With more than one million supporters, The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) is one of the nation’s largest nonpartisan advocacy groups representing older Americans. We aim to educate and alert senior citizens about the work of their elected officials on Capitol Hill and to protect, defend, and strengthen the retirement security they have earned and deserve.
Our supporters are active and informed, and we advocate tirelessly for the issues that matter the most to them. Each year, we survey our supporters and ask them, “What’s important to you?” We take their answers and shape our legislative agenda around them. Our legislative agenda includes the following key issues, among many others.
TSCL does not receive contributions from special interests, government grants, or royalties. The organization is funded entirely by donations from its supporters, allowing TSCL to remain focused on the issues that matter most to seniors, maintain a bipartisan approach, and advocate independently, free from outside influence.
Comprehensive Social Security Reform
Long-term solvency of the Social Security trust funds is essential to TSCL’s supporters. According to the most recent annual report by the Social Security Board of Trustees, the combined reserves of the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) and Disability Insurance (DI) Trust Funds are now projected to be depleted in 2034, one year earlier than in last year’s report. At the time of reserve depletion, continuing tax income is projected to be sufficient to pay about 81 percent of scheduled benefits, and this share is expected to gradually decline, covering roughly 72 percent of scheduled benefits by 2099 under current law absent congressional action.
The program faces a manageable shortfall, and TSCL is hopeful that lawmakers will return the program’s trust funds to 75-year solvency as soon as possible. Acting in the sooner rather than later will allow changes to be phased in gradually and with minimal impact on beneficiaries.
The Senior Citizens League has endorsed several small changes to the program, including increasing the payroll tax cap to ensure that the wealthiest Americans contribute to the program more fairly. However, benefit cuts – including reductions in cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) – for current or future retirees will not be tolerated by older Americans.
Social Security COLA Fairness
According to TSCL’s research, Social Security benefits have lost much of their purchasing power, mainly due to inadequate COLAs and rising health care costs. To address this growing issue, TSCL urges Congress to adopt legislation that would base the COLA on an inflation index specifically for seniors, like the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E).
Under current law, the COLA is based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), and it underestimates the inflation Social Security beneficiaries experience because it gives insufficient weight to expenses like health care and housing.
TSCL has endorsed the CPI-E Act, the Guaranteed 3% COLA Act, the Seniors’ Security Act, and several other bills that would better protect the purchasing power of Social Security benefits. TSCL also supports legislation that would give beneficiaries a modest benefit boost to help compensate for years of excessively low COLAs.
Prevent Social Security COLA Cuts
Despite evidence that Social Security beneficiaries are already receiving inadequate COLAs, some on Capitol Hill argue that COLAs are too generous and should be cut. In 2018, more than 100 House lawmakers endorsed a budget proposal that called for adopting the more slowly growing “chained” CPI. The proposal also called for eliminating COLAs for seniors with incomes above $85,000 per year.
A study by TSCL found that adopting the “chained” CPI would significantly reduce the lifetime retirement benefits received by future Social Security recipients, in some cases by as much as $88 per month after 10 years. Cutting the COLA would undoubtedly reduce the adequacy of Social Security benefits, especially if Medicare Part B premiums continue to exceed COLA growth.
TSCL believes that any cuts to the COLA, including the adoption of the “chained” CPI, would be unwarranted and unduly harsh, especially for the oldest and lowest-income seniors who depend on Social Security the most.
Senior Stimulus
As part of our legislative agenda to support America’s aging population, we are fighting for a dedicated senior stimulus payment to provide immediate financial relief to older adults living on fixed incomes. Rising costs of essential goods, healthcare, and housing have placed immense strain on seniors, many of whom are struggling to make ends meet. The annual Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) has consistently failed to keep pace with real inflation, leaving seniors financially vulnerable despite modest increases. This targeted stimulus would help bridge the gap, ensuring that our seniors—who have contributed a lifetime to building our communities—can age with dignity, stability, and peace of mind. We are committed to advocating for Congressional actions that prioritize the well-being of our nation’s elderly and reflect our respect and responsibility toward them.
Stop the Taxation of Social Security Benefits
Social Security was designed to provide a stable income for retirees and individuals with disabilities. However, taxes on Social Security benefits undermine this purpose by reducing the assistance available to beneficiaries. Some earners may have up to 85 percent of their Social Security benefits taxed. This policy disproportionately affects middle- and low-income seniors and disabled individuals, many of whom live on fixed incomes and struggle to meet basic living expenses.
According to data from the Social Security Administration, nearly 40 percent of Social Security recipients already have their benefits taxed, placing financial strain on those least able to afford it.
Permanently eliminating taxes on Social Security benefits would be an excellent step toward providing financial relief to American seniors, many of whom are struggling with a cost of living that is growing much faster than their incomes.
Medicare Reform
A report from Medicare’s trustees estimated that the program’s Part A trust fund, which helps finance hospital and other inpatient care, is projected to face insolvency. These projections are based on economic and demographic assumptions and are subject to change as conditions evolve.
For years, several leading lawmakers have been trying to reduce the federal deficit by reforming Medicare. Popular proposals would phase out the traditional Medicare program and replace it with a “premium support” model, in which older Americans would receive federal subsidies to purchase private insurance.
These proposals have also outlined plans to raise Medicare eligibility from 65 to 67, requiring younger seniors to purchase costly private insurance or rely on employer-sponsored coverage for a longer period.
TSCL has serious concerns about Medicare reform plans that would adopt a “premium support” model or increase the eligibility age, since these changes would result in higher out-of-pocket health care costs for older Americans.
TSCL will tirelessly advocate for legislation to protect the Medicare benefits older Americans have earned and deserve. We will promote policy solutions that responsibly strengthen and modernize the Medicare program, without enacting benefit cuts or increasing costs for seniors.
Dental, Vision, and Hearing Coverage
Millions of older Americans have age-related hearing loss, low vision, and poor oral health. Yet under current law, Medicare is prohibited from covering most hearing, vision, and dental services.
TSCL has heard from countless retirees living on fixed incomes who cannot afford to pay out of pocket for costly care and assistive technologies such as eyeglasses or hearing aids. When left untreated, these conditions often cause serious health complications and injuries. But when treated successfully, the result is improved overall health and lower costs for Medicare and patients.
TSCL believes it is essential for older Americans to receive primary and preventive care to ensure good health in retirement. We have endorsed several bills that, if passed, would expand Medicare coverage to include essential hearing, vision, and dental services.
Prescription Drug Prices
Improving and maintaining access to affordable, lifesaving prescription drugs is a top concern for TSCL’s supporters, most of whom live on fixed incomes and cannot afford steep and sudden cost increases. TSCL will wholeheartedly support measures that lower drug costs.
TSCL has endorsed comprehensive prescription drug reform legislation in the past and will continue to seek out solutions that would increase access to lifesaving prescription drugs. The goal remains to ensure that older Americans have access to safe and affordable medicines.
Prevention of Fraud, Waste, and Abuse
Fraud, waste, and abuse remain persistent challenges in both the Social Security and Medicare programs, and TSCL believes stronger oversight is needed to ensure that limited program resources are used appropriately. Expanding and modernizing efforts to prevent and combat fraud could save tens of billions of dollars annually, helping to strengthen these programs while reducing pressure for reforms that could negatively affect beneficiaries.
Medicare fraud alone is estimated to cost the federal government tens of billions of dollars each year, yet enforcement efforts continue to demonstrate a strong return on investment for taxpayers. Federal fraud-fighting initiatives routinely recover several dollars for every dollar spent, returning substantial funds to the Medicare program.
Social Security’s Disability Insurance program also faces ongoing challenges related to waste and administrative backlogs. In particular, delays in conducting Continuing Disability Reviews (CDRs) can lead to improper payments, while adequate and sustained funding for these reviews has been shown to generate significant program savings.
Failure to effectively prevent fraud and waste ultimately results in higher taxes for workers and higher premiums for Medicare beneficiaries. TSCL will continue urging policymakers to strengthen preventive and enforcement efforts to ensure that Social Security and Medicare dollars are spent responsibly and efficiently.
Our Commitment
TSCL’s all-volunteer Board of Trustees, legislative team, and administrative staff will work tirelessly on behalf of our supporters to protect, defend, and strengthen the retirement security they have earned and deserve. We are committed to our advocacy work on Capitol Hill and to informing our supporters nationwide through our website, newsletter, and social media.
