Seniors

We must always protect our seniors and the benefits they have earned and deserve. Medicare and Social Security are sacred trusts that must be protected, and I will oppose efforts from either political party that would to privatize or weaken these critically important programs.

To help find cost savings in Medicare, we must identify ways to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse and make our health care system more efficient. Some of the most effective ways to do that include expanding the use of electronic medical records to eliminate costly duplicative tests, and allowing Medicare to negotiate directly with drug companies for lower prices on prescription drugs.

Unfortunately, partisan extremists in Congress have continued to put forth plans that would hurt these critical programs. I voted against the Ryan Budget, which would have ended the Medicare guarantee for our seniors. Putting the burden of the national deficit on the backs of our seniors is wrong. At a time when many seniors are struggling, we should be working in a bipartisan way to responsibly reduce the deficit by attacking wasteful spending and working to strengthen Medicare and Social Security. I am committed to working with both political parties to put our seniors first.