May has been designated Older Americans Month by the Administration for Community Living under the Department of Health and Human Services. This annual observance recognizes the contributions of older adults, with events promoting healthy aging, community engagement and proactive health management. In 2023, there were more than 59,248,361 individuals who were 65 years of age or older living in the United States, approximately 17% of the population.
According to Samuel Moyn, writing in the May 2026 issue of Harper’s, this growing percentage of elders has led to an imbalance of social and political influence. For example, in 2024, the median age of a primary voter was 65. And there are 50 U.S. Senators older than 65. The average age of senators in the 119th Congress is 64 years old. According to Moyn, Congress has become a gerontocracy, a government where the power, influence and financial security are held by the elderly. “It’s not just that our politicians are old. It’s not just the cognitive or bodily decline they suffer. What’s most important is that such leaders represent an aging constituency that controls the political system.” Moyn argues that “the bigger the age gap between people and their politicians, the weaker the population’s confidence in democracy.”
Moyn is right to point out the existence of a growing gap between the elders and the younger generations. One of the issues he highlights is the financial gap. As elders live longer, they tend to remain in the workforce longer, holding onto jobs that might otherwise go to the next generation. This is particularly true in Congress where the same people are elected over and over. Also, in general, elders in retirement appear to be better off than the younger generations. However, it must not be forgotten that “More than a million Americans over the age of eighty live below the poverty line, and further millions live on fixed incomes not far above it.” To close this gap, Moyn advocates mandatory retirement at 65, a reduction in Social Security benefits for those who already have wealth and eliminating some taxes benefits for elders.
However, closing the financial gap does not solve the demographic problem of fewer children being born as elders live longer. Moyn observes that the larger elder population results in the election of more elderly members to Congress, resulting in the gerontocracy. This gerontocracy is perceived by the younger generations as fiscally cautious and reluctant to support change. Also, it is believed that a gerontocracy is “prone to letting long-term problems fester and worsen, it is difficult even to consider the possibility of change.” Moyn concludes that “Americans must abolish gerontocracy if we are to realize a collective aspiration to social movement and progress…”
However, I would argue that being an elder does not necessarily mean being content with the good old days, resistant to change. Of course, elders do hold on to memories reaching back 80 or 90 years. We elders do cherish the good times that dwell in those memories. However, elders that bear the wisdom of longevity also recognize that the past has many flaws and is a work in progress. They aspire to seek solutions for problems of the past and to continue a trajectory toward a yet unfulfilled more just, equitable, peaceful and fruitful future. They know that nostalgia for a flawed past to make the country “great again” is a fool’s errand.
America was founded by young idealistic human beings that resisted the old ways of governing and who were willing to risk the familiar to form “a more perfect union.” That idealism may still be a part of the fabric of our country. The young have visons, the elder have dreams. The young have the energy for action. Many elders have the wisdom to expose past mistakes and be guides to the future. Let this 2026 Older Americans Month be a time to recognize, not the division of the generations, but the combined contributions of elder and younger toward the enrichment of life for future generations. In this way, gerontocracy will fade away while the elders will find purpose for their longevity.
John Buttrick writes from his Vermont Folk Rocker in his Concord home, Minds Crossing. He can be reached at johndbuttrick@gmail.com.