-9999

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, everything we do here should come back to the dignity of work, the idea that hard work should pay off for everyone, no matter who you are, no matter where you live, no matter what kind of work you do. When work has dignity, people have good jobs, a secure retirement. They can count on Medicare. They can count on Social Security to be there for them.

That is why we, 2 years ago, saved the pension of 100,000 Ohioans who worked their whole lives to earn a pension and peace of mind in retirement. That is why we are still fighting for Delphi retirees who lost their pensions through no fault of their own. That is why we will always--always--fight back against attacks on Social Security. Making sure that all Americans have a secure retirement shouldn't be a partisan issue.

Social Security and Medicare are two of the most popular and unifying institutions in the country. Social Security is our government's promise to working men and women--a promise that they will, in fact, be able to retire with dignity.

Support for Social Security cuts across party lines, geographic lines, and racial lines. Americans want not only to protect Social Security and Medicare, they want to make it stronger. Martin O'Malley, whom we confirmed last night, understands this. As Commissioner, he will make sure that the Social Security Administration is accessible and responsive. He will ensure we are keeping this bedrock promise to the American people.

We need to do our part in this body too. It means passing my Social Security Fairness Act to repeal restrictions from two old laws that are preventing more than 3 million Americans--about 250,000 people in my State alone, including Ohio law enforcement--from receiving the Social Security benefits they have earned.

Ohio first responders put their lives on the line to protect our communities. They paid into Social Security just like everyone else. All these Ohio workers are asking for is what they have earned; that is, the dignity of a secure retirement.

We need to pass my bill to reform the supplemental security income-- so-called SSI--program's outdated restrictions that punish people for working and saving, preventing 8 million Americans with disabilities from building a better life for themselves. It hasn't changed in 40 years. We should update it.

If these Americans have even $1 more than $2,000 in their savings account or $3,000 for married couples--not very high, frankly--all their SSI benefits are taken away. With these outdated rules, there is no way to save for an emergency or plan for the future or, in essence, have agency over your own life.

There is broad support for this; it is not partisan; it is not ideological. At the committee I chair, the Banking and Housing Committee, I asked the CEOs of the eight largest banks if they supported this change, and every single one of them said yes. Every single one endorsed my bill. The big banks and I don't agree on much of anything, but we do agree on this.

By passing our bipartisan bill to update this outdated program, we also can fix the root cause of the SSI overpayments and clawbacks that have been hitting too many Ohioans. This has gone on for far too long and has hurt too many Ohioans, who--again, through no fault of their own--have been forced to deal with the issue of overpayments because of the SSA's outdated policies. Ohioans shouldn't be paying for the government's mistakes.

Martin O'Malley, our new Commissioner, made it clear to me in a one- on-one meeting that he is committed to working with us to finally address the root causes of these overpayments; and by increasing the asset limit, we are addressing what the SSA calls the leading cause of overpayments--stopping them before they ever go out in the first place.

These bills are bipartisan. They provide real fixes to real problems for hard-working Ohioans. People who don't have special interests are speaking out on their behalf. They have us, and it is what we should be--those who are speaking out for them. For years, they have watched politicians give corporate tax cuts; they have watched Wall Street bailouts, in many cases in this body while plotting to cut their Social Security.

In the end, it is about whose side you are on. I will always fight to protect Social Security and to make sure Americans get the retirements that they have earned.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source