Ryan Nicol
U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch is rejoining a House Democratic task force aimed at addressing the needs of seniors and their families.
Deutch will serve as a Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus Task Force on Aging and Families. The group met Wednesday to help identify top issues among current seniors, their families and younger generations still planning for retirement.
“Our seniors are the backbone of America. They have taken this country to extraordinary heights through a lifetime of hard work,” Deutch said.
“Congress must be proactive in protecting the needs of older Americans and their families. That includes reducing the financial burden of health care, protecting retirement funds, and safeguarding Social Security from cuts and boosting benefits. Seniors need to know that their elected officials are willing to step up to defend their interests.”
The task force was previously named the “Seniors Task Force,” but has been renamed under the 116th Congress. Deutch joined the group upon being elected to the U.S. House in 2010.
Deutch has attempted to address some of the issues important to seniors in the past. In April, Deutch introduced a proposal to help with Social Security’s solvency issues by requiring wealthier Americans to contribute more to the fund.
Deutch also co-introduced a bipartisan bill along with Republican U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan aiming to punish financial scammers that target the senior community.
Neither of those proposals has become law.
U.S. Reps. Doris Matsui of California, Jan Schakowsky of Illinois and Conor Lamb Of Pennsylvania will serve as co-chairs of the task force.
Joining Deutch as vice chairs are U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell of Michigan, Lucille Roybal-Allard of California and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts.
