National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare

WHILE THE LAST NINE MONTHS OF THE DIVIDED 118TH CONGRESS (2023-2024) FORCED THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE TO PRESERVE SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE INTO A LEGISLATIVE DEFENSIVE MODE, THE POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT BECAME EVEN MORE UNFAVORABLE AS A RESULT OF THE 2024 GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS, INCREASING THE DIFFICULTY OF OUR ADVOCACY DURING THE NEW 119TH CONGRESS (2025-2026). BEFORE AND AFTER THE START OF OUR FISCAL YEAR ON APRIL 1, 2024, THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOUGHT FOR ADEQUATE DISCRETIONARY FUNDING FOR THE SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION'S OPERATING BUDGET, THE CENTERS FOR MEDICARE AND MEDICAID SERVICES, THE OLDER AMERICANS ACT PROGRAMS AND OTHER AGENCIES AND PROGRAMS KEY TO THE WELL-BEING OF SENIORS. WE FOUGHT EFFORTS TO USE THE CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW ACT TO REPEAL THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION'S RULE ON MINIMUM STAFFING STANDARDS AT NURSING HOMES AND SUPPORTED THE ADMINISTRATION RULES TO REIN IN A VARIETY OF ABUSES MADE BY PRIVATE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLANS AND SUPPORTED THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR RULE TO REQUIRE INDIVIDUALS WHO ADVISE WORKERS ON THEIR RETIREMENT SAVINGS AND INVESTMENTS TO HAVE A FIDUCIARY DUTY TO THEIR CLIENTS. FOR THE SECOND TIME IN THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE'S HISTORY, WE SUPPORTED A CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT, JOE BIDEN. ON JULY 21, 2024, WHEN PRESIDENT BIDEN WITHDREW FROM THE RACE, THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE SUPPORTED KAMALA HARRIS TO BE THE 47TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. DURING THE 2024 POLITICAL CYCLE, THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE-POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE ENDORSED SEVERAL PRO-SENIOR CANDIDATES AND INCUMBENTS RUNNING FOR THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND SENATE. IN SEPTEMBER 2024, THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE RELEASED OUR BIENNIAL CONGRESSIONAL SCORECARD WHICH ENABLED OUR MEMBERS AND THE PUBLIC TO REVIEW THE VOTING RECORDS OF THEIR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS DURING THE 118TH CONGRESS (2023-2024) ON ISSUES IMPORTANT TO SENIORS. SINCE THE 2024 GENERAL ELECTIONS RESULTED IN THE ELECTION OF A PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS MOSTLY UNFRIENDLY TO SENIORS, WE HAD TO CHANGE OUR CONGRESSIONAL STRATEGY TO RESEMBLE HOW WE APPROACHED THE EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATIVE BRANCHES IN JANUARY 2017. TO THAT END, OUR ADVOCACY IN 2025 HAS TARGETED MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WHO ARE UP FOR ELECTION IN 2026 WHO REPRESENT COMPETITIVE STATES OR DISTRICTS. SOON AFTER DONALD TRUMP BECAME PRESIDENT, WE FOCUSED PUBLIC ATTENTION ON THE MAYHEM THE PRESIDENT'S THEN ADVISOR - ELON MUSK - AND HIS SO-CALLED "DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY" (DOGE) WERE CREATING THROUGHOUT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT - BUT ESPECIALLY AT THE SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION (SSA), THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICE'S CENTERS FOR MEDICARE AND MEDICAID SERVICES, AND THE ADMINISTRATION ON COMMUNITY LIVING THROUGH QUESTIONABLE AND ILLEGAL MASS LAYOFFS AND FORCED RETIREMENTS, TAMPERING WITH CONFIDENTIAL BENEFICIARY DATA BASES ON UNSECURED COMPUTERS, REQUIRING BENEFICIARIES TO TRANSACT BUSINESS IN PERSON, CAUSING DELAYS IN PAYMENTS, ENGINEERING UNRELIABILITY OF AGENCY INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS AND PUBLIC-FACING WEBSITES, AND ABRUPTLY CLOSING KEY REGIONAL OFFICES. OUR STAFF HAVE BEEN HELPING NC MEMBERS AND OTHERS NAVIGATE THIS UPHEAVAL. IN ADDITION, THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE HAS AGREED TO BE A CO-PLAINTIFF - ALONG WITH FOUR OTHER GROUPS WHICH REPRESENT SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFICIARIES -- IN A FEDERAL LAWSUIT AGAINST SSA, DOGE AND ELON MUSK. PART OF THE NC'S RESPONSIBILITY AS A CO-PLAINTIFF IS TO VET AND REFER BENEFICIARIES AND CURRENT AND FORMER SSA STAFF THAT HAVE BEEN HARMED BY DOGE ACTIVITIES AT SSA TO ATTORNEYS WITH THE LEAD PLAINTIFF - JUSTICE IN AGING. FINALLY, WE HAVE STRONGLY OPPOSED THE FISCAL YEAR 2025 BUDGET RESOLUTION PASSED BY THE HOUSE AND SENATE, WHICH SET UP THE PROCESS FOR CONSIDERING A FILIBUSTER-PROOF BUDGET RECONCILIATION BILL THAT PROPOSED TO SLASH MEDICAID AND THE SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (SNAP) TO PARTLY PAY FOR THE EXTENSION OF THE TRUMP TAX CUTS THAT MAINLY BENEFIT THE WEALTHY AND LARGE PROFITABLE CORPORATIONS. ON JANUARY 5, 2025, PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN SIGNED INTO LAW THE SOCIAL SECURITY FAIRNESS ACT (P.L. 118-273). THIS LEGISLATION ELIMINATES THE UNFAIR WINDFALL ELIMINATION PROVISION (WEP) AND GOVERNMENT PENSION OFFSET (GPO), PROVISIONS WHICH PREVIOUSLY REDUCED OR COMPLETELY ELIMINATED THE SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS OF OVER 3.2 MILLION FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES WHO RECEIVED A RETIREMENT PENSION OR ANNUITY BASED ON WORK THAT WAS NOT COVERED BY SOCIAL SECURITY. THROUGH THEIR WORK AT THE NC, AND PREVIOUSLY WITH OTHER ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS AND FOR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS FOR THE LAST 40 YEARS, SOME GOVERNMENT RELATION AND POLICY STAFF HAVE BEEN ON THE FRONT LINES OF THE GPO AND WEP ISSUES FOR DECADES. THEY KNOW BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE THAT PERSUADING CONGRESS TO APPROVE THIS LEGISLATION AND THE PRESIDENT TO SIGN IT IS A SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENT. ENACTMENT OF THIS LEGISLATION IS A STELLAR EXAMPLE OF POPULIST DEMOCRACY AT WORK: SHOWING HOW A GROUP OF POLITICALLY ENGAGED AND DETERMINED CITIZENS, WITH THE HELP OF ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE, CAN SUCCEED IN GETTING LEGISLATION IMPORTANT TO THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILIES SIGNED INTO LAW. COALITIONS DURING THE NC FY 2025, THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE PARTICIPATED IN TWO AARP TOWNHALL MEETINGS ON SOCIAL SECURITY: THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE CONTINUES TO PLAY A LEADERSHIP ROLE IN THE LEADERSHIP COUNCIL OF AGING ORGANIZATIONS (LCAO), A COALITION OF 69 NATIONAL NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS CONCERNED WITH THE WELL-BEING OF AMERICA'S OLDER POPULATION AND COMMITTED TO REPRESENTING THEIR INTERESTS IN THE POLICY-MAKING ARENA. FIVE OF LCAO'S MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS, INCLUDING THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE, TAKE TURNS CHAIRING THE COALITION. DURING THE NC FY 2025, THE NC PREPARED TO ASSUME CHAIRING LCAO AT THE END OF THE JUNE 4, 2025 MEETING, WITH THE CHAIRMANSHIP CONTINUING UNTIL THE JUNE 3, 2026 MEETING. THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE WAS ALSO AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE STRENGTHENING SOCIAL SECURITY COALITION (SSSC) STEERING COMMITTEE AND THE CONSORTIUM FOR CONSTITUENTS WITH DISABILITIES SOCIAL SECURITY TASKFORCE, THE DISABILITY AND AGING COALITION, THE NURSING HOME REFORM COALITION, AMERICANS FOR TAX FAIRNESS, THE SAVE OUR RETIREMENT COALITION AND VARIOUS AD HOC COALITIONS FOCUSING ON SPECIFIC ISSUES (E.G. PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICING). ON MAY 22, 2024, THE GRP STAFF HELD A LEGISLATIVE BRIEFING FOR THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION'S STAFF RETIREES. IN MARCH 2025, GRP STAFF STARTED PARTICIPATING IN "BIG TENT" EVENTS REGARDING DOGE ACTIVITIES AT FEDERAL AGENCIES. POLITICAL ACTIVITIES GIVEN THE OVERALL UNFAVORABLE RESULTS OF THE 2024 GENERAL ELECTION, THE NCPSSM-PAC HAD A REASONABLY STRONG PERFORMANCE DURING THE 2024 CYCLE. OF THE 55 CANDIDATES WE SUPPORTED, 35 WON. WE HELPED TO ELECT SIX SENATORS AND 29 REPRESENTATIVES. WHILE THE PAC DID NOT HAVE THE CAPACITY TO SPEND AS MUCH MONEY AS WE HAVE IN PREVIOUS CYCLES, WE ACHIEVED MUCH VALUE OUT OF OUR ENDORSEMENTS. NC STAFF PARTICIPATED IN IN-PERSON ENDORSEMENT EVENTS FOR 18 CANDIDATES, INCLUDING 11 COMPETITIVE SENATE RACES AND SIX DCCC FRONTLINE OR RED TO BLUE HOUSE RACES. FOR THE SENATE CAMPAIGNS, THESE EVENTS RESULTED IN POSITIVE EARNED MEDIA, INCLUDING MULTIPLE STRONG PRESS HITS FOR ELISSA SLOTKIN, TAMMY BALDWIN, JON TESTER, BOB CASEY, COLIN ALLRED, AND DAN OSBORN. ADDITIONALLY, MAX RICHTMAN RECORDED A SERIES OF 31 ENDORSEMENT VIDEOS. SEVERAL OF THESE CANDIDATES SHARED THEIR VIDEO ON THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS. FINALLY, PAC ENDORSEMENTS WERE POSTED ON ALL OF THE NC'S SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS, ENSURING THAT OUR MEMBERS AND FOLLOWERS LEARNED WHO WE SUPPORTED. MAX RICHTMAN CONTINUED TO SERVE AS A VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE'S (DNC) SENIORS COUNCIL. HE SPOKE AT TWO SENIORS COUNCIL MEETINGS: AUGUST 2024 AT THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION HELD IN CHICAGO, IL AND JANUARY 2025 AT THE DNC'S WINTER MEETING HELD AT NATIONAL HARBOR, MD. PRESIDENT RICHTMAN WAS ALSO APPOINTED TO SERVE AS A MEMBER OF THE DNC 2024 PLATFORM COMMITTEE. AS A MEMBER, HE OFFERED THREE AMENDMENTS TO THE PLATFORM: COMBATING ABUSES BY PRIVATE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLANS, ENDORSING THE USE OF THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX FOR THE ELDERLY TO DETERMINE THE ANNUAL SOCIAL SECURITY COST-OF-LIVING ADJUSTMENT, AND ENDORSING OF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION'S RULE ON MINIMUM STAFFING STANDARDS AT NURSING HOMES. OF THE THREE AMENDMENTS, ONLY THE LANGUAGE ON THE NURSING HOMES STAFFING STANDARDS WAS INCLUDED IN THE 2024 DNC PLATFORM.