Press Release

Today, while in Elk Grove to celebrate March for Meals month with local seniors, Congressman Ami Bera, M.D. announced that he's returning his 2014 pension to the U.S. Treasury to pay down the U.S. debt, keeping the oath he made to the people of Sacramento County to decline his Congressional pension until Medicare and Social Security are secure.

"Yesterday, the House took a major step to protect and strengthen Medicare, passing a milestone bill to fix its payment system," said Bera. "But we still have work to do to make sure Medicare and Social Security are secure for this generation and the next. I've pledged to not take a Congressional pension until Medicare and Social Security are secure because Sacramento County families shouldn't be forced to pay for my retirement when many of theirs are still vulnerable. Instead, I'm putting that money toward paying down this country's mounting debt—another issue that Congress needs to make a top priority."

Bera wrote and sent a check to the United States Treasury Bureau of the Public Debt for $4,914.53, the pension amount he accrued during 2014. He also returned his 2013 pension earnings last March.

In addition to announcing his pension return, Bera served food and spoke with the seniors at the Elk Grove Senior Center for an ACC Meals on Wheels program. He discussed how his office can help seniors having issues with federal agencies like Social Security and Medicare and about the House's recent vote for a bipartisan, historic package to repeal and reform the flawed Medicare payment system known as the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) and how it will help them.

March for Meals is a nationwide, community-by-community, celebration of Meals on Wheels programs that help elderly adults live independently in their own homes. The national campaign is held annually during the month of March, initiated and sponsored by the Meals On Wheels Association of America to raise awareness of the struggles faced by those aging in their respective communities, and to encourage action on the part of those local communities. Hundreds of elder nutrition programs across the United States, like ACC Meals on Wheels, promote March for Meals through public events, partnerships with local businesses, volunteer recruitment and fundraising initiatives.

Bera has represented Sacramento County in Congress since 2013. Born and raised in California, he is a physician and the only Indian American currently serving in Congress. He's fighting to rebuild an economy that works for middle class families and to reduce our country's debt in a responsible way. One of Bera's first acts in Congress was to help lead the effort to pass the No Budget No Pay Act, which says if members of Congress don't pass a budget, they don't get paid. As a leader of the No Labels' Problem Solvers, he's working with people from both parties to find bipartisan solutions to our nation's challenges. He and his wife Janine live in Elk Grove with their daughter Sydra. For more updates on Rep. Bera follow @RepBera on Twitter, like Congressman Bera on Facebook, or visit https://www.bera.house.gov.