Washington, DC – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-22) and Congressman Jared Golden (ME) today introduced a resolution to establish a House Select Committee on Older Americans to investigate the unique economic, health, housing, and social issues facing older Americans and to promote commonsense initiatives to solve these challenges.
Specifically, the resolution creates a temporary, bipartisan Select Committee on Older Americans made up of six members from each party to serve as a forum for inquiry into the unique challenges facing older Americans. The Select Committee is tasked with conducting hearings, collaborating with other congressional committees, and producing interim reports every 120 days. Ultimately, the Select Committee will issue a final report no later than two years after the appointment of its members with recommended actions for Congress to take to strengthen and improve the tools, resources, and support services available to seniors.
“The COVID-19 pandemic, soaring inflation, and record-breaking energy prices have all added to the already significant challenges that older Americans face. Despite receiving the largest Social Security cost-of-living increase in years, significantly higher prices at grocery stores and gas stations have wiped away any gains our seniors may have made. The senior population in the United States is expected to double over the next two decades, and the time to act is now to ensure millions of older Americans have the tools, resources, and support they need to thrive well into their later years. This Select Committee will play a critical role in advancing commonsense proposals to bring much-needed relief, and I am grateful for Congressman Golden’s shared commitment to our seniors,” said Tenney.
“As a representative of one of the oldest districts in the country, I’m focused on addressing the unique economic, health, housing, and social issues facing our seniors,” said Golden. “There are 25 committees currently in operation in the House, but none of them are specifically targeted at senior issues. By 2034, the number of older Americans will outnumber children in this country. The creation of a Select Committee on Older Americans is an important step to prepare for this demographic change in the future and take action to address the challenges that older Americans face today.”
This year, senior citizens received a 5.9% Social Security cost-of-living adjustment, only to have it wiped away by 8.4% inflation. Further, nearly 152,000 nursing home residents have died of COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Given their increased likelihood of serious infection from COVID-19, many older Americans were forced into isolation, causing further damage to both their physical and neurological health, according to the National Council on Aging.
A one-pager on the resolution can be found here.
The full text of the resolution is available here. ### |