Protect and Enhance Social Security

Floor Speech

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Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Larson for yielding time and for his noble, tireless work safeguarding Social Security for the benefit of all Americans.

For nearly a century, America has made a sacred promise--those who work hard throughout their lives will benefit from the fruits of their labor upon retirement.

Social Security promises a safe and secure retirement for tens of millions of Americans during their golden years. Without action, that promise is at risk.

I hear from thousands of retirees across Northwestern Ohio who want to see a responsible solution to refinance Social Security going forward. One in five Social Security beneficiaries are veterans.

Let me observe that the billionaire class must join the vast majority of Americans in paying their fair share into the system itself.

By making that happen, the Social Security 2100 Act, championed by Congressman Larson and all of us, will increase benefits for current and new beneficiaries, protect retirees against inflation, and repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision.

We must push for a vote on the House floor as soon as possible. The Social Security 2100 Act is one of the most important bills before this Congress.

There are 182 House cosponsors of this bill. I ask Speaker Johnson to please move this bill to the floor for a vote.

Social Security is an earned benefit, and America made a promise to workers, and Democrats are committed to making good on that promise.

I am the granddaughter of immigrants. They worked at the lowest wages and the worst jobs--first fired, last hired. They simply could not have existed if it were not for Social Security. The same is true for my parents.

You see, Social Security is not just a program. It is a trust, a sacred insurance trust, and that trust is intergenerational. I thank Congressman John Larson for his dogged, persistent efforts to move this issue forward.

I may be the only Member here in this Chamber tonight who was present in the 98th Congress in April of 1983 after I was first elected to Congress and soon after became a deciding vote in April of that year for the refinancing of Social Security for the next generation.

What an unforgettable moment that was. I sat right in that seat right there, and I stood and I cheered because we had fought so hard for that in the prior election.

That close, eventful vote, so extremely important to refinancing Social Security for the first time in a generation, passed. Now, Congress must meet its responsibility for the succeeding generation.

The Speaker of the House back then was Tip O'Neill of Massachusetts. We had a Republican President, Ronald Reagan.

There had been a commission to preserve Social Security and Medicare before I became a Member of Congress.

In the same way Congressman Larson has led this effort, this House had a member from Florida, Claude Pepper, who chaired the Aging Committee.

They called him Red Pepper, and like Congressman Larson, he was a heart-and-soul Democrat from the inside and out and just a great guy.

We were able to move passage of the refinancing of Social Security for the next generation, and I knew that I had helped do that as a younger Member.

At that time, the country was also in a deep recession, and we knew that Social Security as an earned benefit was paid through hard work, and it deserved to be lifted again.

It also insures children whose parents or guardians have died. Two- thirds of families in my district rely on Social Security or Medicare benefits, and they are truly lifelines for millions of people.

Medicare has worked too, and we need to do what is possible to make all healthcare more affordable for the American people.

We know the Social Security insurance program is something America can renew for all our families. We know it works, it is proven, and it lifts all boats.

From an economic standpoint, to pull the rug out from under Social Security would cause not only harm to individuals but economic harm in every Congressional district in this country.

People use Social Security to buy food, to pay their utility bills, to pay copays on their medical services, and for the basics of life.

These aren't families that squander money, but they have earned retirement security, and they watch every penny.

We in Ohio want to express a special thanks to Congressman Larson for including in the bill the Windfall Elimination Provision, which harms our working families so very much. This issue does not impact every single State, but believe me, it really impacts Ohioans.

Again, I thank my colleagues for being here tonight with us who championed protecting this earned benefit and social safety net, and I and all of us here stand with America's working people and retirees to protect and improve Social Security.

Though each of us represents different communities, we, all together, represent America. We know that with the unwavering leadership of Congressman John Larson, he will lead us to a day where Social Security 2100 is the law of the land.

I thank Congressman John Larson for his perseverance and for helping to move our Nation forward to protect the hard-earned benefits for generations to come.

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