[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 6814]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         OLDER AMERICANS MONTH

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, as the Senate continues to debate funding 
priorities for the American people in the coming year, I want to take a 
moment to recognize the importance of supporting our Nation's seniors. 
May is Older Americans Month. This is a time to recognize our 
responsibility to expand resources for the elderly and a moment to 
acknowledge the important role older Americans play in contributing to 
our country's livelihood and development.
  Older Americans Month has been recognized annually since 1963, when 
President Kennedy designated May as Senior Citizens Month to honor the 
dedication of seniors to our communities. At that time, just 17 million 
Americans had reached their 65th birthday, with over one-third of all 
seniors living in poverty. With few programs to support their needs, 
President Kennedy pledged to highlight elderly contributions to society 
in order to strengthen such services.
  This year's Older American's Month theme is ``Blaze a Trail,'' aimed 
at raising awareness about the many issues facing seniors today. From 
high health care costs, to the availability of healthy foods in 
vulnerable communities, our Nation's seniors deserve the resources they 
need to enjoy these richer years.
  Last month, the President signed the Older Americans Act 
Reauthorization Act into law, marking the end of a 5-year long debate 
on how to reauthorize crucial programs for seniors in underserved 
communities. For decades, the Older Americans Act has strengthened 
community assistance for seniors, including through transportation, 
caregiver support, nutrition, and home-based aid. I am pleased the 
reauthorization remains steadfast in supporting these initiatives, and 
includes stronger protections for elder rights, while expanding 
disability and long-term care programs.
  But we cannot stop there. We must take this as an opportunity to 
underscore the importance of promoting senior services across all 
sectors. That means coming together as a Congress to produce solutions 
for long-term sustainability in Social Security and Medicare. It means 
expanding access to healthy foods across communities, including in 
hospitals and senior-care facilities. This means supporting caregivers 
and families who take time out of their lives to provide for their 
loved ones. And it means ensuring that cost of living adjustments are 
fairly calculated to account for senior expenses year after year.
  We all have a stake in promoting the livelihood of our Nation's 
elderly, whether it be for our own families or for the children of 
future generations. Let us be reminded this May that supporting older 
Americans is not just a matter of fairness, but a commonsense solution 
to promoting the wellbeing of our Nation at large.
  (At the request of Mr. Reid, the following was ordered to be printed 
in the Record.)

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