Wisconsin Senior Blasts “The Republican Party’s Anti-Senior Agenda” Print
Elections, Elected Officials, Political Parties
Written by WisDems Press, Hannah Menchhoff   
Tuesday, 31 May 2022 09:15

elderly-crowd“If the Republicans get their way, older people will be hung out to dry.”


MADISON, Wis. – This weekend, Richard Sicchio, a retired Wisconsinite, penned an op-ed in the Milwaukee Courier blasting Republican politicians for proposing an agenda that could sunset Social Security and Medicare.

Key Points:

Milwaukee Courier | The Republican Party’s Anti-Senior Agenda

  • For over three decades, I worked for the Northern Area Agency on Aging. For 19 of those years, I served as its executive director. During that time, I was charged to oversee the operations of 22 county and seven Tribal aging offices.

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  • I was hoping that by the time I retired, older Americans would be in a better place than when I started doing advocacy for aging programs. I'm sad to say that I was wrong.

  • The older population is, right now, facing a clear and present threat: namely, the Republican Party's anti-elder agenda. Right now, even as we speak, the Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee has proposed a plan that, if successful, would sunset all federal programs in five years — which would include Social Security and Medicare.

  • Millions of Wisconsin seniors, myself included, have spent long years paying into both of these much-needed programs that serve as a social safety net for much of the aging population. To rip them away is an absolutely abhorrent idea. It's no surprise, however, when we consider that the Republican Party has long waged war against Social Security and Medicare.

  • Our own Senator Ron Johnson has been leading the charge by supporting the “anti-aging”, agenda. He has called Social Security a “Ponzi scheme” and lauded Rick Scott's plan as a “positive thing.” Senator Johnson, who is supposed to represent Wisconsinites of all ages, is just flatly wrong to be holding this point of view.

  • These attacks are especially notable given the near-universal support for these two pillars of retired living. A 2020 poll conducted by AARP showed that 90 percent of people across political parties support Social Security. Similarly, Medicare remains one of the most popular government-funded programs in the U.S.

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  • If the Republicans get their way, older people will be hung out to dry. I've spent my entire professional career advocating for seniors everywhere. To say that I am concerned about this radical agenda is an understatement.

  • I'm so thankful to have leaders right now, like President Biden and Governor Evers, who are taking measurable steps to support seniors, both in Wisconsin and nationwide. Governor Evers signed a bill to reduce the cost of prescription drugs and established a task force on retirement security, which works to support people who are currently in or about to enter retirement.

  • Leadership matters – and most aging advocates agree that our hard-earned benefits are in better hands with Democrats at the helm. The stakes for the retired community both in Wisconsin and nationwide have never been higher.