promise for all.