Issue Position: Seniors
Issue Position
Issue Position: Seniors
Our parents and grandparents worked hard to create a better America. They weathered the Great Depression, fought bravely in our country's greatest war, raised families, and contributed throughout their lives at work and in the community. In retirement, they deserve not only our respect, but the resources necessary to stay healthy and enjoy life.
Jane Harman is deeply committed to protecting Social Security and Medicare and opposes using the Social Security Trust Fund to balance the federal budget. She has voted against privatization of Social Security and the diversion of Social Security payroll taxes to private investment accounts. Instead, she supports increasing IRAs and 401(K)s so individuals can invest and save.
Harman supports improvements that make new technology readily available to Medicare recipients, and believes that a prescription drug benefit is a necessary and appropriate expansion of the Medicare program. She is proud to have received a 100% rating from the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare.
However, dismayed by the lack of bipartisanship and concerned about provisions restricting the reimportation of prescription drugs and the ability of states to negotiate lower drug prices, Harman voted against the recent Medicare prescription drug package (HR 1). In advance of her vote, she canvassed a cross section of her constituents, who expressed across-the-board criticism of the bill. Private doctors, public health officials, seniors and local leaders all expressed concern that this was the wrong reform package at the wrong time.
Jane Harman is a leader in addressing retirement benefit inequities, particularly those affecting women, and has cosponsored legislation to repeal the unfair Government Pension Offset and the so-called "Windfall" provisions.
Since she was first elected to Congress, Harman has hosted public forums throughout her District to provide local seniors and organizations that serve them with the best possible information about services and programs available from the federal government.
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