Des Plaines, IL–(ENEWSPF)–September 17, 2015. This week, Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth (IL-08) attended the Illinois Alliance for Retired Americans’ (IARA) Senior Power Lunch in Des Plaines, Illinois. The mission of the IARA is to ensure social and economic justice and full civil rights for all citizens so that they may enjoy lives of dignity, personal and family fulfillment and retirement security.
Congresswoman Duckworth was awarded the Jerry Prete Award at the luncheon. The Jerry Prete Award honors an individual that demonstrates outstanding leadership in advocating for improving the lives of retired Illinoisans. Jerry Prete was a leader of the IARA’s predecessor, the Illinois Council of Senior Citizens.
Congresswoman Duckworth was given the award in recognition of her strong commitment to defending Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. While addressing members of the IARA, she called these programs “vital to our national security” and noted that if “…we have a nation of people living in poverty, we cannot be a world leader, we cannot be strong.” The 2013 winner, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (IL-09) presented the award to Congresswoman Duckworth.
Congresswoman Duckworth ardently opposes harmful efforts to end Medicare as we know it, gut Medicaid and privatize Social Security. Since entering Congress, she has consistently fought against House Republican efforts to transform Medicare into a private voucher system and cut Medicaid by $913 billion. “We must fight to preserve these programs,” Duckworth said. “Their importance has only increased since the recession. With millions of Americans living at-or-below the poverty line, many people rely on them to meet their basic needs. Our nation’s health relies on the continued strength of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.”
Source: www.duckworth.house.gov
