Created in 2003 as part of the Medicare Modernization Act, Part D of Medicare was designed to provide financial aid for prescription medication purchases of Medicare beneficiaries. As of 2018, 43 million people receive prescription drug coverage under Part D; 58% of those are on a stand-alone prescription drug plan, as opposed to the Medicare Advantage plans that provide supplementary coverage. Though is is open to all Americans who receive Part A and/or Part B benefits, Part D is an entirely optional program.

Last week, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution held a hearing titled “Keeping Congress Accountable: Term Limits In the United States.” Chaired by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), the primary sponsor of the Senate’s constitutional amendment to impose term limits on Congress, the hearing included testimony from former-Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) as well as from a panel of two professors -- Lynda W. Powell and Dr. John David Rausch, Jr. -- alongside Nick Tomboulides, the Executive Director of the nonprofit group U.S. Term Limits.

FreedomWorks is proud to announce that our bill of the month for January 2019 is First Step Act, S. 756, which became law on December 21, 2018. It is a fantastic victory for society, policy, and fairness across the spectrum, giving momentum to further reforms in the future at both the state and federal level.

On behalf of FreedomWorks’ activist community, I urge you to contact your senators and ask them to support the First Step Act, S. 3649, and to co-sponsor and whip YES when approached by Senate Republican leadership.