Maintaining Current Retirement Age for Social Security Benefits

Floor Speech

Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, during the first decade of this century, the Bush economy destroyed the middle class. Today, we are at a point where 72 percent of Social Security retirees have elected early retirement at age 62 because they had no other financial choice.

But despite the fact that they have voted with their feet in unprecedented numbers, what is Mr. Boehner's proposal for Social Security, which he told the Pittsburgh Gazette a couple of weeks ago? He wants to raise the retirement age to age 70. If there is a more out-of-touch statement about what the middle class of this country is going through and what an out-of-touch proposal, to basically totally knock the stuffing out of the retirement security, Mr. Boehner's proposal to raise the Social Security retirement age to 70, to means test benefits would decimate what's left of the American middle class.

We cannot let that happen. Democrats will protect this program, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this August, by maintaining the retirement age which exists today, a program which is solvent until 2037 and with moderate, balanced changes can protect its solvency for future years and generations.

Source