DORGAN SAYS ECONOMIC STIMULUS MUST INCLUDE REBATES FOR SENIORS, DISABLED VETERANS
Senator presses for plan that would provide rebate to 88,000 North Dakota seniors
Thursday, January 31, 2008
CONTACT: Justin Kitsch
or Brenden Timpe
PHONE: 202-224-2551
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) --- U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) said the rebate checks that are being proposed as part of Congress’ economic stimulus package must include rebates for senior citizens and disabled veterans. Both were left out of the version of the stimulus package negotiated by the White House and leaders of the U.S. House.
Dorgan said he’ll work to defeat a threatened filibuster against an alternate plan that would include the two groups.
Dorgan said the decision on whether to include seniors is especially important to North Dakota, which has the highest per-capita number of senior citizens over 85 years of age in the nation. The proposal to include seniors would ensure rebate checks go to an estimated 88,000 North Dakotans age 65 and older.
“Many senior citizens live on very low incomes. If we’re going to try to stimulate the economy, it would be wrong to provide rebates to 117 million Americans and leave out some 20 million senior citizens, many of whom would very much need those rebate checks,” Dorgan said.
Because income for disabled veterans is not taxable, the stimulus package that was negotiated by the White House and the U.S. House would not send rebates to them. Dorgan said this would leave 250,000 disabled veterans out of the rebate program. He said many of these veterans also live on a limited income and deserve to be included in the stimulus plan.
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