AARP lobbied for the new health care reform law, and according to three GOP representatives, the group could make an extra $1 billion over the next decade because of it.
Based on the available evidence, substantial questions remain about whether AARP should maintain its tax-exempt status," said the report, released by Reps. Wally Herger of California, Charles Boustany of Louisiana and Dave Reichert of Washington.
AARP said profit had nothing to do with its support for President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, which expands coverage to nearly all Americans, a goal that the organization has long pursued.
"Our decision to support health care reform was in no way, shape or form influenced by revenue considerations," said spokesman Jim Dau. Polls show that seniors are more likely to oppose the new law than younger people, partly because the coverage for the uninsured will be financed by slowing the growth of Medicare spending.
The three Republican lawmakers are members of the influential Ways and Means Committee, which writes tax law. Boustany chairs the oversight subcommittee, and Herger is in charge of the health panel responsible for Medicare.
"We believe AARP operates in direct opposition to their senior membership," Herger said at a Capitol Hill press conference.
