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, I have introduced a Resolution into the 115th Congress (H.Res.659) blocking any cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid in any bill, joint resolution, amendment, or conference report. You can read a summary of the Resolution here.
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.
More on Social Security & Medicare
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Thank you!
Mary and I are looking forward to returning to Minnesota life, spending more time with our children, grandchildren, friends and neighbors.
Dear Friend,
GOP Plans to Cut Social Security and Medicare Are Real - And They Must be Stopped
These seniors clearly understand what GOP leaders fail to recognize: Social Security and Medicare are not “entitlements.” They are earned benefits we pay into from our very first day on the job - and they are not to be used to pay for tax cuts for millionaires, billionaires and wealthy corporations.
Climate Change is Altering Our National Parks - Not the President's Resolve to Ignore Facts and Science
If climate change continues unabated, studies predict indicated that many native trees like these along Echo Bay Trail in Voyageurs National Park will eventually be replaced by less desirable species that can better live in hot weather.
Dear Friend,
To Fund Immigrant Family Jails, President Raids Nearly Half a Billion Dollars Slated for Cancer and HIV/AIDS Research, Head Start, FEMA, Coast Guard and Other Vital Programs
Thumbing their noses at folks like these, the President and GOP leaders are planning to raid millions of dollars from medical research in order to fund immigrant family detention centers on our southern border.
GOP Prepares Another Multi-Trillion Dollar Tax Cut For the Rich - Targets Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid to Pay the Bill
These seniors have a clear message for GOP leaders planning a $3 trillion tax cut for millionaires, billionaires and wealthy multinational corporations, paid for with cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
Dear Friend,
A group of Pine County residents who successfully fought to change state law affecting Medicaid payments and their estates now is trying to do the same thing in Washington.
"It needs to be removed at the federal level because it can come back to haunt us at any time, really," said Julie Gelle of Sandstone.
Happy New Year! America Gets Ready for 2018
Fireworks over the U.S. Capitol are a joy - now hopefully we’ll see fewer fireworks and more cooperation inside the Capitol and the halls of Congress here in 2018.
Dear Friend,
Scrooged!
Republicans Pass Their $1.8 Trillion Tax Giveaway for the Rich - at the Expense of the Middle Class
This cartoon by David Fitzsimmons of the Arizona Star perfectly captures what the Republican tax bill is really all about -- giving huge tax cuts to the wealthy at the expense of the middle class.
Dear Friend,
[WASHINGTON D.C.] Rep Rick Nolan today voted “no” on the conference report of the Republican tax bill that punishes America’s middle class. The bill, met with bipartisan opposition, would provide a $1.5 trillion dollar tax cut to the super-rich and corporations, raise taxes on 86 million middle class households – more than half of America’s middle class – and pave the way for cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.
WASHINGTON D.C.] With significant cuts to Medicare providers looming under the pending Republican Tax Bill, U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan today introduced legislation (H.Res.659) intended to protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid from any cuts in any bill, joint resolution, amendment, or conference report considered by the House. Rep. Nolan also called on the tax conferees to uphold President Trump’s promise of “no cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid” in their tax bill negotiations.