AARP Maine Brings Federal Legislative Priorities to Members of Congress

As a wise friend and fierce defender, AARP works every day to make communities and states even greater places for everyone to live, work and thrive. In Maine, we work with community partners and public officials at the local, state and federal levels to support policies that positively impact older Mainers and their families.

We are dedicated to meeting with members of Congress during the recess weeks when the federal lawmakers typically return to their home districts.

Each conversation with the offices of Senator Collins, Congressman Golden, Senator King and Congresswoman Pingree involve important topics including family caregiving and Social Security.
 

Family Caregiving
Maine’s 166,000 family caregivers need support providing care and keeping up with out-of-pocket costs. Every day across the country, America’s 48 million family caregivers assist their older parents, spouses, siblings, grandparents and other loved ones so they can live independently in their homes—where they want to be.

Nationally, Family Caregivers provide $600 billion in unpaid labor, saving taxpayers billions. Here in Maine, that is 2.2 billion according to AARP’s latest Valuing the Invaluable report released earlier this year. Without family caregivers, America's health and long-term care systems would collapse.

Caregiving affects Americans from all walks of life. In fact, one in five voters is a family caregiver. 78% of Americans have been, are, or will be a caregiver.

If you have had any personal experience being a family caregiver and are open to talking about that experience, we would be interested to hear about it. Please send an email to me@aarp.org and a member of our staff will contact you.

Fighting for this important constituency has broad political appeal across all social, economic, cultural and political lines. It is an issue that touches nearly every family. Resources and information on family caregiving are available at aarp.org/caregiving and we also offer a Maine Family Caregiving Resource Guide.

 
Social Security
Social Security is your money — you earned it through a lifetime of hard work. It puts retirement in reach for MILLIONS of Americans, including hundreds of thousands here in Maine. It helps us afford everyday expenses like groceries, gas and housing.

1 in 4 Mainers receives Social Security – more than 355,000 individuals!

But this critical program faces a long-term shortfall. If our leaders don’t take action to protect and save Social Security in the next 10 years, your Social Security could be cut by 20 percent – an average of $4,000 a year. Remember, Social Security isn’t a handout. We’ve paid into it our entire working lives. It's only fair that politicians protect the money we've earned. We vote, and we will fight any cuts to our hard-earned Social Security.

Join our fight to protect Social Security by clicking here. You’ve earned it!

Learn more about AARP Maine and feel free to email us at me@aarp.org if you have any questions. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter) @aarpmaine

AARP volunteers find that giving back to their community maximizes their enjoyment of life. For more information, call toll-free 1-866-554-5380 or email me@aarp.org. We would love to hear from you!