Older Americans Month, 2024, 36665-36666 [2024-09821]

Agencies

• Executive Office of the President

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 87 (Friday, May 3, 2024)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 36665-36666]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-09821]




                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 87 / Friday, May 3, 2024 / 
Presidential Documents

[[Page 36665]]


                Proclamation 10741 of April 30, 2024

                
Older Americans Month, 2024

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Older Americans have worked their whole lives to 
                achieve the American Dream for their families and 
                communities, making our Nation stronger and building a 
                future of possibilities for new generations. This 
                month, we celebrate their immense contributions to our 
                country and stand firm in our efforts to ensure that 
                every American can age with the dignity and financial 
                security that they deserve.

                Sixty years ago, a third of older Americans still lived 
                in poverty, and close to half had no health insurance. 
                Over the years, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid 
                helped to change that. Today, they are lifelines for 
                tens of millions of Americans and proof of what 
                government can do to transform lives for the better. I 
                will always fight to protect and strengthen these 
                programs. Folks have paid into Social Security and 
                Medicare from their very first paychecks; the benefits 
                of these programs belong to the American people. It is 
                a sacred trust that people rely on. That is why I have 
                proposed strengthening Social Security--not cutting it 
                as others have suggested--by asking the highest-income 
                Americans to pay their fair share. My new Budget would 
                also extend the life of the Medicare Hospital Insurance 
                Trust Fund indefinitely to protect the crucial health 
                insurance that nearly 67 million Americans today rely 
                on. At the same time, we are cracking down on so-called 
                junk fees on retirement savings to ensure financial 
                advisors give advice that is in your best interest 
                rather than theirs, protecting the savings you have 
                worked for your whole life.

                Across the board, we are also working to cut the cost 
                of health insurance and prescription drugs to give 
                folks a little more breathing room. After years of 
                others trying, we finally beat Big Pharma, giving 
                Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug prices as 
                the Department of Veterans Affairs has done for years. 
                Our Inflation Reduction Act also caps the cost of 
                insulin for people on Medicare at $35 per month, down 
                from as much as $400 per month. Next year, it will cap 
                out-of-pocket prescription drug costs for seniors on 
                Medicare at $2,000 per year, even for expensive drugs 
                that cost many times that. We have also expanded the 
                range of services that people on Medicare have access 
                to, including dental, mental health, and nutritional 
                health services. Additionally, following an Executive 
                Order I signed, hearing aids are now available over the 
                counter, so millions of people with hearing loss can 
                now buy them at a store or online without a 
                prescription, saving up to $3,000 per pair.

                Folks who have spent their whole lives building a 
                community deserve to live, work, and participate in 
                that community as long as they would like. That is why 
                my Administration is also making historic investments 
                in home care. The American Rescue Plan delivered $37 
                billion to help States strengthen their Medicaid home 
                care programs by recruiting, training, and paying more 
                home care workers and providing counseling, training, 
                and support to family caregivers. Last year, I signed 
                the Executive Order on Increasing Access to High-
                Quality Care and Supporting Caregivers, the most 
                comprehensive set of executive actions in history for 
                improving care

[[Page 36666]]

                for hardworking families. My new Budget would 
                significantly expand Medicaid home care services to 
                reduce the long waiting list and empower more folks to 
                continue full lives in their communities. We made sure 
                home care workers are getting a bigger share of 
                Medicaid payments and nursing homes have enough staff 
                to guarantee every resident the safe, healthy, caring 
                environment they deserve. Further, we're making 
                groundbreaking investments in the fight to end cancer 
                and other deadly diseases as we know it, reminding us 
                that our country can do big things when we work 
                together.

                There is still so much we can do to support our 
                seniors. I have also called to strengthen the Earned 
                Income Tax Credit for low-paid workers who are not 
                raising children in their homes--saving Americans, 
                including our Nation's older workers, an average of 
                $800 on their taxes. My new Budget requests funding to 
                extend my Administration's Affordable Connectivity 
                Program, which has made internet more affordable for 4 
                million seniors.

                Older Americans are the backbone of our Nation. They 
                have built the foundation that we all stand upon today, 
                guided by the core values that define America--freedom, 
                equality, decency, and opportunity. Their work has 
                helped prove that our Nation can do big things when we 
                come together. Now, it is up to all of us to build a 
                future on those same values--a future where we defend 
                democracy instead of diminish it, safeguard our 
                freedoms, invest in communities that have too often 
                been left behind, and deliver for older Americans while 
                ensuring the people they love will be taken care of for 
                generations to come.

                This month, we celebrate older Americans' contributions 
                by recommitting to those ideals and defending 
                everyone's right to live full lives with dignity and 
                respect. We will always have their backs.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 2024 as 
                Older Americans Month. This month and beyond, I call 
                upon all Americans to celebrate older adults for their 
                contributions, support their independence, and 
                recognize their unparalleled value to our Nation.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                eighth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2024-09821
Filed 5-2-24; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P