Presidential Document2024-09821
Older Americans Month, 2024
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
May 3, 2024
Signed
April 30, 2024
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 87 (Friday, May 3, 2024)</title>
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[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 [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[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.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2024-09821
Filed 5-2-24; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on May 3, 2024.
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