For decades now, AARP, which once stood for the American Association of Retired Persons and has been subsequently rebranded as just a set of initials that stand for nothing, has been one of the most influential lobby groups in Washington, D.C.
AARP’s biggest congressional critic, Sen. Rand Paul, recently noted that of AARP’s 94 congressional lobbying events during debate over the Inflation Reduction Act, only one was held in support of a Republican officeholder. The rest were for Democrats.Over half of AARP’s $2 billion in annual revenue no longer comes from dues, but instead comes from corporate royalties, including lucrative arrangements selling insurance to members.
"UnitedHealth pays AARP a significant portion of every monthly premium received from its AARP-branded Medicare plans, amounting to approximately $800 million per year," notes Paul.
Other AARP shortcomings cataloged. However, AMAC supports -
"...election integrity, restoring constitutional freedoms, protecting parental rights, insurance, Postal Service, Social Security solvency, finding ways to deliver better and lower cost health care, and of course, protecting every human life from conception to natural death," says Weber. "Those initiatives were priorities. We got those priorities right from our membership, and we’re extremely engaged with them."
Membership in AMAC is inexpensive and offers both savings and encourages political involvement.