Social Security & Medicare

I firmly believe Social Security and Medicare are earned benefits Americans have paid for from their first day on the job, and seniors deserve to know that what they have earned will be protected. Many seniors would be destitute without the benefits they worked for, earned, and have every right to expect. I am fundamentally against any plan or budget deal that privatizes, reduces, or compromises these successful and necessary programs or the benefits they provide. 

To that end, when the President proposed switching to a chained Consumer Price Index (CPI) to calculate senior's cost-of-living and inflation adjustments for Social Security, I strongly opposed this proposal, as it would have greatly reduced seniors' rightly-earned benefits, and I joined like-minded Members of Congress and seniors advocacy groups in a protest outside the White House gates, where we presented a petition signed by more than 2 million people to the President opposing these cuts to Social Security. I was also the original cosponsor of H.CON.RES.32 - Opposing Chained Consumer Price Index, which strongly states that Chained CPI should not be used to calculate Social Security benefits.

I have also fought to protect cuts to Medicare Advantage, joining some 160 Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle in urging the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to restore the Administration's proposed cuts in the Medicare FFS program. Read my letter here.

I have spoken from the House Floor in support of reinstating the Health Care Tax Credit (HCTC), a program that expired in January 2013, which slashed the pensions of thousands of retired workers on the Iron Range, former employees of companies like LTV and National Steel - giants of American manufacturing. Watch the clip of my speech here.

As a businessman, I learned to prioritize equipment repair and replacement; if the equipment was broken beyond repair, I replaced it immediately. If the equipment was getting older but still working, I planned for the future. The same principle applies to Social Security and Medicare. Neither faces an immediate crisis, but we need to plan sensibly for the future. With that in mind, we need to examine ways to permanently stabilize and assure funding for both Social Security and Medicare in the years to come, without reducing benefits. But in all cases, future reforms must in no way diminish the earned benefits Americans require, expect, and deserve.

Other Issues for Seniors:

Financial scams targeting seniors are called "the crime of the 21st century" because they're so prevalent, and unfortunately, often go unreported or are difficult to prosecute. I'm committed to ensuring our seniors are fully protected against fraud, telemarketing and online scams, and abuse or exploitation. 

Unscrupulous telemarketers, direct mail offers, phony "miracle" drugs, contest winnings, funeral and cemetery fraud, investment schemes, predatory lenders, stolen benefits checks – my staff and I hear these stories again and again as we travel throughout Minnesota. Read my recent newsletter aimed at helping seniors and their families protect themselves against scammers.