Bernie Sanders: “I want to make two basic points. First of all, one of the great crises in America today is that millions and millions of…”

“I want to make two basic points. First of all, one of the great crises in America today is that millions and millions of low income and working people are spending 40, 50, 60 yes, 70 percent of their limited incomes on housing. Therefore, they just do not have the money available for the food they need, for the transportation they need and maybe to put away a few bucks for educational opportunities for their kids. That is a real crisis. The second point that I would make is to try to put this discussion in human terms. I called up a housing authority, senior citizen housing authority in Vermont this morning. They told me that many of the seniors in the housing earn $8,000 a year on average from Social Security. Right now they are paying 30 percent of their income for rent, $2,400 a year. Mr. Chairman, if this proposal that is in the bill goes through, what could very easily happen is that senior citizens bringing in $8,000 a year will now pay 40 percent of their income in housing. That is an additional $800 a year, when you are bringing in $8,000 a year. Ten percent of all of your income more now goes for housing. Second of all, if their Medicare proposals go into effect and we raise the Medicare premiums for senior citizens, in a few years time we will be talking about those same seniors paying $500 a year more for Medicare premiums; $800 plus $500, $1,300 a year more on a senior citizen earning $8,000 a year on Social Security.”