[Grassroots Template: Customize for what works best for your agency. You can remove the n4a header/references and change up the language…or not!]
Deficit-Boosting Tax Cuts Put
Aging Programs at Risk
NovemberXX, 2017
On November 16, the House of Representatives passed, largely along party lines, a tax reform measure and a Senate committee finalized that chamber’s version of tax cut legislation. Both bills would increase the federal deficit by $1.5 trillion over 10 years.
[AGENCY NAME] has grave concerns about the tax reform measures given their effect on the federal deficit at a time when our nation is aging rapidly. (Our national association’s statement explains more.)
The budget blueprint that Congress passed this fall does two things: it sets up the process for tax reform that allows $1.5 trillion in deficit spending AND it calls for more than $2.5 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and other aging programs like Older Americans Act—in the name of deficit reduction! Congressional and White House leaders have indicated that legislation to make those cuts is a primary goal for 2018.
[AGENCY NAME] believes we should be finding balanced, responsible solutions to our nation’s long-term deficit issues that take into consideration the critical importance of Medicaid, Medicare and other programs that support older adults and their caregivers. The tax measures currently speeding through Congress do not meet that standard.
We encourage all aging advocates to reach out to Congress immediately. Tell your Representatives your concerns with the bill they just passed, and tell your Senators to oppose the bill they will take up the week after Thanksgiving.
How to Take Action:
Contact [Senators X and X and Representative(s) X (and X)]now. You can use some of the sample language below in your outreach, but make sure to fill in details about the importance of Medicaid, Medicare and Older Americans Act programs and services to you and others in our community.
- Put Your Concerns in Writing.
If you can, put your concerns in writing to email and/or fax it to our Senators and Representative(s). Use the language below to help you craft your messages, but make sure to include your personal experiences about these programs. You can find contact information for our Senators and Representatives at www.senate.gov and www.house.govand you can email them right from that same site.
AND/OR
- Make A Few Short Phone Calls.
If you’d rather call than write our lawmakers (or do both!), this is an easy way to be heard! Use the Capitol Switchboard (202.224.3121) to reach DC offices, or look up the district phone numbers on their websites.
Sample Script:
[IDENTIFY YOURSELF AS A CONSTITUENT AND SHARE ANY RELEVANT PERSONAL INFORMATION YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE SHARING. For example, “I live in the town of Fairmont with my husband who is living with Alzheimer’s. I am his primary caregiver, but he also receives in-home services from the Older Americans Act which allows us to be able to stay in our home of 45 years.”]
I am reaching out today because I am concerned that the tax cut bills moving through Congress don’t take into account the fact that America is aging rapidly and that seniors depend on programs like Medicare for their health, and Medicaid or Older Americans Act for home and community-based services that preserve their independence.
These programs are critical to me and people like me in your state/district, and with more Americans living longer,we should be investing inthese programs now, not cutting them!
Yet the budget passed by Congress this fall calls for huge cuts to these vital safety net programs and the tax bills under consideration actually drive up the deficit by $1.5 trillion in the next decade, putting additional pressure on future lawmakers to cut deeper.
If we supposedly can’t afford to keep older Americans healthy and living with dignity and independence, then how can we afford big tax cuts that only serve to reduce the government’s ability to meet this worthy goal?
Thank you for considering my concerns. I urge you to vote only for legislation that reflects the needs of the millions of older adults and their caregivers for Medicare, Medicaid and other crucial aging support programs.
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For more information, contact [AGENCY INFO] or the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) in Washington, DC: 202.872.0888.