Date: 1982-05-27
Speaker: WILLIAM J. COYNE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. President Ronald Reagan has designated May 1982 as "Older Americans Month." I fully support this action and have consponsored a reso. lution in the House of Representatives which recognizes the contributions of the senior citizens who make up an everincreasing segmentof our society. Eighteen percent of Pennsylvanias population is over 60 years of age. Thanks to better health care. better housing. better nutrition. and better community services. Americans are living longer today than at any other time in our history. These improvements in the quality of life for older Americans were brought about to a large degree by the Federal Government. Previous administrations realized that the Federal Government. along with society. had a moral obligation to insure that the elderly could lead safe and productive lives. These programs are indeed necessary since. according to the 1980 census. one out of six older Americans lives on an Income below the poverty level. When President Reagan outlined his "Program for Economic Recovery" before a joint session of Congress and the American people on February 18. 1981. he stated. "we will continue to fulfill the obligations which spring from our national conscience. Those. who through no fault of their own must depend on the rest of us. the poverty stricken. the disabled. the elderly. all of those with true need. can rest assured that the social safety net of programs they depend on are exempt from any cuts." What has happened to that promise? Only 4 months after President Reagan made that pledge the administrationbacked Omnibus Reconciliation Act was passed. The effect of this legislation on senior citizens programs was severe. Food stamps were cut 16 percent. Social security and railroad. civil service and military retirement were cut 20 percent. Medicare and medicaid were cut 10 percent. Sharp reductions planned for social security were shelved only after a massive protest by recipients. However. the administration was not content to make life harder for those to whom hardship was no stranger. It set out to comfort the already comfortable through a tax bill which favors the wealthy. The American people were assured by the administration that -this program of reductions in funds for social programs and taxbreaks for the wealthy would pull the economy out of its slump and provide benefits for all Americans. Where are we nearly 1 year after this program was enacted? The jobless rate now stands at 9.4 percent nationwidethe highest rate since the Great Depression. This figure represents an increase of 2.5 million people on the jobless roles since last July when the Republican program was enacted. Instead of reevaluating a program that obviously is not working. the administration is simply offering the American people more of the same in its budget proposals for fiscal year 1983. The sum of the new budget proposals would mean further misery. particularly for the elderly poor. Let me cite a few examples of the impact of some of these proposals. According to the Congressional Budget Office. 2.5 million elderly who now receive food stamps would lose their benefits altogether. while another 66 percent would have their benefits reduced. Food stamp assistance would be considered as income when determining eligibility for housing assistance. Similarly. energy assistance would be counted as income when determining eligibility for food stamps. The cumulative effect of these three proposals alone would leave many lowincome elderly with a catch22 dilemma. Do they choose to eat. stay warm or have adequate housing? Unfortunately. the litany of hardships the admininstrations proposals. if enacted. would impose continues: Medicare would be cut by another $2.4 billion: Medicaid would be cut by an additional $1.9 bilion: Supplemental security income would be reduced $286 million in 1982 and $1.1 billion in 1987. Programs. which are funded under the Older Americans Act would have their funding levels reduced from $986 million in 1982 to $652.1 million in 1983. The title V employment program would be abolished. According to the National Council on Aging this would cause 80.000 lowincome. elderly individuals to lose jobs which enable them to be independent as well as provide valuable community service. Apparently undaunted by massive public support for social security. the administration appears ready to push for cuts in the program once again. It supported a measure adopted by the Senate Budget Committee which called for $40 billion in unspecified cuts in social security. The administration prefers to leave pinpointing exactly where the reductions will be to a special commission which will make its report after the November election. The message that has been coming through to me loud and clear from the senior citizens in my district is that they simply cannot sustain any further cutbacks in the programs on which they relysome for the basic necessities of lifefood. shelter. and health care. This administration has not kept its promise to protect the social safety net of programs which benefit the needy and the elderly. This pledge has apparently been lost in the enthusiasm for a stronger defense. a stubborn commitment to an economic program that is not working. and the need to lower the huge deficit brought about as a result of the administrations economic policies. I. too. favor a strong national defense and a lowered deficit. However. these goals can be achieved in ways other than by making further cuts in needed social programs. In my view. an essential first step in lowering the deficit is to cancel the third year of the KempRothReagan tax cut. The military budget also needs to be given as careful scrutiny as the social programs which have already borne their share of budget cuts. We must restore the American peoples shaken. faith in their Government as a vehicle for social and economic Justice. We cannot abandon the elderly and truly needy members of our socitey. It would be unconscionable to attempt to balance the Federal budget at the expense of Americas elderly citizens.