Ranking Member Cassidy Delivers Remarks During Hearing on Older Americans Act Reauthorization

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, delivered remarks during today’s hearing to discuss the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act (OAA). The OAA was last reauthorized in 2020 and will expire on September 30, 2024.

Click here to watch the hearing live. 

Cassidy’s speech as prepared for delivery can be found below:

Thank you, Chair Sanders, and to our witnesses for joining.

Today, we are discussing the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act (OAA), legislation empowering American seniors to live healthy and independent lives in the settings they choose.

First enacted in 1965, the Older Americans Act provides funding to support essential services to aging Americans through programs such as nutrition assistance, caregiver support, and elder abuse prevention.

Congress has historically come together in a bipartisan manner to reauthorize OAA, strengthening its support for seniors each time. In a post-pandemic environment, we need to look at and evaluate the efficacy of existing programs, identify areas for improvement, and ensure taxpayer dollars are being used effectively.

How can we build on what works and replace what doesn’t?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, OAA program service providers had to adapt to continue to meet the needs of older Americans in the face of unprecedented challenges. Congress should take lessons learned during the pandemic and use that new knowledge to ensure OAA programs can better anticipate and adapt to future needs of the aging population.

OAA is the foundation, but was never meant to meet all needs of older Americans. It is important that we understand how public-private partnerships can complement OAA funding to reach more older adults and provide other supports. Today, we will hear about some of these successful partnerships from our witnesses.

Maximizing the reach of OAA dollars also requires strong organizations at the state and local level. How can we support State Units and Area Agencies on Aging so that they are able to serve as many older Americans as possible? One of our witnesses today, Secretary Michelle Branham [Bren-em], will speak to how she’s doing this successfully in Florida.

This year, the HELP Committee will need to pass legislation reauthorizing OAA. I am glad to be joining Chair Sanders in leading a bipartisan working group along with Senators Collins, Braun, Mullin, Casey, Kaine, and Markey. With the dedication of this working group, HELP Committee colleagues, our federal partners, and important stakeholders, we can achieve thoughtful and bipartisan reauthorization to improve the lives of our senior citizens.

I appreciate the Chair for engaging, and I look forward to hearing from our witnesses.

Thank you.

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