Senior Citizens
One of Congresswoman Trahan's top priorities in Congress is advocating on behalf of important issues that impact our senior citizens. Growing up, her father was a union ironworker and her mother worked multiple part-time jobs to help raise her and her three sisters. Congresswoman Trahan knows first-hand the importance of fighting to protect federal programs that put the interests of working families ahead of tax cuts for the wealthy.
Congresswoman Trahan is fighting to protect Social Security, expand Medicare, defend protections for people with preexisting conditions, lower prescription drug prices, and ensure that Americans can retire with both their dignity and pensions intact.
In services of those goals, the Congresswoman is proud to have worked on some of the following pieces of legislation in Washington:
| Congresswoman Lori Trahan greets the community at a town hall in Concord where she discussed defending critical programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. |
The Older Americans Act (OAA)
Originally passed in 1965, funding for the Older Americans Act (OAA) has not kept pace with the growth of the American population over the age of 60. In 2010, OAA funding was $42.95 per senior in today’s dollars. Today, it is just $27.25 per senior. Congresswoman Trahan remains committed to increasing funding for critical services and care to aging Americans and will be supporting this bill when it comes up for a vote.
Lower Drug Costs Now Act of 2019
Currently, prescription drug companies often charge Americans three, four, or even ten times more for their prescriptions than what they charge for the same drugs in other countries. The Lower Drug Costs Now Act would level the playing field for American patients and taxpayers by giving all Americans access to lower drug prices negotiated by the federal government.
The SECURE Act of 2019
The SECURE Act of 2019 is a major piece of bipartisan legislation that will benefit seniors throughout the country if signed into law. This bill would expand and preserve retirement savings, provide administrative improvements to the IRS and related agencies, as well as improve revenue provisions for retirement.
The Social Security 2100 Act
The Social Security 2100 Act will strengthen the Social Security program by giving beneficiaries a boost in their monthly benefits, while assuring the program is stable and sufficient for current and future generations.
Social Security Fairness Act
The Social Security Fairness Act would repeal the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision, provision which is short-changing beneficiaries. We must ensure fairness when it comes to government employees like teachers, firefighters, and police officers accessing the benefits they’ve earned.
Disability Integration Act
This legislation prohibits the government from denying community-based services to individuals with disabilities that require long-term service. This bill requires government entities and insurance providers to provide community-based services to individuals with such disabilities. These regulations also require the government to ensure affordable, accessible, and integrated housing that is not disability-accessible, providing seniors a better quality of life.
The Strengthening Health Care and Lower Prescription Drug Costs Act
Congresswoman Trahan proudly supports this legislation, which also passed in the House of Representatives. This bill takes major steps toward making prescription drugs more affordable. It targets generic drug “parking,” ensuring that generic drugs get to the market faster than they have in the past. It also bans brand-name drug manufacturers from making agreements to delay generic products from entering the market.
