Capitol Avenue to Capitol Hill: AARP Lobby Day 2025

On June 25, Sarah Waddle (AARP Indiana State Director) and Linda Dunno (AARP Indiana State President) traveled from the Indiana State Office at 1 North Capitol Avenue to Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. to attend the 2025 AARP Lobby Day. The summer weather was in full force with heat indexes reaching over 100 degrees. Sarah and Linda even came across a woman who had the sole of her shoe melted by the heat! Despite the heat, Sarah and Linda had a day full of meetings with legislators and their teams.

What Did They Discuss?
Sarah and Linda went into Lobby Day with three main topics in mind: 1) Credit for Caring, 2) Reconciliation (Medicaid/SNAP), and 3) Social Security customer service. Additionally, they hoped to speak specifically with Representative Jefferson Shreve about fraud. Their day was jam packed with quick, 30 minute, back-to-back meetings that had them walking all around Capitol Hill.

Who Did They Meet With?
Throughout the course of the day, Sarah and Linda were able to meet with seven different representatives or members of their team. No matter who they met with, the meetings were a great opportunity to discuss critically important topics for Hoosiers 50-plus.

1. Representative Jefferson Shreve & Legislative Assistant Stephen Kocerha
2. Alyssa Jennings, Director of Operations for Representative Jim Baird
3. Representative Frank Mrvan & Legislative Assistant Maya Seifert
4. Will Salmon, Legislative Director for Representative Mark Messmer
5. Senator Todd Young & Legislative Assistant Mike Weiss
6. Representative Rudy Yakym & Legislative Assistant Bridget Visconti
7. Diala Qasem, Legislative Director for Representative André Carson.

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Takeaways From the Day
Besides attending meetings, Sarah and Linda were able to attend a House Ways and Means Committee hearing with Representative Yakym where the Social Security Commission was being questioned. This opportunity was all thanks to being in the right place at the right time. A big thank you to Representative Yakym for making this possible!

Senator Young shared that he was aware of AARP Indiana's "tie a ribbon" campaign around Credit for Caring. If you haven't seen the video, you can watch it here. The video features some of AARP Indiana's volunteers who share why we can't forget about family caregivers. This is a prime example of how AARP Indiana's efforts are reaching federal legislators.

A lighthearted moment of the day was Representative Mrvan signing one of his baseball cards from the Congressional baseball game. He was tickled that Sarah and Linda brought it with them!

During their meeting, Representative Carson's office gave a commitment to sign on to Credit for Caring. Additionally, as of July 11th, AARP Indiana received confirmation that Representative Shreve has signed on to Credit for Caring. Thank you, Representative Shreve for your commitment to caregivers!

It was a whirlwind of a day! Linda persevered through physical limitations (a torn rotator cuff and a bad knee) and very inconvenient travel delays to make this day happen. We are so grateful to Sarah and Linda for their work advocating on behalf of Hoosiers 50-plus, not just on Lobby Day but everyday.

Be sure to follow AARP Indiana on social media to stay up to date on all the legislative happenings! You can follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.