Affirming the House of Representatives' commitment to protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare.

IV 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 178 Affirming the House of Representatives’ commitment to protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY 28, 2023 Mr. KILDEE submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on En- ergy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned RESOLUTION Affirming the House of Representatives’ commitment to protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare. Whereas Social Security and Medicare have been the founda- tion of our Nation’s economic and health security, uplift- ing generations of Americans; Whereas nearly all Americans pay into Social Security and Medicare throughout a lifetime of work, earning retire- ment insurance, disability insurance, life insurance, and health insurance that ensure the right to benefits when needed; Whereas, today, more than 66,000,000 seniors, people with disabilities, and children rely on Social Security to meet their basic needs and live in dignity; VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:14 Mar 01, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR178.IH HR178 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 178 IH Whereas Social Security protects workers and their families by providing benefits to their children and spouses who depend on them when they retire, experience a career- ending disability, or die; Whereas Social Security benefits are guaranteed to be paid for life and are fully protected against inflation through automatic cost-of-living adjustments; Whereas Social Security is particularly important to people of color and women who are less likely to have pensions or other savings to help protect against financial insecurity; Whereas more than 8,000,000 veterans receive Social Secu- rity, and 6,500,000 children depend on Social Security because their parent has died, is disabled, or they live in a household that receives income from Social Security; Whereas, today, more than 63,000,000 seniors and people with disabilities rely on Medicare for guaranteed health care benefits; Whereas Medicare provides access to needed health care, in- cluding primary and specialty care, postacute care, pre- ventative services, and prescription drugs; Whereas Medicare paved the way to improve health equity by requiring desegregation as a condition for hospital par- ticipation and continues to focus on delivering equitable care today; Whereas Medicare is often the only source of health care for nearly all seniors, and before Medicare, nearly half of older Americans had no health insurance, and today, the population has dropped to just 2 percent; Whereas the median income of Medicare beneficiaries is about $30,000 per year in total from all sources; VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:14 Mar 01, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR178.IH HR178 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 178 IH Whereas under President Biden’s leadership, Medicare bene- ficiary premiums decreased by $5.20 per month in 2023; Whereas the Affordable Care Act signed under President Obama added 12 years to the Medicare Hospital Insur- ance Trust Fund and improved Medicare plan choices; and Whereas President Biden has stated that proposals to sunset Social Security and Medicare would put them ‘‘on the chopping block’’ by ending the guaranteed right to these benefits and subjecting seniors’ most basic economic se- curity to periodic crises as Congress is forced to vote re- peatedly to continue Social Security and Medicare: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) affirms its unwavering commitment to pro- 2 tect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare as 3 foundational promises of our society for current 4 beneficiaries and for generations to come; 5 (2) guarantees Social Security and Medicare as 6 earned benefits that workers have paid into through- 7 out their careers; 8 (3) firmly commits to honor the American peo- 9 ple’s overwhelming support for strengthening and 10 improving Social Security and Medicare and vig- 11 orous opposition to cuts for current and future bene- 12 ficiaries; 13 (4) honors President Roosevelt’s vision for So- 14 cial Security to provide for ‘‘the security of the men, 15 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:14 Mar 01, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR178.IH HR178 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 178 IH women, and children of the Nation against certain 1 hazards and vicissitudes of life’’ and President John- 2 son’s vision for Medicare ‘‘to assure the availability 3 of and accessibility to the best healthcare to all 4 Americans, regardless of age or geography or eco- 5 nomic status’’; 6 (5) rejects any cuts to Social Security and 7 Medicare, including raising the eligibility age, which 8 would devastate the financial security of current and 9 future retirees; and 10 (6) condemns commissions, which pave the way 11 for benefit cuts through backroom deals, and privat- 12 ization of Social Security, which replaces secure and 13 guaranteed benefits with stock market risk and 14 takes money away from the Trust Funds, threat- 15 ening the ability to pay today’s beneficiaries and 16 forcing deep cuts to future retirees. 17 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:14 Mar 01, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR178.IH HR178 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS