NHCOA Joins Diverse Elders Coalition in Opposing Budget Cuts Affecting Seniors’ Ability to Age With Dignity

In Particular, Coalition Urges Congress and White House to Protect Diverse Elders

Washington, DC—The National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA)— the leading organization working to improve the lives of Hispanic older adults, their families, and caregivers— has joined its colleague members of the Diverse Elders Coalition (DEC) in a joint letter opposing budget cuts to federal programs that benefit seniors, in particular diverse elders.

“As we face difficult decisions to solve our national budget issues, we must not do so at the expense of our older adults, who have done their part in protecting, strengthening, and ensuring the well being of the country through their hard and invaluable contributions,” said Dr. Yanira Cruz, NHCOA President and CEO.  “Particularly, we must consider diverse elders, who stand to suffer the most if these damaging reductions or cuts are enacted.”

In the letter signed by the National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA), the National Asian Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA), the National Association for Hispanic Elderly (ANPPM), the National Caucus & Center on Black Aged (NCBA), the National Indian Council on Aging (NICOA), the Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Elders (SAGE), and the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC), the DEC urges President Obama and Congressional leaders to “strongly oppose cuts of any nature to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security in the budget and debt reduction discussions” as “putting seniors’ programs on the budget chopping block…would be a shortsighted, unjust, and detrimental approach to overcoming our financial strife in the long term.”

The letter goes on to express the DEC’s “concern about protecting programs that seniors and low-income individuals need to survive daily and provide for themselves,” such as the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) and the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

In closing, the DEC stresses that “we cannot continue to use these life-saving programs as political bargaining chips if we are truly serious about fixing our economic situation. There are many balanced approaches to containing government spending that do not require placing increased financial burden on the backs of our seniors. Therefore, it is time we stand behind our seniors and show them the respect and care they deserve.”

The Diverse Elders Coalition (DEC) is a group of seven organizations working to improve the lives of racially and ethnically diverse older adults and LGBT seniors. Broadly speaking, the DEC works to promote elder economic security and employment as well as achieve health equity and eliminate health disparities among racially, ethnically diverse, and LGBT communities. Although its work is primarily focused on diverse groups, the issues DEC’s constituencies face reflect the shared challenges all Americans are confronted with in aging with dignity.