Democrats meet with seniors over federal cuts
Three Democratic members of Congress met with seniors in Des Plaines Friday to talk about protecting Social Security, Medicare, and the ongoing negotiations over automatic spending cuts, known as the sequester.
Eighth District Representative Tammy Duckworth, of Hoffman Estates, 9th District Representative Jan Schakowsky, of Evanston, and 11th District Representative Bill Foster, of Naperville, were part of a panel at the city's Frisbie Senior Center.
All three members have spoken out against the sequester and called it unnecessary. “The House has not debated any alternative to avert these indiscriminate and devastating cuts and protect the programs that benefit our country's most vulnerable communities — our students, our seniors and our middle class families,” Foster told the Daily Herald.
Schakowsky, too, noted the cuts would “cut bone — not fat — from vital programs that support communities, veterans, senior citizens and working families.”
Duckworth said, “We need to come to an agreement. I know whatever we do is not going to be perfect for anyone but that's a major compromise we need to make so we don't plunge the nation back into a recession.”
Along with retirees, officials from the labor union AFSCME, the Illinois Alliance for Retired Americans and the National Committee Coalition Partners and Members were present at the event.