{"id":110837,"date":"2020-01-31T12:36:58","date_gmt":"2020-01-31T17:36:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/?p=110837"},"modified":"2020-01-31T12:36:58","modified_gmt":"2020-01-31T17:36:58","slug":"brindisi-kicks-off-national-initiative-to-build-support-for-a-plan-to-protect-upstate-seniors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/?p=110837","title":{"rendered":"Brindisi kicks off national initiative to build support for a plan to protect upstate seniors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Rep. Anthony Brindisi<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Congressman\u2019s \u201cGray New Deal\u201d plan codifies variety of\nlegislative priorities on behalf of older Americans and their families<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Congressman Anthony Brindisi, flanked by older Americans and\nadvocates, announced his bold, new agenda to specifically strengthen programs\nand initiatives that benefit older Americans. Brindisi rolled out his Gray New\nDeal and highlighted his plan to build momentum to install a policy agenda that\nguarantees that older Americans can work and retire with dignity. Brindisi also\nannounced that his plan comes on the heels of new and serious concerns related\nto critical programs older Americans depend on. Brindisi said the \u201cGray New\nDeal\u201d agenda provides a policy path for Congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis Gray New Deal is black and white. There are people in\nWashington that want to gut programs older Americans here in New York need to\npay the bills, buy the groceries or afford elder care,\u201d said Brindisi. \u201cWith\nmore than 130,000 older Americans in New York\u2019s 22nd district, we are in dire\nneed of legislation and a policy platform that works for this aging generation.\nThe Gray New Deal will serve as a new agenda in Congress and let Washington\npoliticians know that they can\u2019t balance the budget on the backs of older\nAmericans. Strengthening and protecting Social Security and Medicare, bringing\ndown health care costs, expanding caregiver benefits, and defending seniors\nfrom scams and fraud is something everyone should be able to get behind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brindisi outlined his agenda including his plan to protect\nSocial Security and Medicare. Residents of New York\u2019s 22nd district receive\nmore than $2.5 million in earned Social Security benefits every year.\nAdditionally, more than 117,000 residents are enrolled in Medicare Part D.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis plan does more than promise a fight to strengthen and\nprotect Social Security and Medicare, it makes it a requirement\u201d Brindisi\nadded. \u201cOlder Americans have paid into these programs all their lives and I\nwill fight to stop Washington politicians from trying to pull the financial rug\nout from under them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to Medicare and Social Security, the Gray New\nDeal includes legislation aimed to reduce health care costs, protect seniors\nfrom scams, improve access to caregivers, and prevent age discrimination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local advocates praised Brindisi\u2019s Gray New Deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCongressman Brindisi is a leading voice on issues important\nto older Americans,\u201d said Whitestown Senior Center Director Bonnie Wnuk. We see\nhim out in our community, visiting senior centers, holding town halls, and\nfighting to bring down health care costs. The Gray New Deal is a bold policy\nagenda that will hopefully be a template for Congress on how to make sure older\nAmericans can retire with dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want to thank Congressman Brindisi for leading the charge\nto create a Gray New Deal,\u201d said Susan Streeter, Executive Director of Copper\nCity Community Connection. \u201cOften times Washington politicians are looking to\ngut programs like Social Security to save a quick buck and Congressman Brindisi\nis standing in their way. He listens to older Americans and is in Congress\nfighting for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Highlights of Brindisi\u2019s Gray New Deal:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a lifetime of hard work, older Americans have earned\nthe right to age with dignity and enjoy the fruits of their labor. Our district\nis home to more than 130,000 older Americans. We need to keep our promise to\nthese hard working men and women who have paid a lifetime into programs like\nMedicare and Social Security. In Congress, Rep. Brindisi is committed to\nensuring older Americans have access to affordable health care, are protected\nfrom scams and financial fraud, and have the resources and support they need\nfor a dignified retirement. We need a Gray New Deal to keep this promise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fighting to Strengthen Social Security and Medicare<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Brindisi is working to preserve, protect, and\nstrengthen Medicare and Social Security. Older Americans have paid into these\ncritical programs all their lives, and Rep. Brindisi will work with members of\nboth parties to protect them. In Congress, he is working to stop Washington\npoliticians from balancing the budget on the backs of older Americans and will\ncontinue to fight back against efforts to cut or privatize Medicare and Social\nSecurity. He also supports bipartisan legislation to repeal penalties that\nunfairly reduce or eliminate Social Security benefits for millions of Americans\nwho have devoted much of their careers to public service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lowering Health Care Costs For Older Americans<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Access to affordable and reliable health care is a top\npriority for our nation\u2019s older Americans. But many older Americans, many on\nfixed incomes, are struggling to keep up with the skyrocketing costs of\npremiums and out of pocket costs on prescription drugs. Rep. Brindisi has a\nplan to address these issues. He voted to pass the Lower Drug Costs Now Act to\ngive Medicare the power to negotiate directly with the drug companies and cap\nout of pocket costs for the 117,000 older Americans in our community enrolled\nin Medicare Part D. He also helped introduce bipartisan legislation to bring\nmore generic drugs to the marketplace and crack down on dirty tricks that big\npharmaceutical companies use to prevent competition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Brindisi also led the charge to repeal the Health\nInsurance Tax (HIT), a tax on health insurance premiums that would have raised\ncosts for many older Americans. Over 25 percent of the HIT would have fallen on\nMedicare Advantage and Part D plans, resulting in higher costs and possible\nreductions to supplemental benefits. In December 2019, Rep. Brindisi\u2019s Jobs and\npremium Protection Act was signed into law permanently repealing the HIT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Locking Up Robocallers And Fighting Big Corporations That\nRip Off Older Americans<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Americans were hit with 26.3 billion robocalls in 2018, a 46\npercent increase from the previous year. These calls are more than an\nannoyance; they can mean serious financial risks for older Americans. Rep.\nBrindisi secured key provisions from his Locking Up Robocallers Act in historic\nanti-robocall legislation signed into law by President Trump. He supports\nbipartisan legislation to create a dedicated working group to enforce the\nprohibition of robocalls. Rep. Brindisi is also fighting back against big cable\ncompanies like Spectrum, which keep raising prices on many older Americans on\nfixed incomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Providing Relief For Family Caregivers And Allowing Older\nAmericans To Age In Place<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Family caregivers allow older Americans to age with dignity\nin their homes. But taking care of a dependent family member can be extremely\nchallenging, and Congress needs to do more to support caregivers. In 2018,\nCongress took the first steps to recognize and support caregivers by\nestablishing a national family caregiver agenda. As a member of the Veterans\u2019\nAffairs Committee, Rep. Brindisi is pushing for swift implementation of the\nnew, expanded Caregiver Program for Pre-9\/11 veterans. He also supports\nbipartisan action to provide more financial support for family caregivers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Protecting Older Americans from Discrimination<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Older Americans are a vital part of the American workforce\nand our economy. Despite their contributions, more than 60 percent of workers\n45 and older have seen or experienced age discrimination in the workplace.\nFurthermore, 76 percent of older workers feel that age discrimination is a\nmajor obstacle to getting a new job. For older Americans who want to keep\nworking, age discrimination threatens their financial security. That\u2019s why Rep.\nBrindisi voted to pass the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act\nto restore age discrimination protections to workers over 40. All workers\ndeserve an opportunity to earn a living wage and be treated with respect.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Congressman\u2019s \u201cGray New Deal\u201d plan codifies variety of legislative priorities on behalf of older Americans and their families Congressman Anthony Brindisi, flanked by older Americans and advocates, announced his bold, new agenda to specifically strengthen programs and initiatives that benefit older Americans. Brindisi rolled out his Gray New Deal and highlighted his plan to build […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":102245,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[23810,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-110837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wellbeing","category-top-story"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/madisoncountycourier.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Rep-Anthony-Brindisi-Congress.jpg?fit=220%2C220&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p43meu-sPH","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=110837"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110837\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/102245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=110837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=110837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=110837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}