COVINGTON — On Thursday, the Louisiana Democratic Party (LDP) held a news conference at the Covington Trailhead on protecting Social Security and Medicare in light of Congressman Bill Cassidy’s votes for drastic future cuts.
“We wanted to call attention to Congressman Bill Cassidy’s disturbing voting record of supporting cuts to Social Security and Medicare, hurting our seniors just to line the pockets of multi-millionaires and billionaires,” said LDP Executive Director Stephen Handwerk. “We are tired of our elected officials doing everything but representing the people of this state and won’t let them throw our seniors under the bus.”
“Seniors are the backbone of Covington and every great community, and they deserve the peace of mind that Social Security and Medicare provide, especially since they have paid into these programs their whole lives,” said Keith Villere, former mayor of Covington. “But Congressman Cassidy voted to raise the retirement age and drastically cut benefits, so it’s clear that he is not looking out for Louisiana seniors.”
“My fellow retired teachers and I cannot afford to have Congressman Cassidy in office. We are hurting too much,” said Della Perkins, a retired special education teacher in Orleans Parish. “After so many of us have endured the hardships of our state, I can’t believe that Congressman Cassidy wants to increase the burden so that he can make the rich richer.”
As a result of the negative impacts of Cassidy’s votes would have on Louisiana seniors, the Alliance for Retired Americans gave him a zero percent rating in their latest congressional legislative report.
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From left to right: St. Tammany Parish Councilman T.J. Smith, former Covington Mayor Keith Villere, LDP Executive Director Stephen Handwerk and Della Perkins