Listen Up: Hear What Key Lawmakers Are Saying About the Need for Social Security Reform
Senator Bernie Sanders (Ind-Vermont) and Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon) introduced joint legislation to strengthen and expand Social Security for current and future generations. Many key members of Congress have already signed on and are showing their support for the Social Security Expansion Act.
This bill will ensure that the Social Security trust fund remains solvent for another 75 years, increase monthly benefits for most recipients by $200, and change the cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) formula to better represent the actual expenses facing seniors, namely high costs of healthcare and medicine.
Here’s a sampling of what lawmakers have to say about this important piece of legislation:
Sen. Sanders: “At a time when half of older Americans have no retirement savings and millions of senior citizens are living in poverty, our job is not to cut Social Security. Our job must be to expand Social Security so that every senior citizen in America can retire with the dignity they deserve and every person with a disability can live with the security they need. And we will do that by demanding that the wealthiest people in America finally pay their fair share of taxes.”
Rep. DeFazio: “As a trained gerontologist, I have devoted my career to protecting and expanding programs that are vital to seniors. One of my highest priorities is protecting Social Security… With the cost of living at an all-time high, Social Security has never been more important.”
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY): “Social Security touches the lives of every American, directly or indirectly. It impacts the lives of older Americans, people with disabilities, and wounded warriors. We must not only protect our Social Security system, we must strengthen and expand it.”
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ): “Social Security is an enduring feature of American life — throughout its over 80-year history, the program has provided millions of American seniors and people with disabilities with financial security. To continue the success of Social Security, our nation must expand the program and extend its solvency to ensure workers can rely on these benefits for generations to come.”
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI): “American workers pay into Social Security on the sacred promise of protection if disability strikes and a dignified retirement in their golden years. We need to make good on that promise.”
The Seniors Trust is working diligently to protect Social Security. We feel the best way to do this is through passage of the Social Security Expansion Act. This landmark bill will buttress the long-term solvency of Social Security by expanding benefits for seniors — not cutting them.
