My Administration has taken great strides toward solving the difficult problems faced by older Americans.  Early in my term we worked successfully with the Congress to assure adequate revenues for the Social Security Trust Funds.  And last year the strength of the Social Security System was strengthened by legislation I proposed to permit borrowing among the separate trust funds.  I have also signed into law legislation prohibiting employers from requiring retirement prior to age 70, and removing mandatory retirement for most Federal employees.  In addition, my Administration worked very closely with Congress to amend the Older Americans Act in a way that has already improved administration of its housing, social services, food delivery, and employment programs.

This year, I will be submitting to Congress a budget which again demonstrates my commitment to programs for the elderly.  It will include, as my previous budgets have, increased funding for nutrition, senior centers and home health care, and will focus added resources on the needs of older Americans.

With the 1981 White House Conference on Aging approaching, I hope the new Administration will make every effort to assure an effective and useful conference.  This Conference should enable older Americans to voice their concerns and give us guidance in our continued efforts to ensure the quality of life so richly deserved by our senior citizens.

REFUGEES

We cannot hope to build a just and humane society at home if we ignore the humanitarian claims of refugees, their lives at stake, who have nowhere else to turn.  Our country can be proud that hundreds of thousands of people around the world would risk everything they have—­including their own lives—­to come to our country.

This Administration initiated and implemented the first comprehensive reform of our refugee and immigration policies in over 25 years.  We also established the first refugee coordination office in the Department of State under the leadership of a special ambassador and coordinator for refugee affairs and programs.  The new legislation and the coordinator’s office will bring common sense and consolidation to our Nation’s previously fragmented, inconsistent, and in many ways, outdated, refugee and immigration policies.

With the unexpected arrival of thousands of Cubans and Haitians who sought refuge in our country last year, outside of our regular immigration and refugee admissions process, our country and its government were tested in being compassionate and responsive to a major human emergency.  Because we had taken steps to reorganize our refugee programs, we met that test successfully.  I am proud that the American people responded to this crisis with their traditional good will and hospitality.  Also, we would never have been able to handle this unprecedented emergency without the efforts of the private resettlement agencies who have always been there to help refugees in crises.