60 Plus Association

60 Plus Association
Name	60 Plus Association
Type	Nonprofit advocacy group
Founded	1992
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Leader title	President
Leader name	James L. Martin

60 Plus Association The 60 Plus Association is an American nonprofit advocacy organization representing older Americans. It positions itself within debates over Social Security (United States), Medicare (United States), Medicaid, entitlement reform, and taxation, and it has engaged with policymakers, media, and electoral campaigns. The organization has been active in national policy debates involving lawmakers and administrations, appearing in contexts with figures such as George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, and Nancy Pelosi.

History

Founded in 1992, the organization emerged amid pension and retirement debates during the presidencies of George H. W. Bush and the early 1990s Congress, overlapping with legislative actions by the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. Its timeline intersects with policy episodes including the passage of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 and the Medicare prescription drug debate culminating in the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act. Leadership has included figures who previously engaged with American Legislative Exchange Council-adjacent networks and conservative advocacy circles such as those around Jack Kemp and Newt Gingrich.

Mission and Activities

The group states its mission to advocate for the interests of seniors through legislative advocacy, advertising, and grassroots mobilization. It conducts media campaigns targeting members of the United States Congress, engages with administrative officials from administrations like the Clinton administration and the Trump administration, and participates in coalitions with organizations including AARP, Heritage Foundation, and Cato Institute rivals or counterparts on specific issues. Activities have included television and radio advertising during campaigns involving figures such as John McCain, Mitt Romney, Hillary Clinton, and Bernie Sanders, as well as involvement in policy discussions tied to the Affordable Care Act and tax law changes like the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

Policy Positions and Advocacy

The organization's policy positions have favored market-oriented reforms to retirement and health programs, including proposals related to private accounts for Social Security, Medicare cost-sharing adjustments, and adjustments to Medicare Part D. It has advocated for lower income tax rates and changes to estate tax rules aligning with positions held by conservative policy groups such as the Club for Growth and Americans for Prosperity. The association has lobbied during debates over nominations to the Supreme Court of the United States and weighed in on regulatory matters overseen by agencies like the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Funding and Organizational Structure

The group's funding has included donations from individuals, political action committees, and grants from nonprofit donors linked to philanthropic networks such as those associated with Koch Industries executives and conservative foundations like the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation and entities connected to Charles G. Koch. Its structure includes a board of directors and a small professional staff operating out of Washington, D.C., interacting with lobbying practices in the Federal Election Commission and campaign finance environments. The organization has run independent expenditure campaigns in federal elections, competing in the political ecosystem alongside groups like MoveOn.org, National Rifle Association, and Sierra Club-aligned entities.

Controversies and Criticism

60 Plus Association has faced criticism and controversy over its advertising tactics, funding transparency, and accuracy of claims. Critics have included advocacy organizations such as AARP, investigative reporting from outlets akin to The New York Times and The Washington Post, and watchdog groups like ProPublica-style entities and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Allegations have focused on misleading claims in ads during election cycles involving candidates like Barack Obama and on donor opacity similar to debates involving dark money-related controversies tied to groups supported by donors who also funded organizations like Americans for Prosperity and Crossroads GPS. Congressional staffers and policy analysts from think tanks including Brookings Institution and Urban Institute have critiqued its policy analyses.

Membership and Outreach

The association claims membership among older Americans and conducts outreach through direct mail, email campaigns, television and radio spots, and social media channels engaging audiences that follow public figures such as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and cable networks like Fox News Channel. It has sought to mobilize voters in battleground states during presidential and congressional elections featuring candidates including Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Ted Cruz, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Partnerships and contestations with groups like AARP and local senior organizations have shaped its grassroots footprint in states such as Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Arizona.

Category:Political advocacy groups in the United States