Schumer-backed legislation would have benefited seniors
WASHINGTON, DC – United States Senator Charles Schumer announced on Wednesday his continued support for legislation which would provide Social Security recipients, including those in Chenango County, with a one-time, $250 check.
The bill – which required a two-thirds majority in the house – failed to pass, by a vote of 254 to 153. The majority of house Democrats voted in favor of the bill, with 228 for versus 12 against, while 141 house Republicans voted against the measure, versus 26 who voted to see it passed. A 53 to 45 vote by the Senate Wednesday night fell seven short of the required 60 needed to avoid the expected filibuster.
Following a second straight year with no cost of living increase, area seniors are struggling due to higher health care costs, according to the senator, who said 175,000 seniors in the Broome County region would receive $44 million in Social Security payments if the legislation had passed. Nearly 13,000 Social Security recipients in Chenango County would have received $3,208,000 of that money.
Schumer called the senior population one of the hardest hit in these tough economic times and said he believed forcing them to go without a cost of living increase for a second straight year was unfair.
“They need our help right now,” stated the senator, who said that, even though the cost of goods in general have not gone up as much in recent years, medical costs for Social Security recipients have, and the value of their investments has shrunk.
“This small amount of money would make all the difference,” he added.
According to the Schumer, seniors shouldn’t be forced to choose between putting dinner on the table or turning on the heat.
“We are pushing a measure that will provide much needed relief for seniors,” said Schumer of the legislation. “It’s not much, but for a lot of seniors it’s a way to get through these tough times.”
Prior to Wednesday’s vote in the House of Representatives and Senate, Schumer said he believed that, even should the vote fail, he would keep at it and fight hard to see it passed in the future.
The senator stated the one-time, $250 check would put money back into the economy and considered it stimulus money, as seniors aren’t stashing the money away, they’re spending it.
“If we’re giving stimulus money to multimillionaires, we can give some to seniors,” said Schumer. “Every time a senior citizen turns around the cost of something they need to survive goes up. The Social Security Administration may say that seniors don’t need a cost of living increase, but all you have to do is go around New York and talk to a senior citizen to find out that everything they need costs more.”
The bill – which required a two-thirds majority in the house – failed to pass, by a vote of 254 to 153. The majority of house Democrats voted in favor of the bill, with 228 for versus 12 against, while 141 house Republicans voted against the measure, versus 26 who voted to see it passed. A 53 to 45 vote by the Senate Wednesday night fell seven short of the required 60 needed to avoid the expected filibuster.
Following a second straight year with no cost of living increase, area seniors are struggling due to higher health care costs, according to the senator, who said 175,000 seniors in the Broome County region would receive $44 million in Social Security payments if the legislation had passed. Nearly 13,000 Social Security recipients in Chenango County would have received $3,208,000 of that money.
Schumer called the senior population one of the hardest hit in these tough economic times and said he believed forcing them to go without a cost of living increase for a second straight year was unfair.
“They need our help right now,” stated the senator, who said that, even though the cost of goods in general have not gone up as much in recent years, medical costs for Social Security recipients have, and the value of their investments has shrunk.
“This small amount of money would make all the difference,” he added.
According to the Schumer, seniors shouldn’t be forced to choose between putting dinner on the table or turning on the heat.
“We are pushing a measure that will provide much needed relief for seniors,” said Schumer of the legislation. “It’s not much, but for a lot of seniors it’s a way to get through these tough times.”
Prior to Wednesday’s vote in the House of Representatives and Senate, Schumer said he believed that, even should the vote fail, he would keep at it and fight hard to see it passed in the future.
The senator stated the one-time, $250 check would put money back into the economy and considered it stimulus money, as seniors aren’t stashing the money away, they’re spending it.
“If we’re giving stimulus money to multimillionaires, we can give some to seniors,” said Schumer. “Every time a senior citizen turns around the cost of something they need to survive goes up. The Social Security Administration may say that seniors don’t need a cost of living increase, but all you have to do is go around New York and talk to a senior citizen to find out that everything they need costs more.”
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