In May, we celebrate Older Americans Month and the fundamental commitment our country makes to its seniors. In November, we will determine whether we honor that commitment.
Every day, thousands of American seniors reach retirement age after a lifetime of working hard to support their families. Because of Social Security and Medicare, older Americans can mark these milestones with the peace of mind that their retirement future is secure. We created these lifelines so that hard working seniors never have to worry about putting food on the table, or landing in debt after their next trip to the pharmacy.
Yet, Donald Trump seems willing to put these programs at risk, and take a gamble on our seniors' future. He has called Social Security a Ponzi scheme, claiming privatizing the program would be "good for all of us." He has repeatedly flip-flopped on his position on Medicare, first claiming he would avoid cuts, then having his senior advisor place those cuts back on the table. He won't even agree to AARP's call to put out a Social Security plan.
Donald Trump's radical and unpredictable policies undermine the promises we've made to America's seniors--promises that Hillary Clinton has fought for her entire life, and will honor as president.
I've known Hillary Clinton for a long time. She has always believed that if American families work hard and play by the rules, they should have the opportunity to thrive. She understands that the strength of lifelines like Social Security and Medicare is tied to our long-term prosperity as a Nation.
Hillary's plan for seniors expands Social Security, instead of privatizing the program at the expense of the nearly two out of three seniors who depend on it for the majority of their income. She wants to expand benefits for those who need them the most, like women who often take time out of the paid workforce to care for sick or aging loved ones.
Hillary will defend Medicare against attempts to privatize it, which would only drive up costs for the nearly 45 million retired Americans who rely on it to provide some or all of the health insurance needs. Hillary's plan will build upon reforms that began with the passage of the Affordable Care Act, keeping affordable and reliable healthcare within reach for older Americans, which is especially critical for the millions of American seniors who live with disabilities.
Hillary also knows that supporting our seniors means supporting their caregivers. Safety nets need to be in place for those who have to take time to look after an ailing loved one. That's why Hillary will offer a 20 percent tax credit to help family members offset up to $6,000 in caregiving costs. These savings could make a real difference in the lives of our hard working American families.
This May, we celebrate Older Americans Month by honoring our seniors. But our obligations to them and their caretakers must be enduring throughout the year. Hillary Clinton's record proves she will never roll the dice on our seniors' futures. We need a president who holds sacred this country's commitments to its citizens. That president is Hillary Clinton.