Tag Archives for White House Conference on Aging

Bipartisan Push to Restore House Permanent Select Committee on Aging

Published in RINewsToday on February 9, 2026

According to Meals on Wheels America, every day, 12,000 Americans turn 60. By the end of this decade, one in four Americans will be over 60—an irreversible and historic change in population.  Yet even as the nation ages, older Americans remain without a permanent seat at the House legislative table to shape aging policy.

In 1993, during the 103rd Congress, the House Permanent Select Committee on Aging (HSCoA) was dismantled as part of a budget-cutting push by House Democratic leadership, which stripped $1.5 million from its funding. From 1974 to 1993, the committee had served as Congress’s primary forum for aging issues, initially with 35 members and ultimately expanding to 65.

Looking back, the HSCoA had handled a heavy workload, carefully scheduling hearings and issuing a steady stream of reports.  In a March 31, 1993 St. Petersburg Times article, Staff Director Brian Lutz of the Subcommittee on Retirement Income and Employment reported that “during its 18 years of existence, the House Aging Committee had been responsible for about 1,000 hearings and reports.”

Sixth Time Could Be the Charm

Since its elimination, House lawmakers have made four attempts to reestablish the committee. Former Rep. David Cicilline first introduced a resolution during the 114th Congress, with efforts continuing through the 117th. In the 118th Congress, Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-RI) picked up the baton and revived the initiative. On January 21, 2026, he once again introduced House Resolution 1013 to restore the panel—this time with bipartisan support, including original cosponsor Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL). At press time, the resolution had been referred to the House Committee on Rules for markup prior to consideration by the full House. No Senate action is required.

More than 30 years later, as the older population surges, Congress’s failure to reinstate a dedicated aging committee is no longer merely an oversight—it is an increasingly costly mistake.

“It is about time — or really past time – for the House to re-establish the HSCoA,” says Max Richtman, president of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare (NCPSSM), who served as staff director of the Senate Special Committee on Aging in the late 1980s.

Richtman says that a re-established HCoA would be of tremendous value to older Americans, because it could conduct investigations and develop legislation for the committees of jurisdiction in the House to take up, as the Senate committee historically has done. “We need an HSCoA in the House because its full-time job would be to safeguard the interests of seniors. There is no other House committee that can do that.”

Richtman notes that, without an HSCoA, it can be challenging for other House committees to fully review senior-related issues “that cross jurisdictional lines or involve complex interactions of a wide range of disciplines.”

Opponents argue that eliminating the HSCoA reduced “wasteful” spending, noting that 12 standing committees already have jurisdiction over aging-related issues. Advocates counter that these committees lack the time, staffing, and singular focus needed to examine aging issues comprehensively, as the select committee once did.

“Older Americans are an important and growing part of our population, and they deserve a seat at the table when Congress considers issues that directly affect their lives,” said Rep. Magaziner. “Protecting Social Security and Medicare, strengthening housing stability, and lowering everyday costs—including prescription drugs—highlight the need for a dedicated committee focused on improving seniors’ quality of life.”

“I am proud to reintroduce bipartisan legislation to reestablish the House Permanent Select Committee on Aging so we can better deliver for older Americans nationwide,” he added. “This committee would bring members of Congress together for meaningful work on the challenges and opportunities that come with aging, and I remain committed to working across the aisle to advance this effort.”

Magaziner has acknowledged entrenched opposition from senior committee leaders of both parties who are reluctant to cede jurisdiction. Nevertheless, he remains committed. “I will continue working to ensure older Americans have the focused advocacy they deserve in Congress,” he pledged.

Magaziner’s resolution has been endorsed by the Legislative Council of Aging Organizations (LCAO), a national coalition of advocacy groups currently chaired by Richtman and NCPSSM. “The Select Committee would have an opportunity to more fully explore a range of issues and innovations that cross jurisdictional lines, while holding field hearings, engaging communities, and promoting understanding and dialogue,” said LCAO in a letter supporting the resolution.

An Easy Fix

According to the Congressional Research Service, creating a temporary or permanent select committee requires only a simple resolution establishing its purpose, defining membership, and outlining responsibilities. Funding for staff salaries and operational expenses are authorized through the Legislative Branch Appropriations bill.

Magaziner’s  203-word resolution, amends House rules to establish a Permanent Select Committee on Aging. The committee, having no legislative authority, would be charged with conducting comprehensive studies of aging issues—including income, poverty, housing, health, employment, education, recreation, and long-term care—to inform legislation considered by standing committees. It would also encourage public and private programs that support older Americans’ participation in national life, coordinate governmental and private initiatives, and review recommendations from the President or the White House Conference on Aging.

Aging policy touches nearly every aspect of American life, yet it does not fall neatly within the jurisdiction of any single standing committee. Depending on the legislative, five to seven standing committees may draft a bill affecting older Americans. Without an HSCoA, pressing aging issues may be ignored.  A focused  committee would bring together Republican and Democratic lawmakers from multiple committees to closely comprehensively examine legislative proposals, both transparently, and responsibly.

While standing committees draft legislation, the HSCoA would serve a distinct but equally vital role—providing oversight, public education, and keeping the spotlight on aging issues. Key priorities include ensuring the solvency of Social Security and Medicare, lowering prescription drug costs, supporting family caregivers, combating elder fraud, and addressing affordable housing, healthcare access, and social isolation.

For more than 60 years, the Senate has recognized the value of its Special Committee on Aging. The House once did as well—producing lasting, bipartisan results. The People’s House should reclaim that leadership, particularly as older Americans face rising costs, employment barriers, and growing loneliness.

Capitol Veterans Speak Out to Bring Back HSCoA

According to Bob Weiner, former HSCoA chief of staff director during the tenure of the late Rep. Claude Pepper (D-FL) his tenure as select committee chair, the legislative panel elevated aging issues that otherwise struggled to gain sustained attention in Congress. “The bill stopping end to mandatory retirement would never have happened,” says Weiner who was a confidant of Chairman Pepper.

He recalls how it unfolded: “Chair Pepper and the committee got the President and Congress to abolish age-based discrimination in employment and mandatory retirement. President Carter invited the entire committee to the White House and later signed the bill with a powerful statement.”

“Pepper even went to the Bush and Reagan administrations and said, ‘Over my dead body’ would Social Security be cut or privatized,” Weiner added.

If reestablished today, Weiner believes the committee should draw lessons from its past. “We need full-scale investigations into fraud and scams, along with strong protections for Social Security and the Older Americans Act,” he said. He also argues the committee could play a critical oversight role in accelerating research into Alzheimer’s disease. “Seniors are justifiably terrified of dementia and Alzheimer’s. Advances in biological treatments may offer hope for prevention and reversal.”

Responding to standing committee concerns about jurisdiction, redundancy, and budgetary impact, Weiner dismisses claims of duplication. “The Aging Committee uniquely focused on aging priorities. That focus is sadly missing today,” he said.

Weiner also urged Rep. Magaziner to visibly demonstrate his commitment to recreating the House Aging Committee. “If he talks it up around the House floor like Pepper did, he’ll earn goodwill and support from members of both parties,” he said. “It is crucial that House Res. 1013 pass the Rules Committee. Nothing meaningful on aging will happen without dedicated congressional leadership.”

Momentum or Missed Opportunity

With the midterm elections just 266 days away, and now that Rep. Magaziner has secured support from a Republican lawmaker, he must continue building bipartisan momentum. None of the previous five attempts to restore the House Aging Committee attracted Republican cosponsors.

In the 119th Congress, Magaziner should seek endorsement from the bipartisan House Problem Solvers Caucus, led by Co-Chairs Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01) and Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY-03).  Aging policy should not be considered a partisan issue but a bipartisan one.

It would also be extremely helpful for Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar to reach out to the Republican House Caucus, especially to the Florida Congressional Delegation (20 Republicans and 8 Democrat) to become cosponsors of H. Res. 1013, honoring the legacy of the late Rep. Claude Pepper, Florida’s most prominent chair of the House Select Committee on Aging.

“What made the House Aging Committee truly influential was Claude Pepper’s leadership. Others chaired the committee before and after him and did good work, but none brought national attention to aging issues the way Pepper did. Even today, members of Congress still say, ‘We need another Claude Pepper,’  says Thomas Spulak, president of the Claude Pepper Foundation and former chief council when Pepper chaired the House Rules Committee.

“While that will never happen, it would take someone with a rare combination of commitment, visibility, empathy, and knowledge to restore that level of importance to an aging committee, this is exactly why resolutions like this one matter—to remind us of what effective leadership on aging once looked like, and what it could look like again,”  Spulak observed.

The Claude Pepper Foundation should engage these lawmakers to encourage their active involvement in restoring the committee. In addition, the Claude Pepper Foundation should educate lawmakers on the positive benefits of restoring the committee. According to the Foundation’s core mission is to promote policies and programs that improve health, expand economic opportunity, and advance social justice for all Americans—especially older adults. It also seeks to provide policymakers and the public with research and information on these issues, and to encourage actions that enhance the quality of life for all citizens.

Ageism by Omission

“Ageism is as much about what you don’t do and what you do the failure to establish the HSCOA is one obvious example  Why is a HSCOA vitally needed. To help avert Possible major cuts in Social Security in as soon as 7 years. Getting a family caregiver tax credit passed. Renewing the Older Americans Act This House has done so little for older adults. Passing the Magaziner resolution would go a long way to improve on this sad record,”  adds a Bob Blancato, a staff person serving the committee from 1978 to 1993 and now president of Matz, Blancato and Associates,

Looking back at 2024, sharing some favorites

Published in RINewsToday on January 7, 2025

Like many national news organizations, RINewsToday, The Pawtucket Times and Woonsocket Call (now combined into one newspaper called the Blackstone Valley Call & Times), offers its readers an ‘age beat’ editorial commentary, covering a myriad of aging issues, Congress (including Social Security and Medicare) retirement, the long-term care continuum, consumer issues, spirituality, pop culture, health care and even economics. Throughout these years

I’ve covered these issues as they relate to older Rhode Islanders, also covering Smith Hill, when there are state policy debates on issues that will impact older Rhode Islanders.

As a Rhode Island ‘age beat’ journalist for over 45 years, I have penned over 1,000 stories covering issues of interest to our readers. These authored and coauthored pieces have appeared in national, state and trade publications.

For many of these editorial commentaries, I have consistently drawn on the invaluable research produced by the Washington, DC-based AARP. Their insightful reports, polls, and studies have provided a wealth of information that has deepened public understanding of the challenges and opportunities of aging. I’ve also drawn on the expertise of professionals in the Rhode Island aging network for their perspective and comments on these topics, giving the editorial a good, local slant, where possible.

In 2024, my commentaries have appeared weekly in daily news outlets, also in other media outlets including RINewsToday – that’s about 52 articles a year – over quite a few years now! I’ve written for digital news publications, Senior Digest, a monthly publication for those over age 50, the Narragansett Times, Kent County Daily, Cranston Herald, Warwick Beacon and the Johnston Sun who have picked up stories, and of course, my own blog.

As we celebrate the New Year and look forward to 2025, looking back, I have selected my top five favorite commentaries published in 2024. Specifically:

“Stoic Tips for the Class of 2024,” May 27, 2024.

Generally, thousands of commencement speeches occur annually at university and colleges in the U.S. The common themes of these speakers (traditionally 10 minutes in length, up to 2,500 words) that typically emerge in their speeches in 2024 were: resilience and overcoming challenges; embracing change and innovation; social responsibility and making a difference; the power of community and collaboration; and personal growth and lifelong learning; mental health and well-being and finally embracing diversity and inclusion.

Over the years, never being invited to give a commencement speech, I have traditionally penned my own. So, in 2024, advice was giving to graduating seniors, pulling from stoicism, a school of Hellenistic philosophy that thrived in Ancient Greece and Rome. Advice came from: Epictetus, a former slave in Hierapolis (modern-day Turkey) around 50 CE; Seneca the Younger, who lived in the 1st century CE; Stoic Philosopher Marcus Aurelius, a Roman Emperor who ruled from 161 to 180 CE; and Stoic Greek philosopher, Heraclitus.

Graduating seniors were advised to remember the teachings of Stoic philosophy that would offer them a timeless roadmap for living a life of purpose, meaning, and fulfillment.

“Congressman Magaziner Takes Baton on Bring Back House Aging Committee,” March 4, 2024

Over 30 years ago, the US House Democratic leadership’s belt-tightening efforts to save $1.5 million resulted in the termination of the House Permanent Select Committee on Aging. This commentary announced Cong. Seth Magaziner (RI-2) legislative attempt to bring back the House Select Committee on Aging (HSCoA) when he picked up the baton from former Cong. David Cicilline who sought to bring it back during the 114th-117th Congresses.

The Commentary announced that Cong. Seth Magaziner’s introduction of H. Res. 1029, on Feb. 23, 2024, (cosponsored by Cong. Gabe Amo (RI-1) and 27 House Democratic lawmakers) to reestablish the HSCoA. It was referred to the House Committee on Rules for mark-up, (which never occurred) and the legislative resolution died at the conclusion of the 118th Congress.

According to the commentary, every day 12,000 Americans turn 60. By 2030, nearly 75 million people in the U.S. — or 20% of the country — will be age 65 or older. With the graying of our nation, the need for support and services provided under programs like Social Security, SSI, Medicare, Medicaid and the Older Americans Act increases.

Magaziner’s 213-word resolution would have authorized the HSCoA to study the use of all practicable means and methods of encouraging the development of public and private programs and policies which will assist seniors in taking a full part in national life and which will encourage the utilization of the knowledge, skills, special aptitudes, and abilities of seniors to contribute to a better quality of life for all Americans.

Finally, the House Resolution would also allow the HSCoA to develop policies that would encourage the coordination of both governmental and private programs designed to deal with problems of aging and to review any recommendations made by the President or by the White House Conference on aging in relation to programs or policies affecting seniors.

Hopefully, we will see Magaziner continue his attempt to bring back the HSCoA by reintroducing a new resolution during this new Congress. With his

“If You Want a Friend in Washington, Get a Furry Friend,” Aug. 5, 2024.

With an increasing number of adults reporting a decrease in the number of close friends, the old adage, “If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog,” might also be applicable outside the Beltway, even in the Ocean State. This companionship can also boost your physical and mental health. Your furry friends’ capacity for unconditional love enables them to share our lives’ highs and lows.

This commentary stressed the powerful bond of owning a pet and how the relationship offers mental and emotion support to their owners.

According to the findings of an American Psychiatric Association (APA) Healthy Minds Monthly poll released jointly with the American Veterinary Medical Association, among the many mental health benefits of pets, nearly two-thirds of pet owners say that their animals offer companionship (65%), are a true friend (65%) and provide unconditional love and support (64%), the survey finds. Eighty-four percent of pet owners say that their pets have a mostly positive impact on their mental health, similar to the findings of last year’s polling on the same topic. The poll was of 2,200 adults, done by Morning Consult.

Furthermore, the survey’s findings indicated 62 percent of the survey’s respondents say that pets provide a calming presence and also help reduce their stress and anxiety. Thirty-five percent note that their pet encourages them to be more physically active, too. The findings note that owning a pet adds structure to a respondent’s schedule and can even increase social connections with others (19%).

Yes, in Washington or outside the Beltway, if you want a friend, get a dog (or even a cat, bird or hamster). Pets can become a protective buffer against physical and mental disorders and life stressors.

“Someone’s Trash is a Military Family’s Treasure: Ours,” June 3, 2024.

This commentary, in the Blackstone Valley Call & Times, highlighted my efforts to retrieve a military footlocker that belonged to my father, after being notified that a Detroit couple, Michael Shannon and his girlfriend Cetaura Bell, found it cast away on a sidewalk for anyone to claim. The trunk had sat in a vacant garage for over 60 years (with the owner having no relations with the owner Lt. Frank M. Weiss). The couple went out of their way to try and finally successfully track me down thru an internet search.

My story was picked up by RINewsToday, and then in several local papers. The Detroit Free Press, a Gannet publication also did a story, in both their digital and print editions, and then other Gannet papers, including the Providence Journal, the Cincinnati paper and the Indy Star. Perhaps the biggest connection, though, was made with Stars & Stripes – the US military’s independent news source with a circulation of over 1 million readers.

“Shortage of direct care professionals a local and national concern,” April 22, 2024

Over 23 years ago, commentaries in the Pawtucket Times that I wrote reported on the crisis of a direct care staffing shortage and inadequate reimbursement being paid to nursing facilities to care for Rhode Island’s frail seniors. As we enter 2025, NOTHING has changed and these staffing and reimbursement issues still continue to exit.

The commentary took a look at a U.S. Special Committee on Aging hearing, chaired by Chairman Bob Casey, (D-PA), showcasing S. 4120, legislation that he introduced with U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI). The Long-Term Care Workforce Support Act, introduced during the 118thCongress,would ensure that direct care professionals have a sustainable, lifelong career by providing substantial new funding to support these workers in every part of the long-term care industry, from nursing homes to home care, to assisted living facilities.

The Senate Aging Committee hearing revealed a number of statistical findings showing the need for Congress to address the nation’s severe ongoing direct care professional workforce shortage. It was noted that a recently released survey revealed 92% of nursing facility respondents and nearly 70% of assisted living facilities reported significant or severe workforce shortages.

The April 16th hearing entitled, “The Long-Term Care Workforce: Addressing Shortages and Improving the Profession,” examined the challenges currently facing long-term care workers who are often underpaid and overworked, leading to widespread worker shortages that threaten the availability of care for those who need it.

“It’s a crisis that stems largely from a lack of support for and investment in our care giving workforce,” warned Casey in his opening statement. “Between 50 to over 90 percent of long-term care settings and providers report significant staffing shortages, affecting their ability to provide services, accept new clients, or even to remain open,” he said, with witnesses providing personal testimony about this policy issue.

John E. Gage, MBA, NHA, President & CEO, of the Rhode Island Health Care Association (RIHCA), Maureen Maigret, policy advisory of the Senior Agenda of RI (SACRI), offered their views of the nation’s severe ongoing direct care professional workforce shortage citing Rhode Island specific examples.

In conclusion…

I extend my heartfelt thanks to the thousands of individuals I have interviewed over these 45 years. Their comments reflecting insights and observations about aging, health care, and medical issues, have profoundly enriched these commentaries.

To review all my 53 commentaries that appeared in 2024 (including the above cited), go to http://www.herbweiss.blog.

Kleyman Gives Post Mortem Report on 2015 WHCoA

Published in Woonsocket Call on January 17, 2016

In 1958, Rhode Island Congressman John E. Fogarty, a former bricklayer, introduced legislation calling for a White House Conference on Aging (WHCoA) to “promote the dignity, health and economic security of older Americans.” President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the enacted legislation and the first conference was held in 1961, with subsequent conferences in 1971, 1981, 1995, 2005 and 2015.

Looking back, the 1961 WHCoA played a major role in the creation of Medicare and Medicaid, even the Older Americans Act. Ten years later, the conference’s recommendation’s for automatic cost-of-living adjustments for Social Security ultimately became law in 1975. The founding of the Senate Aging Committee came from recommendations at the 1971 WHCoA.

A Year Marked with Anniversaries

The one-day 2015 WHCoA (usually three days) was actually held at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but with a much smaller assembly than in previous years at Washington hotels, such as in 1995, which had 2,221 delegates and 2005, where about 1,100 selected delegates gathered. But his time, new technologies allowed others to tune in. The White House could only accommodate a few hundred dignitaries.

Over 700 watch parties were held in every state and thousands of people tuned in on Monday, July 13, 2015, to watch the day-long proceedings by live webcast. Over 9,000 people participated, too, through social media on Twitter and Facebook.

But, Paul Kleyman, editor of the Generations Beat Online (GBONews.org), a E-Newsletter for age beat journalist, noted in the Jan. 17, 2016 issue, that this year’s aging conference had no delegate selection process like previous ones. “As we’ve noted previously, though, more than one expert expressed disappointment that the Obama Administration made little effort to muster bipartisan support among GOP congressional members who might well have wanted some representation on the issue going into the 2016 election season. Historically, governors and members of Congress got to pick local constituents in fields from retirement finance to health services with a prestigious delegate appointment to the conference,” says the seasoned journalist who served as a delegate at the 1995 WHCoA.

A Call for an Expansion of Social Security

The WHCoA’s scheduled date in 2015 fell in the year where advocates in aging celebrated the 50th anniversary of Medicare, Medicaid and the Older Americans Act as well as the 80th anniversary of Social Security. Kleyman notes that the newly released 34 page WHCoA report (with 49 pages of appendices) says, “The 2015 White House Conference on Aging (WHCOA) provided an opportunity to recognize the importance of these key programs as well as to look ahead to the next decade.”

President Obama was sent a letter with 74 Congressional cosigners reminding him that over half of today’s older workers are not expected to be able to have sufficient resources upon their retirement to maintain their current standard of living. Although they called for an expansion of Social Security, Kleyman says discussion was “barely audible” at the aging conference.

In addressing the WHCoA attendees, Obama called for “keeping Social Security strong, protecting its future solvency,” pledging to fight “privatization of the program. Kleyman observed that proposed new rules to help workers increase their retirement “stopped short of supporting stronger benefits that they need.”

It’s a Mixed Bag

But, Kleyman says that aging advocates consider the WHCoA’s recommendations a mixed bag. In his E-newsletter article, he references a Jan. 6, 2015 blog penned by Kevin Prindiville who serves as executive director of Justice in Aging. “The report details piecemeal public actions and private initiatives, but ignores the opportunity to lay out an ambitious policy proposal to address pressing systemic challenges,” he says.

Kleyman also zeros in on Prindiville’s observations as to why this year’s WHCoA was of the scaled down. He observed, “To those who followed the WHCOA closely, this was not a surprise. Congress’ failure to reauthorize the Older Americans Act, and the lack of appropriate funding for the conference, meant WHCOA organizers had to produce a conference without a budget. With little infrastructure and support, the White House did not propose any new big, bold ideas to prepare for a population that is literally booming.”

Kleyman says that attendees were pleased to see a recommendation calling for improving the quality and safety requirements in the nation’s 15,000 long-term care facilities and a proposal to allow low-income and frail home bound elders and people with disabilities to use food stamps for meals on wheels.

Meanwhile, attendees were told at this event that physicians would be paid starting in 2016 to counsel patients about their end-of-life care, adds Kleyman, noting that recommendations did not address the nation’s increasing diversity.  Yet, there was no discussion on hospice and palliative care, affordable senior housing issues, and little discussion of elder abuse, the need for adequate transportation and long-term care, he says.

See You in 2025

According to the Census Bureau, in 2050, the 65-and-older population will be 83.7 million, almost double of what it was in 2012. The 2015 WHCoA conference has taken place with a skyrocketing older population, referred to as the “Graying of America.” Can this year’s conference provide policy makers with a road map to shape the delivery of services for years to come? As Kleyman says, probably not. “So it goes, at least until 2025,” he says.