[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 49 (Wednesday, March 18, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H2584-H2585]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ESTABLISHING A SELECT COMMITTEE ON AGING
(Mr. MAGAZINER asked and was given permission to address the House
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. MAGAZINER. Mr. Speaker, there are more than 60 million Americans
aged 65 and older, nearly 20 percent of our population.
Older Americans face a range of challenges: dealing with rising costs
on a fixed income; getting access to the care they need, housing, and
transportation; dealing with scams and elder abuse; and more.
That is why we must reestablish the Select Committee on Aging in the
House of Representatives, to ensure that older Americans' needs are
being looked at holistically by this body.
The committee existed from 1974 to 1994. Its work led to the passage
of legislation to make nursing homes safer, increase home care
benefits, improve research and care of Alzheimer's, and more. It is
time to bring it back.
Along with Republican Representative Maria Salazar of Florida, I am
reintroducing a bipartisan bill to do just that. I urge my colleagues
on both sides of the aisle to support it for today's seniors and for
future generations.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include this article in
support of the bill in the Congressional Record.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Rhode Island?
There was no objection.
[February 9, 2026]
Bipartisan Push To Restore House Permanent Select Committee on Aging
(By Herb Weiss)
Magaziner Again Pushes House to Restore Aging Panel
According to Meals on Wheels America, every day, 12,000
Americans turn 60. By the end of this decade, one in four
Americans will be over 60--an irreversible and historic
change in population. Yet even as the nation ages, older
Americans remain without a permanent seat at the House
legislative table to shape aging policy.
In 1993, during the 103rd Congress, the House Permanent
Select Committee on Aging (HSCoA) was dismantled as part of a
budget-cutting push by House Democratic leadership, which
stripped $1.5 million from its funding. From 1974 to 1993,
the committee had served as Congress's primary forum for
aging issues, initially with 35 members and ultimately
expanding to 65.
Looking back, the HSCoA had handled a heavy workload,
carefully scheduling hearings and issuing a steady stream of
reports. In a March 31, 1993 St. Petersburg Times article,
Staff Director Brian Lutz of the Subcommittee on Retirement
Income and Employment reported that during its 18 years of
existence, the House Aging Committee had been responsible for
about 1,000 hearings and reports.
Sixth Time Could Be the Charm
Since its elimination, House lawmakers have made four
attempts to reestablish the committee. Former Rep. David
Cicilline first introduced a resolution during the 114th
Congress, with efforts continuing through the 117th. In the
118th Congress, Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-RI) picked up the
baton and revived the initiative. On January 21, 2026, he
once again introduced House Resolution 1013 to restore the
panel--this time with bipartisan support, including original
cosponsor Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL). At press time,
the resolution had been referred to the House Committee on
Rules for markup prior to consideration by the full House. No
Senate action is required.
More than 30 years later, as the older population surges,
Congress's failure to reinstate a dedicated aging committee
is no longer merely an oversight--it is an increasingly
costly mistake.
``lt is about time--or really past time--for the House to
re-establish the HSCoA, says Max Richtman, president of the
National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
(NCPSSM), who served as staff director of the Senate Special
Committee on Aging in the late 1980s.
Richtman says that a re-established HCoA would be of
tremendous value to older Americans, because it could conduct
investigations and develop legislation for the committees of
jurisdiction in the House to take up, as the Senate committee
historically has done. ``We need an HSCoA in the House
because its full-time job would be to safeguard the interests
of seniors. There is no other House committee that can do
that.''
Richtman notes that, without an HSCoA, it can be
challenging for other House committees to fully review
senior-related issues ``that cross jurisdictional lines or
involve complex interactions of a wide range of
disciplines.''
Opponents argue that eliminating the HSCoA reduced wasteful
spending, noting that 12 standing committees already have
jurisdiction over aging-related issues. Advocates counter
that these committees lack the time, staffing, and singular
focus needed to examine aging issues comprehensively, as the
select committee once did.
``Older Americans are an important and growing part of our
population, and they deserve a seat at the table when
Congress considers issues that directly affect their lives,''
said Rep. Magaziner. ``Protecting Social Security and
Medicare, strengthening housing stability, and lowering
everyday costs--including prescription drugs--highlight the
need for a dedicated committee focused on improving seniors'
quality of life.''
[[Page H2585]]
``I am proud to reintroduce bipartisan legislation to
reestablish the House Permanent Select Committee on Aging so
we can better deliver for older Americans nationwide, he
added. ``This committee would bring members of Congress
together for meaningful work on the challenges and
opportunities that come with aging, and I remain committed to
working across the aisle to advance this effort.''
Magaziner has acknowledged entrenched opposition from
senior committee leaders of both parties who are reluctant to
cede jurisdiction. Nevertheless, he remains committed. ``I
will continue working to ensure older Americans have the
focused advocacy they deserve in Congress,'' he pledged.
Magaziner's resolution has been endorsed by the Legislative
Council of Aging Organizations (LCAO), a national coalition
of advocacy groups currently chaired by Richtman and NCPSSM.
``The Select Committee would have an opportunity to more
fully explore a range of issues and innovations that cross
jurisdictional lines, while holding field hearings, engaging
communities, and promoting understanding and dialogue,'' said
LCAO in a letter supporting the resolution.
An Easy Fix
According to the Congressional Research Service, creating a
temporary or permanent select committee requires only a
simple resolution establishing its purpose, defining
membership, and outlining responsibilities. Funding for staff
salaries and operational expenses are authorized through the
Legislative Branch Appropriations bill.
Magaziner's 203-word resolution, amends House rules to
establish a Permanent Select Committee on Aging. The
committee, having no legislative authority, would be charged
with conducting comprehensive studies of aging issues--
including income, poverty, housing, health, employment,
education, recreation, and long-term care--to inform
legislation considered by standing committees. It would also
encourage public and private programs that support older
Americans' participation in national life, coordinate
governmental and private initiatives, and review
recommendations from the President or the White House
Conference on Aging.
Aging policy touches nearly every aspect of American life,
yet it does not fall neatly within the jurisdiction of any
single standing committee. Depending on the legislative, five
to seven standing committees may draft a bill affecting older
Americans. Without an HSCoA, pressing aging issues may be
ignored. A focused committee would bring together Republican
and Democratic lawmakers from multiple committees to closely
comprehensively examine legislative proposals, both
transparently, and responsibly.
While standing committees draft legislation, the HSCoA
would serve a distinct but equally vital role--providing
oversight, public education, and keeping the spotlight on
aging issues. Key priorities include ensuring the solvency of
Social Security and Medicare, lowering prescription drug
costs, supporting family caregivers, combating elder fraud,
and addressing affordable housing, healthcare access, and
social isolation.
For more than 60 years, the Senate has recognized the value
of its Special Committee on Aging. The House once did as
well--producing lasting, bipartisan results. The People's
House should reclaim that leadership, particularly as older
Americans face rising costs, employment barriers, and growing
loneliness.
Capitol Veterans Speak Out to Bring Back HSCoA
According to Bob Weiner, former HSCoA chief of staff during
the tenure of the late Rep. Claude Pepper (D-FL) his tenure
as select committee chair, the legislative panel elevated
aging issues that otherwise struggled to gain sustained
attention in Congress. ``The bill stopping end to mandatory
retirement would never have happened,'' says Weiner who was a
confidant of Chairman Pepper.
He recalls how it unfolded: ``Chair Pepper and the
committee got the President and Congress to abolish age-based
discrimination in employment and mandatory retirement.
President Carter invited the entire committee to the White
House and later signed the bill with a powerful statement.''
``Pepper even went to the Bush and Reagan administrations
and said, `Over my dead body' would Social Security be cut or
privatized'' Weiner added.
If reestablished today, Weiner believes the committee
should draw lessons from its past. ``We need full-scale
investigations into fraud and scams, along with strong
protections for Social Security and the Older Americans
Act,'' he said. He also argues the committee could play a
critical oversight role in accelerating research into
Alzheimer's disease. ``Seniors are justifiably terrified of
dementia and Alzheimer's. Advances in biological treatments
may offer hope for prevention and reversal.''
Responding to standing committee concerns about
jurisdiction, redundancy, and budgetary impact, Weiner
dismisses claims of duplication. ``The Aging Committee
uniquely focused on aging priorities. That focus is sadly
missing today,'' he said.
Weiner also urged Rep. Magaziner to visibly demonstrate his
commitment to recreating the House Aging Committee. ``If he
talks it up around the House floor like Pepper did, he'll
earn goodwill and support from members of both parties'' he
said. ``It is crucial that House Res. 1013 pass the Rules
Committee. Nothing meaningful on aging will happen without
dedicated congressional leadership.''
Momentum or Missed Opportunity
With the midterm elections just 266 days away, and now that
Rep. Magaziner has secured support from a Republican
lawmaker, he must continue building bipartisan momentum. None
of the previous five attempts to restore the House Aging
Committee attracted Republican cosponsors.
In the 119th Congress, Magaziner should seek endorsement
from the bipartisan House Problem Solvers Caucus, led by Co-
Chairs Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01) and Rep. Tom Suozzi
(D-NY-03). Aging policy should not be considered a partisan
issue but a bipartisan one.
It would also be extremely helpful for Rep. Maria Elvira
Salazar to reach out to the Republican House Caucus,
especially to the Florida Congressional Delegation (20
Republicans and 8 Democrat) to become cosponsors of H. Res.
1013, honoring the legacy of the late Rep. Claude Pepper,
Florida's most prominent chair of the House Select Committee
on Aging.
What made the House Aging Committee truly influential was
Claude Pepper's leadership. Others chaired the committee
before and after him and did good work, but none brought
national attention to aging issues the way Pepper did. Even
today, members of Congress still say, ``We need another
Claude Pepper,'' says Thomas Spulak, president of the Claude
Pepper Foundation and former chief council when Pepper
chaired the House Rules Committee.
``While that will never happen, it would take someone with
a rare combination of commitment, visibility, empathy, and
knowledge to restore that level of importance to an aging
committee, this is exactly why resolutions like this one
matter--to remind us of what effective leadership on aging
once looked like, and what it could look like again,'' Spulak
observed.
The Claude Pepper Foundation should engage these lawmakers
to encourage their active involvement in restoring the
committee. In addition, the Claude Pepper Foundation should
educate lawmakers on the positive benefits of restoring the
committee. According to the Foundation's core mission is to
promote policies and programs that improve health, expand
economic opportunity, and advance social justice for all
Americans--especially older adults. It also seeks to provide
policymakers and the public with research and information on
these issues, and to encourage actions that enhance the
quality of life for all citizens.
Ageism by Omission
``Ageism is as much about what you don't do and what you do
the failure to establish the HSCOA is one obvious example Why
is a HSCOA vitally needed. To help avert Possible major cuts
in Social Security in as soon as 7 years. Getting a family
caregiver tax credit passed. Renewing the Older Americans Act
This House has done so little for older adults. Passing the
Magaziner resolution would go a long way to improve on this
sad record,'' adds a Bob Blancato, a staff person serving the
committee from 1978 to 1993 and now president of Matz,
Blancato and Associates.
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