PHOTOS AND VIDEO: Marc Molinaro’s Constituents Have a Clear Demand: HANDS OFF Our Social Security!
Local Advocacy Groups Are Holding Rep. Molinaro Accountable for Voting for Extreme Cuts That Would Limit Access to Benefits
BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK — Today, Empire State Voices and Social Security Works held a press conference outside Marc Molinaro’s Binghamton office, demanding that he stop voting to cut access to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. They were joined by a coalition of local advocacy groups, labor unions, and residents of NY-19, including Citizen Action of New York, Indivisible Binghamton, New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), and New York State Alliance for Retired Americans (NYSARA).
Residents of NY-19 gathered to demand Rep. Molinaro stop voting against Social Security | Credit: ESV
On Friday, Rep. Molinaro voted for a bill that would have cut funding for most federal programs by 30 percent. This would force hundreds of Social Security field offices to close or restrict their hours, making it harder for seniors and people with disabilities to access critical benefits.
Rep. Molinaro has established a consistent pattern of voting against the interests of New York seniors during his short tenure in Congress. In addition to his vote last Friday, back in May, he voted for the Default on America Act, which would have similarly slashed funding for programs New Yorkers rely on and made it harder for seniors to access their Social Security and Medicare benefits. While on the campaign trail, Rep. Molinaro was a vocal opponent of the Inflation Reduction Act, legislation that allows Medicare to negotiate for lower drug prices and caps the price of insulin for seniors on Medicare.
“At the end of the day, his record is clear,” said Maria Martinez, Executive Director of Empire State Voices. “Congressman Molinaro continues to side with far-right extremists to vote in support of legislation that would put New Yorkers and their families at risk. We’re facing an economic crisis for hard-working families across the country, especially for millions of people in New York. Families are struggling to get by and Representative Molinaro is only worried about fighting for an economy that works for big corporations and billionaires.”
“MAGA Molinaro and his malicious cuts will destroy families throughout our district,” said Ravo Root, Community Organizer with Citizen Action of New York. “This 30% cut—which would be detrimental to vital programs like Social Security—is another part of the Republican radical agenda. We must pay attention to Molinaro's actions and not his words because those words are nothing but empty.”
“[Rep. Molinaro] needs to keep his [hands] off Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. It's not his to play around with,” said Tred Burch, a representative for NYSUT. “These things are important to us and are necessary to us—to all of us. We have contributed all of our lives to Social Security, and how dare he even consider the cuts he’s looking to put forward.”
“Many seniors live on Social Security and are barely making it. Some seniors have to choose between life-saving medication, putting food on the table, or paying their rent. It's not fair,” said Jim Carr, a representative for NYSARA. “We seniors need the support of our elected officials… We don't work for them. They work for us.”
Jon "Bowzer" Bauman, President of Social Security Works PAC, released the following statement:
“Over and over again, Marc Molinaro has voted in lockstep with MAGA Republicans to undermine Social Security and Medicare. He voted to make catastrophic cuts to the Social Security Administration and to create a death panel commission to slash Social Security behind closed doors. Seniors have a message for Molinaro: Hands off our earned benefits!”
To learn more about the campaign, please reach out to press@empirestatevoices.org
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About Empire State Voices
Empire State Voices (ESV) is a multi-year campaign dedicated to amplifying the voices of everyday working New Yorkers. ESV is fighting for economic policies that make life more affordable for constituents and holding members of Congress across the state accountable when they fail to do the same.
