Applauding Obama Plan to Raise Taxes on Millionaires; CAF Warns Against Raising Medicare Retirement Age

Washington, DC – The Campaign for America’s Future applauds reports that President Obama is set to announce a proposal to raise taxes on millionaires and billionaires, but cautions the President against making any unfair cuts to vital programs like Medicare -- including and especially against raising the Medicare eligibility age. A broad coalition of activist groups including Campaign for America’s Future and Social Security Works sent tens of thousands of signatures to the White House with the very clear message that the President must protect Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Allied organizations including NOW and The Other 98 Percent are asking [1] supporters to contact the White House and tell the President to protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

Statement from Roger Hickey, co-director of Campaign for America’s Future:

“The report that the President is planning to ask millionaires and billionaires pay taxes at a higher rate than their secretaries pay is welcome news that will be wildly popular with voters. However, if the President proposes raising the age of Medicare eligibility, he would squander that good will, and even worse, he would harm America’s most vulnerable citizens.

“We applaud the President for heeding the advice from progressive that he `go big’ on his jobs plan. We hope he will also heed the advice he is receiving via tens of thousands of letters and phone calls and emails from Americans of all ages who want him not to raise the Medicare retirement age. Raising taxes on millionaires and billionaires is a vital and welcome first step. But in order to reduce Medicare costs, he should focus on lowering health care costs in the whole health care economy. He should look to reducing power of the drug companies and insurance companies and not to Medicare recipients.”

Hickey noted that thousands of progressive activists are coming to Washington, DC on October 3 to 5 for the Take Back the American Dream conference [2] to send a clear message that we want jobs, not cuts to vital programs.