For US House hopeful Denise Powell, protecting “critical” senior programs such as Social Security and Medicare is part of a broader effort to make health care more affordable and accessible.
Residents discussed those issues during a public listening session Tuesday at a reception hall in northeast Omaha hosted by Powell, the Democratic nominee in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District.
Before taking questions and comments, the open forum also served as an endorsement platform for Powell’s campaign. She was joined by Max Richtman, an Omaha native and president of the Washington-based National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. The self-evidently named nonprofit’s political action committee (PAC) will be supporting Powell’s bid for Congress over her opponent, Republican Brinker Harding.
As noted during the event, Social Security—a government program that provides monthly paychecks to retired workers, those with disabilities, and families who have lost a working spouse or parent—keeps over 22 million people out of poverty each year. The program, launched in 1935 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, is considered one of the most successful anti-poverty and social insurance programs in US history.
Medicare, a government health insurance program primarily for people age 65 and older, covers nearly 70 million US residents.
Richtman offered several reasons for backing Powell, a small business owner and co-founder of Women Who Run, a PAC focused on electing women. In addition to her well-received answers on the organization’s questionnaire, Richtman noted the district’s competitiveness, unique political makeup, and her willingness to listen.
“Denise, we need you in Congress to make sure Social Security continues strong and benefits are not cut,” Richtman said. “We sent you a pair of red boxing gloves to take to Washington and fight for seniors. They didn’t make it, so I’m going to give you them when you’re sworn in.”
“I really hope not to actually use the red boxing gloves, but I’m so excited to receive them,” Powell responded. “There are so many seniors who are stocking shelves or bagging groceries because they can’t make ends meet. If we’re not taking care of people on the front end, we take care of people on the back end. Where do folks go when they can’t afford groceries, housing, when they can’t afford their healthcare? I’m really, really worried. But I’m excited to stand up for people who need us to stand up for them.”
Powell proceeded to work the room, circulating a microphone around to attendees, who generally voiced concerns about the cost and complexity of healthcare in retirement, including prescription drug prices, Medicare Advantage limitations, long-term care expenses, the influence of insurance and pharmaceutical lobbyists, and whether Social Security can remain solvent without cutting benefits.
“So many industrialized countries around the world offer a much greater healthcare safety net for their population, like a Swedish model or a Scandinavian model that is proven to be very successful and costs less. What can we do to work towards this?” one attendee asked Powell.
“I think we need a public option,” she responded. “I go all over this district and everybody has a story about going to fill up on medication and it was $3,000 and they decided not to fill it, or cutting their pills in half to stretch them out, or being terrified to go to the emergency room. There are so many gaps in our healthcare system and I think we need a public option to start closing those gaps.”
Another attendee asked about the correlation between raising the minimum wage and contributing to the Social Security trust fund. The Omaha city council voted in July to effectively raise the city’s wage floor, in accordance with Nebraska’s 2022 ballot measure, which Powell helped organize signature collection efforts for. Powell’s opponent, Harding, is a member of the city council and voted against the July ordinance to bump the minimum wage in the city.
“As the minimum wage goes up, more revenue comes into the program,” said Richtman. “The most wealthy in this country find ways to avoid paying taxes and contributing to the system. Now there are discussions about raising the retirement age to solve all of Social Security’s problems. I think the way to bring the program to a stable solvency is to bring in more revenue and there are a lot of ways to do that.”
As the listening session came to a close, Powell noted a Pew Research study that found that over 80% of Americans believe elected officials don’t care what people like them think.
“I think part of the reason for that is because the government makes promises to us, like with Social Security, that if we put this money in every month, we’ll get it on the back side. We cannot go back on that promise and expect that statistic to ever change,” Powell said.
According to data from the Social Security Administration, roughly 111,000 residents in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District are beneficiaries of Social Security. Roughly 108,000 NE-02 residents are eligible for Medicare, according to a 2025 report from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The same day as Powell’s listening session, Harding indirectly countered by announcing his campaign had been endorsed by the Omaha Police Officers Association and the Nebraska Fraternal Order of Police.
Voters in NE-02 will choose their next congressional representative on Nov. 3.
