Tag Archives for President Lyndon B. Johnson

The Rhode Island Congressman Who Changed Aging in America

 Published in RINewsToday on June 1, 2026

Over three weeks ago, the Senior Agenda Coalition of Rhode Island (SACRI) organized a statewide gathering at the historic Rhode Island State House to observe this year’s Older Americans Month (OAM). The event brought together more than 135 attendees, including seniors, aging advocates, legislators, and state officials, filling the room to capacity.

During the 74-minute program, speakers addressed topics such as combating social isolation, increasing federal funding for community-based aging services, alerting attendees to financial scams targeting seniors, and discussing new models for elder care and housing. The event concluded with a reading of a gubernatorial proclamation honoring the Older Americans Act (OAA) and calling on Rhode Island lawmakers to support policies for the growing older adult community.

The event also focused on promoting the Administration for Community Living (ACL), the federal agency that administers the OAA, and this year’s OAM theme: “Champion Your Health.” This theme encourages prevention, wellness, self-advocacy, and personal responsibility as key elements of healthy aging.

At the event, SACRI Executive Director Carol Anne Costa announced that the Rhode Island State House Dome would be illuminated from May 13–16 as a tribute to Older Americans Month.

Beyond marking the month, this year’s celebration also centered on the legacy of former Rep. John E. Fogarty (D-RI), the primary sponsor of the legislation (Public Law 89-73) that established the Older Americans Act (OAA). He lived on a small family farm in the village of Harmony (part of Gloucester), Rhode Island.

A Rhode Island Congressman’s Legacy Recognized

Affectionately nicknamed “Mr. Public Health,” Fogarty became one of the most powerful House lawmakers. He served in Congress from 1941 until his death in 1967. A former bricklayer and president of Bricklayers Union No. 1 of Rhode Island, he chaired the powerful House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Education, and Welfare. He used his legislative skills to expand the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and transform federal healthcare funding. He was also instrumental in establishing the White House Conference on Aging and the OAA.

At SACRI’s May 6 event, Lt. Governor Sabina Matos praised Fogarty for his major impact on federal aging policy. “Older Americans Month gives us the opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to older adult Rhode Islanders. It is a true honor to join SACRI in celebrating the enduring legacy of Congressman John Fogarty, whose vision helped shape aging policy for generations. Today, we build on that legacy by continuing to champion the dignity, well-being, and contributions of every older Rhode Islander,” says the Lt. Governor.

SACRI’s Costa stated, “Congressman Fogarty has left a legacy on which so much progress has flowed. His quiet and powerful work is a reminder that RI is a leader in empowering older adults.”

Former Lt. Gov. Charles Fogarty came to share personal memories of Fogarty, his uncle. He stressed that his uncle’s work on the OAA was driven by a simple philosophy: the government’s role was to help people. His success was built on personal connections with constituents in Rhode Island’s 2nd Congressional District.

“As Rhode Island’s population ages rapidly, my late uncle, Rep. John E. Fogarty, remains a powerful example of how we can protect the dignity and independence of older Rhode Islanders. The Older Americans Act, which he championed, continues to support vital programs for seniors across Rhode Island and the nation, says the former Lt. Gov.

Fogarty, a former Director of the Division of Elderly Affairs within the Department of Human Services from 2015 to 2018, added, “The Congressman’s legacy shaped my own work as Director of the Division of Elderly Affairs, now the Office of Healthy Aging. “I have focused on advancing efforts to empower and serve older adults,” he says.

Seven years before the 1965 Older Americans Act (OAA), Fogarty introduced legislation (H.R. 9822) to create the White House Conference on Aging. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the bill into law (Public Law 85-908) on September 2, 1958. The law established a national forum held every 10 years to address the challenges facing older Americans. The forum also developed policy recommendations to improve their economic security.

According to the Administration for Community Living (ACL), the 1961 White House Conference on Aging (WHCoA) exposed a broken, patchwork system of elder care. It served as the blueprint for the 1965 Older Americans Act. The conference pushed Congress to move away from old “welfare” models and build a community-focused support network for all older adults. In the end, this paved the way for the creation of the Administration on Aging.

Two Times is the Charm

“According to an online article, “AARP Fights for Older Americans Act in 1965,” published on  Sept. 28, 2024, on AARP’s website, the organization played a key role in pushing for the passage of Fogarty’s OAA legislative proposal.  Building support for the Congressional passage of the OAA became AARP’s key legislative priority from 1961 to 1965, as noted.  In that article, Ernest Gidding, AARP’s legislative representative, said, “The bill meets the major organizational recommendations of the WHCoA and overcomes the present welfare stigma of aging.”

However, Fogarty and Sen. Patrick V. McNamara (D-MI) failed to pass their initial OAA proposal in both chambers on the first try.  Lawmakers had begun efforts to pass their legislative proposals (H.R. 7957/S. 2000) in 1963. While this initial attempt stalled and the legislative proposal died in session, it got the whole country talking about how we treat older Americans, planting the seeds for a major comeback.

Two years later, Fogarty would try again. This time, the bill gained unstoppable momentum. During the 89th Congress, logs show the proposal cleared the House Committee on Education and Labor on March 9, 1965, and passed the House on March 31 by an overwhelming 395-to-1 vote. After the Senate passed it on May 27 and the House accepted a minor Senate amendment on July 6, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Public Law 89-73 on July 14, 1965, in the White House Rose Garden, permanently changing how the nation funds and delivers support to older Americans.

“The OAA is to my mind one of the most significant laws ever passed by Congress,” said William C. “Bill Fitch,” AARP Executive Director from 1959 to 1967, in AARP’s online article.

At the signing, President Johnson stated:  “The Older Americans Act clearly affirms our Nation’s sense of responsibility toward the well-being of all of our older citizens. But even more, the results of this act will help us expand our opportunities to enrich the lives of all our citizens in this country, now and in the years to come.”

The President added: “This legislation is really the seed-corn that provides an orderly, intelligent, and constructive program to help us meet the new dimensions of responsibilities which lie ahead in the remaining years of this century.”

A Final Note…

 According to the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, Fogarty spent 26 years in Congress, spanning portions of 14 Congresses from the 77th to the 90th, fighting for causes that improved the lives of millions of Americans. The Rhode Island Congressman was a strong believer in the power of government to advance health, education, and opportunity. He helped secure federal funding for medical research, health care, libraries, and programs serving older adults and people with disabilities.

 Some of Fogarty’s most lasting legislative achievements were the Hill-Fogarty “Health for Peace” initiative, which expanded international medical research and training, and the Library Services Act, which provided federal support to rural libraries. He also helped pass important laws that improved research and services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as educational opportunities for blind and deaf Americans. According to records from the National Institutes of Health and Congress, these efforts continued to shape public policy long after Fogarty left office and are still part of his legacy.

Fogarty also spent years introducing the bills that led to the creation of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in 1965, noted Thomas J. McAndrew, Esq., of Thomas J. McAndrew & Associates.

Building on Fogarty’s legislative achievements, McAndrew, serving as treasurer of the John E. Fogarty Foundation for Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Rhode Island, also recalls that his father-in-law was honored with the National Heart of the Year Award on Feb. 3, 1966 – less than a year before he would die of a heart attack on Jan. 10, 1967 in his Washington, D.C. office at the age of 53.  

McAndrew calls Fogarty “Everybody’s Congressman” in Rhode Island and points out that he was one of the state’s most important legislators in Congress. He also mentions his skill in influencing colleagues and gaining support for his legislative work.

He recalls that the Congressman rarely issued press releases or promoted himself, instead dedicating his attention to issues that benefited the American people and humanity.

McAndrew asks: “Where have these wonderful public servants gone?”

For more details about the John E. Fogarty Foundation for Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Rhode Island, call 401-274-3279 or visit the website, http://www.fogartyfoundation.org.

To watch SARCI’s State House OAA event, go to The Senior Agenda Coalition of RI – Older Americans Month: 5-6-2026

To view votes from SARCI’s Older Americans Month celebration, go to Out and About in RI: SACRI’s Celebration of Older Americans Month (photos)

To see a Drone’s view of the lighted State Capitol, go to State House Senior Coalition Final.mp4 – Google Drive

43 Days to Reauthorize the Older Americans Act

Published in RINewsToday on August 18, 2025

The clock is ticking. Funding for the Older Americans Act (OAA) is currently secured only through September 30, 2025—that’s just 43 days away. Unless Congress acts to reauthorize the law or approve new appropriations before the start of FY 2026 on October 1, funding could lapse. A bipartisan effort must be made on Capitol Hill to ensure both reauthorization and the FY 2026 budget are addressed, avoiding any interruption in services for America’s older adults.

Last reauthorized in 2020, the OAA expired during the 118th Congress. S. 4776, spearheaded by Sen. Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), the committee’s ranking member, passed the Senate by unanimous consent last year. However, the House failed to pass a companion measure due to unrelated political disagreements.

Two months ago, Chairman Cassidy and nine co-sponsors reintroduced the OAA Reauthorization Act of 2025. The 91-page bill, S. 2120, would renew funding and strengthen services for older Americans. It was referred to the Senate HELP Committee the day it was introduced, where hearings, markups, and a committee vote are expected. If approved, it will move to the full Senate for consideration. As of press time, a companion bill had not yet been introduced in the House.

Chairman Cassidy’s co-sponsors include Senators Bernie Sanders, Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY, Rick Scott (R-FL), chair of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Ed Markey (D-MA), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), and Susan Collins (R-ME).

Since its passage in 1965, the OAA has provided vital nutrition, social, and health services to millions of seniors. The legislation was originally sponsored by Rep. John E. Fogarty (D-RI) in the House and Sen. Lister Hill (D-AL) in the Senate, and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on July 14, 1965.

Strengthening Programs for the Future

Although S. 2120 closely mirrors last year’s S. 4776, there are notable differences. The legislation would reauthorize OAA programs through FY 2030 and increase funding by 18% over the next four years. It also includes measures to promote innovation, strengthen program integrity, and provide better support for family caregivers and direct care workers. The bill aims to improve services for Tribal elders and older adults with disabilities, ensuring these populations can remain active and supported in their communities.

One key provision strengthens the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP). The bill would establish a full-time National Director position and require the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a study of state ombudsman programs. This study would assess program effectiveness, staffing challenges, recommendations for improvement, and the adequacy of current staff-to-bed ratios. The legislation also calls for updated training standards for long-term care ombudsman volunteers.

The National Family Caregiver Support Program would also be expanded. The bill encourages easier access to caregiver services, removes barriers to obtaining help, and ensures supports are both accessible and practical. It specifically requires trauma-informed services and elder abuse prevention programs to be available, helping caregivers better manage challenges in their roles.

On elder abuse prevention, S. 2120 authorizes a clearinghouse for best practices, focusing on legal and protective services to strengthen state ombudsman programs, adult protective services, and related legal supports.

Bipartisan Support and Legislative Momentum

“The Older Americans Act is crucial in helping American seniors live healthy and independent lives in the settings they choose,” said Chairman Cassidy. “This legislation strengthens these programs, ensuring they meet the needs of older Americans now and in the future,” he says.

Sen. Scott also underscored the urgency of passing S. 2120 in a released statement. “I’m proud to help lead this bipartisan legislation to strengthen support for America’s older adults and reaffirm our commitment to helping them enjoy their golden years with dignity and independence,” he said. “As Chair of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, I understand how essential it is that more than 59 million older Americans have access to critical services made possible through the Older Americans Act. Our seniors have spent their lives building and serving this country, and this bill is one way we ensure they continue to be supported, respected, and valued,” he added.

“The OAA has been a lifeline for American seniors since its passage over half a century ago,” said Sen. Gillibrand in a statement on June 18. “This landmark legislation helps our nation’s seniors thrive by supporting programs that provide nutrition assistance, home-delivered and congregate meals, transportation, caregiver support, disease prevention, and more. We owe it to seniors to continue funding these programs so they can age with dignity and respect. As ranking member of the Senate Aging Committee, I am firmly committed to getting this bill passed with bipartisan support.”

Sen. Sanders’s statement echoed that message, highlighting the broad scope of OAA-funded services: “The Older Americans Act provides federal funding for many essential programs, including combating loneliness and isolation, job training, protections from abuse, rides to the doctor and grocery store, disease prevention, caregiver support, and help for older adults to live independently at home. Not only does the Act save lives and ease human suffering, it saves money. We can waste billions on emergency room visits and unnecessary hospital stays, or we can provide seniors with the resources they need to live healthier, more dignified lives.”

“The failure to reauthorize the OAA in 2024 had tragic consequences in 2025. One in particular was the elimination of the Administration of Community Living which runs OAA programs.  Also proposals (since rejected) to end funding for Adult Protective Services and ombudsman programs. When you are in legislative limbo bad stuff can happen. It’s time for that to end,” says Robert “Bob” Blancato, serving as National Coordinator of the bipartisan 3,000-member Elder Justice Coalition, the Executive Director of the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs and National Coordinator of the Defeat Malnutrition.

Advocacy and the Call to Action

National advocacy groups—including Consumer Voice, Argentum, the National Council on Aging, the National Association of Development Organizations, USAging, and the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs—are urging swift passage of S. 2120. These organizations stress that delaying re-authorization would put millions of vulnerable seniors at risk of losing essential supports.

With the many benefits the OAA delivers to Rhode Island’s older adults—and considering that the late Rep. John Fogarty of Rhode Island played a pivotal role in securing passage of the original legislation in 1965—it is only fitting that the state’s current senators take a leading role today. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) should cosponsor S. 2120 and work closely with their Senate colleagues to ensure its passage. Since there is currently no companion measure in the House, Rhode Island’s Representatives Seth Magaziner and Gabe Amo must take the initiative—by urging their colleagues to introduce one, or by stepping forward themselves to lead the effort.

Congress must act before September 30 to prevent a lapse in funding. The well-being of millions of older Americans—and their ability to age in place at home with dignity — depends on it.

Calls for Strengthening Medicare as it Hits 53

Published in the Woonsocket Call on August 5, 2018

Just before Summer recess House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) joined Seniors Task Force co-chairs Congresswomen Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Doris Matsui (D-CA), Democratic Policy and Communications Committee co-chair Congressman David Cicilline (D-RI) and seniors’ advocates gathered in the historic Rayburn Room of the U.S. Capitol, one of the largest rooms on Capitol Hill, to celebrate the 53rd anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid being signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson.

“We usually celebrate Medicare’s anniversary at the U.S. Capitol with balloons and cake. This year, the 53rd anniversary, was a more solemn occasion because of relentless attacks on the program by the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans, says Max Richtman, President and CEO of the Washington, D.C.-based National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, one of the advocacy groups in attendance.

When signing the landmark legislation into law on July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B Johnson said, “No longer will older Americans be denied the healing miracle of modern medicine. No longer will illness crush and destroy the savings that they have so carefully put away over a lifetime. No longer will young families see their own incomes and hopes eaten away simply because they are carrying out their deep moral obligations to their parents.”

At the July 25 birthday commemoration, Leader Pelosi called Medicare and Medicaid “the pillars of health and security for the nation,” noting that for years these two programs have been under unrelenting and constant attacks from Republicans.

“For years, Republicans have sought to deny seniors and working families the healing miracle of medicine. Republicans want Medicare, in their words, to ‘wither on the vine.’ They want to cut and cap Medicaid into oblivion. They want to give massive tax handouts to big pharma who are denying seniors lower prescription drug prices,” says Pelosi.

According to Pelosi, the Democrats plan, A Better Deal, provides a legislative strategy for lowering the price of prescription drugs. “Our plan calls for tough new enforcement of drug price gauging, allowing Medicare part D to negotiate drug prices,” she said, noting that President Donald Trump had promised that during his presidential campaign, “We’re going to negotiate like crazy.”

Echoing Pelosi, at the press conference Rhode Island Congressman Cicilline also called for the reining in of prescription drug costs to put the brakes on rising Medicare expenditures. “Democrats believe that seniors shouldn’t have to cut pills in half to afford prescription drugs. We need a president who will work with us to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices, to compel drug makers to justify cost increases, and to crack down on price gougers,” said Cicilline.

Cicilline reminded those attending that the President once promised to take on the drug companies but now has decided to appoint a former drug company executive as his Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Service. “And right now, he’s pretty much letting the pharmaceutical lobby have the run of the place,” he charged.

At the press conference, the Democratic lawmakers were joined by ten yellow t-shirted senior volunteers from the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare’s Capitol Action Team (CAT), who demanded that the program be strengthened. One of the CAT members, Patricia Cotton, gave a powerful personal testimonial about the importance of Medicare in her life. Cotton, a Medicare beneficiary who suffers from a blood cancer known as Myelofibrosis, said she wouldn’t be alive today without the health care program.

“My cancer meds started at $10,000 every 30 days and have gone up twice in two years. Cancer meds are very expensive. My Medicare Part B and D premiums have gone up, and that is coming out of my Social Security check. That is why, without Medicare and Social Security, the rich will live and the poor will die,” said Cotton.
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Democratic Report Spotlights GOP’s Ongoing Attacks on Medicare

At this event, the House Democratic Seniors Task Force unveiled a new 24 page report, “The Republican Record on Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security: Attacks on Benefits Seniors Have Earned and Deserve,” detailing years of Republican’s attacks on seniors and demanded the GOP take action on lowering pharmaceutical prices.

“This report shows how the passage of the GOP tax bill was just one step in a long line of Republican attacks on seniors,” says Congressman Matsui (D-CA). “In budget after budget, year after year, Republicans have reaffirmed their commitment to gutting Medicaid, scaling back Medicare, and cutting seniors’ earned Social Security benefits. Democrats are focusing on efforts that help seniors and families, like lowering drugs prices, and fighting to ensure that these vital programs are here for current and future generations.”

“The House GOP budget proposal includes more than $500 billion in Medicare cuts, a higher eligibility age, and privatization of the program through a voucher system,” the National Committee’s Max Richtman explains. “The President’s 2019 budget would inflict similar harm on Medicare. The Trump administration is undermining the program through skillfully worded enrollment information that favors private Medicare Advantage plans over traditional Medicare. These actions are contrary to the mission of Medicare so eloquently stated by President Lyndon Johnson is when he signed it into law 53 years ago,” says Richtman.

AARP Calls Medicare an Economic Engine for Rhode Island

Last year, Medicare, which helps pay the health care costs of 56 million beneficiaries, is a critical part of the country’s economic infrastructure, investing about $ 710 billion in the national economy that year, says AARP.

On July 25th, the same day that House Democratic Leadership and aging groups celebrated the 53rd anniversary of the signing of Medicare, AARP released fact sheets illustrating Medicare’s contribution to the economies of each state and the District of Columbia.

Let’s take a close look at the Ocean State.

Medicare contributes $2.5 billion to Rhode Island’s economy, equivalent to 21% of state and local government spending in the state, according to the released AARP Rhode Island fact sheet, noting that the program also covers 192,186 beneficiaries in the state. In polls, older Americans have said Medicare is one of their top issues in the 2018 mid-term elections, and AARP Rhode Island is working to encourage older Rhode Island voters to participation this election season.

“Medicare is a major economic engine in our economy security, as well as a key part of, providing health security to Rhode Islanders,” said AARP State Director Kathleen Connell in a statement. “Older Americans have said Medicare is one of their top issues in this election, yet too many politicians fail to recognize the contributions Medicare makes to the economy and our residents. Any candidate who fails to talk about how they would strengthen Medicare for future generations does so at their peril,” says Connell.

Below the AARP fact sheet breaks down some of Medicare’s spending in Rhode Island:
• $1.1 billion for hospitals
• $551 million for doctors
• $338 million for prescriptions and medical supplies
• $198 million for skilled nursing facilities
• $159 million for home healthcare agencies
• $92 million health professionals
• $24 million for medical equipment

Also, businesses in Rhode Island receiving Medicare dollars use them to pay employees’ salaries, rent, state and local taxes, and buy equipment, and make capital improvements to their facilities, says the AARP fact sheet.

With the mid-term elections looming, it is now time to send a clear message to Congress and President Donald Trump, “Stop Attacking Medicare.” Lawmakers on both side of the aisle must work to craft a bipartisan solution to strengthen the program for the benefit of America’s retirees. Consider sending this message when you vote…

AARP’s “Be The Difference. Vote” campaign includes a one-stop online portal – aarp.org/vote – to provide people with information (about Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and aging issues} they need to. know about before voting in the upcoming November elections.

To see the House Democratic Senior Task Force report, “The Republican Record on Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security: Attacks on Benefits Seniors Have Earned and Deserve,” go to
http://www.schakowsky.house.gov/uploads/Seniors%20Task%20Force%20Report%207.24.18.pdf