[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 114 (Thursday, July 14, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5143-S5144]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       ANNIVERSARY AND REAUTHORIZATION OF THE OLDER AMERICANS ACT

  Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, 51 years ago today--July 14, 1965--
President Johnson signed the Older Americans Act into law, solidifying 
our commitment to America's seniors and creating critical programs to 
ensure that all Americans can age with dignity and security. I am very 
pleased that President Obama signed the reauthorization of the Older 
Americans Act on April 19, 2016. My view is that a nation is judged not 
by how many billionaires and millionaires it has, but instead by how it 
treats the most vulnerable people among us.
  I would like to thank Chairman Alexander and Ranking Member Murray 
for their efforts in getting this reauthorization passed into law. I 
would also like to acknowledge the many organizations representing tens 
of millions of Americans who worked with me and my staff to get this 
bill to President Obama, including the National Council on Aging, Meals 
on Wheels America, the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, 
and others.
  Every day in my State of Vermont and around this country, millions of 
seniors are struggling with the difficult choice they must make with 
their limited budgets--whether to buy food, medicine, or keep a roof 
over their heads. These are not the choices seniors in this country 
should be forced to make.
  More than half of older households have no retirement savings and are 
just one bad fall or illness away from economic catastrophe. The Older 
Americans Act provides important long-term services and supports that 
help keep older Vermonters and seniors across this country healthy and 
out of poverty. The Older Americans Act provides a broad range of 
services including home-delivered and congregate meals, transportation 
services, family caregiver support, preventive health services, and 
many supportive services. The law also funds job training, legal 
assistance, and elder abuse prevention and protection services.
  I, along with my staff, worked on the reauthorization of the Older 
Americans Act for the past several years. During that time, we held 
hearings on senior hunger and convened listening sessions with advocacy 
groups to learn more about the best way to extend these programs. What 
I heard over and over

[[Page S5144]]

again was simple: The law is working well, but it needs more funding to 
keep up with rising costs and a growing senior population. We must 
protect and expand funding for these important programs.
  The simple fact is the amount of funding dedicated for these 
important programs is a disgrace. As a point of comparison, while 
funding for other programs has risen by 11 percent since 2009, Older 
Americans Act funding has dropped 7 percent over that same time. 
Funding for these crucial programs has not even kept up with inflation. 
That is why, for the past several years, I have led an appropriations 
request letter asking for a 12 percent increase in funding for the 
Older Americans Act. A 12 percent increase would make a meaningful 
difference for states struggling to provide services to their growing 
senior populations.
  Some of the most important and well-known services funded by the 
Older Americans Act are the meals programs, often provided by Meals on 
Wheels. A Government Accountability Office, GAO, report I requested 
last year found that fewer than 10 percent of low-income seniors who 
needed a meal delivered to their homes in 2013 received one. The study 
also found that one in three low-income seniors are ``food insecure,'' 
yet fewer than 5 percent receive a meal at home or at a senior center. 
That is unacceptable.
  Investing in senior nutrition programs is not only the moral thing to 
do, it is the financially smart thing to do. Proper nutrition can keep 
people out of long-term care and emergency rooms. Meal delivery is also 
a good opportunity for visiting with an isolated senior who might 
otherwise go days without seeing another person.
  Another critical OAA program is the Senior Community Service 
Employment Program, SCSEP, which provides job training and employment 
services for older adults. Seniors are matched with part-time jobs at 
organizations in the community and many times these positions turn into 
permanent employment, increasing seniors' financial security.
  Senior centers are another important way the Older Americans Act 
supports the needs of seniors in our communities. The reauthorization 
includes some policy changes to modernize senior centers to help ensure 
people are taking part in activities like group meals, afternoon 
activities, and exercise classes.
  Another crucial service I strongly hope receives full funding is the 
Senior Medicare Patrol Program, SMP, which helps protect seniors and 
their families from health care fraud, errors, and abuse. We have 
bipartisan agreement that this is an important, cost-saving program, 
and if Congress does not appropriate sufficient funding for SMP, then 
those funds should be distributed from the Centers for Medicare and 
Medicaid Services' Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program so the 
program does not experience a cut.
  I am pleased that this title II of this bill continues funding for 
several important resource and information centers, including the 
Pension Counseling Program and the National Education and Resource 
Center on Women and Retirement Planning. These programs serve older 
adults across the nation by providing much-needed information on 
pensions, retirement issues, and avoiding poverty and financial fraud.
  The number of Americans age 60 and over will grow from about 65 
million today to 92 million by 2030. Our most vulnerable populations 
need to see that we care and are here to serve and support them.
  Funding must keep up with the increases we see in the cost of living 
for seniors, including housing, food, transportation, and prescription 
drugs. The Older Americans Act reauthorization had the unanimous 
consent of all Senate and House Members and committed to a 7 percent 
increase in funding over the next 3 years. I am hopeful my colleagues 
on the Senate Appropriations Committee will use their authority to 
continue to meet or exceed this funding goal for these critically 
important programs. I will continue to advocate strongly for these 
funding increases.
  The truth is that the priorities we hold--treating seniors with 
respect, making sure seniors have the support they need--have the 
overwhelming support of the American people. These principles are among 
the foundations of a just and fair society where people look forward to 
growing old. I thank my Senate and House colleagues for their support 
of this important reauthorization bill and President Obama for signing 
it into law. I am pleased to recognize the anniversary of the passage 
of the Older Americans Act today.

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