Congress Passes Seniors Bill

Statement

The Senate today unanimously approved and sent to President Barack Obama a bill to support and expand social and nutrition services for seniors. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a leader in the effort to reauthorize and strengthen the Older Americans Act, applauded the bill's passage.

"A nation is judged by how it cares for its most vulnerable," Sanders said. "The shocking truth is that millions of seniors are choosing each day whether to pay their rent, put food on the table or buy the medicine they need. Seniors in Vermont and around the country deserve to live with dignity and with a sense of security. The Older Americans Act helps to provide that."

The Older Americans Act, first passed in 1965, has been in need of reauthorization since 2011. The bill provides much-needed funding for caregiver support, transportation, job training, protection from abuse and financial exploitation and nutrition programs like Meals on Wheels.

In addition to extending the Act's core programs, new provisions in the bill strengthen elder abuse protections, direct the administration to put forward guidelines for caring for Holocaust survivors, support oral health among seniors and promote the modernization of senior centers.

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