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Congressional Response: Representative John P. Murtha (D-12th, PA) Responds to Your COLA Petition
It’s not fair to keep Senior Citizens struggling to make ends meet while their costs go up faster than the average population and in the meantime budget priorities go elsewhere. Medical costs represent twice the percentage of living costs to Seniors as they do to working age people. I fought for a good prescription drug bill that would cover Seniors’ drugs under Medicare. I’ve also fought this year against cuts to the VA healthcare budget as well. We should not be giving tax cuts to the wealthiest in our country if we can’t take basic steps to ensure our Senior citizens don’t have to face choices like deciding whether to pay for their medication or buying groceries. I assure you I will continue to do everything I can to press the Congressional Leadership to recognize the financial pressures Senior Citizens face. JOHN P. MURTHA January 2005 | ||||||||
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I am an original cosponsor of H.R. 2262, The Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers Act that would base the Social Security COLA on the 20 year old “experimental” Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E). This is a measure I’ve introduced in past Congresses as well. The Federal Reserve estimates that if the COLA had been tied to the CPI-E, Seniors would receive on average $400 a year more than they do now.