(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has released the bill text of border security and international aid supplemental legislation. Maggie Elehwany, Argentum Senior Vice President, Public Affairs issued the following statement:
Argentum appreciates Senators Murphy (D-CT), Sinema (I-AZ), and Lankford (R-OK) for their efforts to craft bipartisan legislation to address the critical issues of border security and immigration. The $118 billion proposal would, among other things, allow for expedited deportation of undocumented migrants, tighten asylum application requirements, and increase funding for border security personnel.
Unfortunately, the legislation in its current form does not adequately address the critical need of health care and direct care workers in the United States, as Argentum identified in a report issued last year, Workforce Projections for Senior Care, that showed a current shortage of more than 400,000 workers in long-term care that is projected to grow to more than 20 million workers by 2040.
A 2023 National Bureau of Economic Research paper concluded that “increasing immigrant flows into the United States may be one actionable policy solution to ensure there is an adequate workforce to ensure the rapidly aging population has access to quality long-term care.”
Argentum has pushed for common-senses policy solutions to address these workforce needs through our foreign-born worker task force and with the Tent Partnership for Refugees, and we will continue to do so as the bill is debated.
While this bill faces an uncertain future in both the House and Senate, Argentum encourages Congress to expand immigration levels, narrowly targeted to meet the direct care needs of our rapidly aging population.
Please see our latest Argentum Advocates blog post for a more detailed analysis of the proposal:
About Argentum
Argentum is the leading national association exclusively dedicated to supporting companies operating professionally managed, resident-centered senior living communities and the older adults and families they serve. Since 1990, Argentum has advocated for choice, independence, dignity, and quality of life for all older adults. Argentum member companies operate senior living communities offering assisted living, independent living, continuing care, and memory care services. Along with its state partners, Argentum’s membership represents approximately 75 percent of the professionally managed communities in the senior living industry—an industry with a national economic impact of nearly $250 billion dollars and more than 1.6 million jobs.
Contact:
Michael Keegan
Manager, Media and Public Affairs
ARGENTUM | Expanding Senior Living
20 F Street NW, 7th Floor Washington, DC 20001
703-599-7412 | [email protected]
