| Welcome to Kirsten’s New York Minute!
Here’s what she’s been up to this week:
1. Fighting for affordable health care
|
President Trump and congressional Republicans have proven that they would rather shut down the government than make Americans’ health care more affordable.
20 million Americans are on the brink of seeing their premiums skyrocket. If we don’t extend the health care assistance that families rely on, many Americans will have to make impossible choices: pay rent or see a doctor; put food on the table or buy their child’s medication; keep their small business afloat or offer their employees health insurance.
Kirsten and her Democratic colleagues stand ready to work on a commonsense, bipartisan solution to reopen the government and make sure that Americans don’t see their health care costs skyrocket.
Read more.
2. Helping New Yorkers navigate the government shutdown
|
As of October 1st, the federal government has shut down. Kirsten’s office will remain open to assist New Yorkers throughout the shutdown.
Because of the shutdown, many federal agencies will be operating with significantly reduced staff, so delays in processing new applications and resolving any issues should be anticipated. Kirsten and her staff will do everything they can to assist you during and after the shutdown.
If you are a New Yorker who needs help from a federal government agency, open a case with our office here .
For information about how the shutdown may impact you and your benefits, click here .
3. Protecting Social Security
|
As ranking member of the Senate Aging Committee, Kirsten is leading the fight against the Trump administration’s threats to raise the Social Security retirement age, which would amount to a benefit cut for millions of Americans.
This week, she sent two letters to Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano to sound the alarm about the dangerous ramifications if this change were to be implemented. Americans deserve to be able to retire with dignity and not be worried that this administration will keep raising the bar on retirement.
Read more.
4. Combating the politicization of the military
|
This week, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth expressed his desire to return the military to the early 1990s – a time when victims of sexual misconduct were deterred from reporting, women could not serve in combat roles, and sexual orientation was grounds for discharge. Justice for survivors of sexual assault in the military should not be up for debate.
This week, Kirsten spoke with NPR’s Here & Now to discuss her commitment to supporting all of the men and women in our military and fighting to preserve the military justice system.
Listen here.
| 5. Helping New Yorkers get their benefits
|
A Nassau County constituent contacted Kirsten’s office for help after her Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits were mistakenly suspended. The Social Security Administration (SSA) stated she was earning too much from her work for a named employer for which the constituent had never worked before.
After Kirsten’s team contacted SSA, the erroneous work earnings were removed and the agency released over $12,000 in benefits to the constituent.
|
