This week, the fall recess continued for lawmakers in the House and Senate who are campaigning for the upcoming elections.
Lawmakers Remain in Recess
This week, Members of Congress remained in their home states and districts to continue the fall recess. They are expected to return to Capitol Hill following the November elections to begin the lame duck session. Until then, most lawmakers will be attending local events and holding town hall meetings in their home states and districts.
TSCL encourages its members and supporters to attend these events and to ask questions of their elected officials about important Social Security and Medicare issues, like the following four…
1. This year, Social Security beneficiaries received no cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) despite a national survey indicating a majority reported higher costs. Do you support legislation that would give seniors an emergency COLA before the end of this year?
2. The federal government negotiates prescription drug prices for Medicaid and for veterans, but it is not allowed to negotiate lower prices for Medicare beneficiaries. Do you support this policy?
3. In January, one-third of all Medicare beneficiaries will see a Part B premium increase of 22 percent – the highest increase in 27 years. Do you believe Congress should take action like it did last year to prevent the dramatic increase?
4. If the Social Security COLA were based on a more accurate measure of inflation for senior citizens, this year’s increase would not have been zero – it would have been around 0.6 percent according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Do you support legislation that would base the COLA on a more accurate inflation index like the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly?
The following Members of Congress, among many others, will be holding town hall meetings in the days ahead: Reps. Diana DeGette (CO-1), Lynn Jenkins (KS-2), Gary Palmer (AL-6), Tom Rice (SC-7), Todd Rokita (IN-4), Steve Cohen (TN-9), David Valadao (CA-21), Steve Womack (AR-3), Susan Brooks (IN-5), Randy Hultgren (IL-14), Lamar Smith (TX-21), Eric Swalwell (CA-15), Marc Veasey (TX-33), and Rep. Ed Perlmutter (CO-7).
For details, or to see if your Members of Congress will be holding town hall meetings before the November elections, call their local offices. You can find contact information HERE. For more sample town hall questions, click HERE.
