Social Security is not a handout. It is money Americans earned and paid into throughout their working lives. My first promise is that I will never vote to cut Social Security benefits, raise the retirement age, privatize the program, or reduce cost-of-living adjustments. Protecting Social Security also means making sure it will be there for future generations. Congress has waited too long to act. I support asking wealthy Americans to pay Social Security taxes on more of their income, just as working families already do. That would strengthen the program without cutting earned benefits. I will also fight for a cost-of-living adjustment that reflects what seniors actually pay for, especially housing, health care, prescriptions, food, insurance, and utilities.
In Congress, I will work to:
• Protect every dollar of earned benefits
• Oppose raising the retirement age
• Oppose privatization
• Require high-income Americans to contribute on more of their earnings
• Improve benefits for low-income seniors and widows
• Adopt a more accurate cost-of-living formula for seniors
• Protect Social Security data and personal information
• Fund Social Security offices so people can receive timely, in-person help
Family caregivers hold our health-care system together. They help loved ones bathe, eat, travel to medical appointments, manage prescriptions, and remain safely at home. Too often, caregivers spend their own money and reduce their work hours without receiving meaningful assistance. This is personal to me. When my brother experienced serious heart problems, I saw how quickly a medical crisis affects an entire family. Caregiving is an act of love, but love should not require someone to sacrifice their own financial security. One of my first actions in Congress will be to support the bipartisan Credit for Caring Act. It would provide eligible working family caregivers with a federal tax credit of up to $5,000 for expenses such as home care, transportation, medical supplies, respite care, and home modifications.
I will also support:
• Paid family and medical leave
• Social Security credits for people who leave or reduce paid work to provide care
• More respite-care and adult day-care funding
• Easier access to home- and community-based care
• Better training and assistance for caregivers navigating federal programs
• Strong funding for Meals on Wheels and the Older Americans Act
• Protection of Medicaid-funded long-term care
Whenever it is safe and appropriate, seniors should be able to remain in their own homes instead of being forced into institutional care. Supporting family caregivers is one of the most effective ways to make that possible.
During my first year in Congress, I will:
1. Cosponsor the Credit for Caring Act
2. Support Social Security legislation that protects benefits and requires high-income Americans to contribute more
3. Oppose any increase in the retirement age
4. Fight for adequate staffing and service at the Social Security Administration
5. Support Social Security caregiving credits
6. Protect Medicaid and home-based care from cuts
7. Establish bilingual senior and caregiver constituent services throughout FL-26
8. Hold regular roundtables with seniors and caregivers to track whether federal programs are actually working.
I will not make promises that one member of Congress cannot deliver alone. I will make clear commitments about the bills I will support, the cuts I will oppose, and the work I will do to build bipartisan support. Seniors deserve security, caregivers deserve support, and every American deserves to know that Social Security will be there when they need it.
