Enhancing Social Security

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. AMO. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Larson) for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address an issue that is deeply personal to me and many Americans, the sacred trust of Medicare and Social Security.

Mr. Speaker, I was raised by a mom who worked double shifts as a nurse in Rhode Island in nursing homes. I grew up understanding how critical Medicare and Social Security are for seniors in the Ocean State.

Now, as the Congressman for Rhode Island's First Congressional District, I am committed to expanding the promise of these critical programs.

Democrats know how to get this done.

Through the landmark Inflation Reduction Act, Congress authorized Medicare to negotiate the price of prescription drugs, capping the cost of insulin for seniors at just $35 a month and limiting out-of-pocket expenses to $2,000 a year.

This Congress, we have committed to Congressman Larson's Social Security 2100 Act, a bill that would shore up benefits by ensuring the wealthiest Americans play by the same rules as everyone else.

Yet, as I stand here today, I can't help but contrast these essential measures with the callous budget proposal on the other side of the aisle.

Make no mistake, the Republican Study Committee's proposal is a backward budget. If enacted, it would cut Social Security benefits for more than 250 million Americans nationwide.

In my home State of Rhode Island, the Republican budget slashes benefits for 74 percent of the population, forcing three out of every four residents to work longer for less.

In a similar way, Republicans propose undoing the Inflation Reduction Act and jacking up the price of prescription drugs that seniors rely on.

No one, and I mean no one, should ever have to doubt if Social Security and Medicare will be there for them in their retirement. That is why I urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to come together. Let's save Social Security together by passing Congressman Larson's bill.

Let's expand, not repeal, the healthcare savings that Medicare seniors have seen under the Inflation Reduction Act.

Most importantly, let's abandon this misguided idea that punishing seniors, pushing austerity cuts, and raising costs is somehow the solution to the problems we face.

Mr. Speaker, we don't have to choose between ensuring solvency and safeguarding the benefits of millions of Americans. We can and we should do both. By having a vote on the Social Security 2100 Act, we will.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source