Seniors Have Reason to Celebrate
I wish you all Happy Holidays! Also, I’m pleased to report that seniors and proponents of Social Security and Medicare have reason to celebrate the outcome of the 2022 midterm election, which concluded on Tuesday, November 8.
Undeterred by the polling and the knowledge that midterm elections are historically difficult for the incumbent president’s party, active and retired Steelworkers set out to defend those legislators who have helped secure monumental pro-worker, pro-retiree victories, which include:
- a massive win on retirement security that protected the pension benefits that 120,000 active and retired Steelworkers had fought for and won at the bargaining table;
- the passage of the once-in-a-generation infrastructure bill that will mean continued investments in Steelworker jobs, the products we make, and the services we provide;
- a new, pro-worker vision in the Department of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board that has already helped more workers achieve the protection of a union contract;
- and more.
Our efforts helped to not only retain a pro-retiree majority in the United States Senate, but expand it by at least one seat. (Georgia run-off election to take place December 6.)
While our allies in the U.S. House of Representatives lost their majority, the margin currently stands at 220 to 213, which means no mandate exists to override a Presidential veto.
Therefore, President Biden will retain a significant amount of leverage when it comes to debt ceiling negotiations, among other things.
In fact, the day after the election, Biden said, “I want to be very clear: Under no circumstances will I support the proposal put forward by Senator Johnson (WI) and the senator from down in Florida to cut or make fundamental changes in Social Security and Medicare. That’s not on the table. I will not do that.”
Outside of Washington, D.C., labor’s efforts also helped secure victories for allies in state legislatures who will stand with us in the fight to combat soaring prescription drug costs and address other issues impacting seniors.