Nancy Pelosi Caught Lying About Meals on Wheels

“In one of the bills before us, 6 million seniors are deprived of meals — homebound seniors are deprived of meals. People ask us to find our common ground, the middle ground. Is middle ground 3 million seniors not receiving meals? I don't think so. We've got to take this conversation from a debate about numbers and dollar figures and finding middle ground there to the higher ground of national values. I don't think the American people want any one of those 6 million people to lose their meals or the children who are being thrown off of Head Start and the rest of it.”

— House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), April 4, 2011


...The Facts

The meal programs, which cost about $818 million a year, are managed by the Administration on Aging (AOA), an arm of the Department of Health and Human Services. The House bill would cut $65 million from the approximately $2.4 billion budget of the agency — a figure derived from GOP estimates of the savings in the agency from repealing the health care law — as well as eliminate $6 million in earmarks.

The first problem with Pelosi’s statistic is that, according to the agency’s budget documents, only about 2.6 million seniors receive such meals. That’s even less than what she decried as the mushy middle ground of compromise.

After we pointed out that fact, Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said “she means meals for seniors — 6 million meals.” In 2011, the agency is expected to deliver a little over 200 million meals, so that’s a cut of about three percent...

Marta Dehmlow, a spokeswoman for the House Appropriations Committee, says the $65 million figure came from estimates on savings the administration provided regarding a provision of the new health care law that would be administered by the agency. “The Committee did not specify where this cut would come from and also does not know how AOA will spread that cut within their operations,” she said. “The Committee has received no official word on impact.”

A spokeswoman for the Administration on Aging referred a question to the White House budget office, which did not respond to our query. Hammill later acknowledged: “The Obama Administration had not made any determination of how they would implement a $71 million cut at the Administration on Aging if HR 1 was signed into law.”

So, in other words, Pelosi’s staff took a wild guess at where the cuts would fall in the agency.

But there are other problems with Pelosi’s 6 million number.

First, the administration requested the elimination of $6 million in earmarks, so it seems strange for Pelosi to call that a Republican cut. That should not be included, leaving us with $65 million in possible cuts.

Second, in the administration’s 2012 budget request, President Obama identified $150 million in cuts to the agency’s budget. It seems that those already-identified targets would be a more logical place to start looking for trims than meals for senior citizens, most of whom have incomes of less than $20,000.

Finally, the agency’s budget justification notes on page 55 that it has kept spending on senior meals essentially flat from 2010 to 2012, resulting in 36 million fewer meals for senior citizens. That’s six times higher than the figure that Pelosi has decried as an affront to “national values.” The administration’s budget, in fact, has earned the ire of some advocates for hungry seniors. Perhaps 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue would be a more appropriate place for Pelosi to direct her outrage...

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ggh said:

Any time Pelosi opens her mouth she is lying.

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celticwar17 said:

I have no idea how the democrats are considered a legitimate party with her in their ranks.

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celticwar17 said:

I have no idea how the democrats are considered a legitimate party with her in their ranks.

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cpwill said:

well this is completely unsurprising. as i've said before, her comments are becoming increasingly unhinged from reality

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MaggieD said:

I guess Nancy missed the memo. She reminds me of an angry bird.

$818 million to serve 200 million meals. I don't even believe those statistics. I'd love a look at some uncooked books. Meals on Wheels receives not only this $818 million, but also money from each individual state, United Way and corporate sponsors like WalMart, Harrah's, Merck, Humana, etc. I would love to see a full accounting of MOW funding. Can't find one.

In my area (suburban Chicago) no one asks asset/income information. Last year, I set up a brother and sister in their 80's on MOW. They paid $5.50/meal. Sister had assets of over $1 million and an income over $40K a year. Brother had probably $400K in assets and an income of around $18K.

I'd say the whole program needs a look-see. (And that's what we have to do if we're going to fix the mess we're in.)

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