We Need to Enhance Social Security
Floor Speech
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Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to draw attention to the Nation's number one antipoverty program for the elderly and the Nation's number one antipoverty program for our children. It is something that everyone is familiar with: It is Social Security. This Congress and previous Congresses have not done anything to enhance Social Security, Mr. Speaker, in more than 50 years. Richard Nixon was the President of the United States the last time Congress enhanced benefits for what now amount to 70 million Americans.
Mr. Speaker, in your district alone, 176,794 Social Security recipients haven't received an enhancement in more than 50 years.
This is also the Nation's leading economic development program because in your district, $300 million comes into your district monthly. Where do those people spend that money? Right back in your district at the local grocery store, at the pharmacy, at the gas station, pay off their rent, et cetera.
It is the Nation's number one antipoverty program for a reason because of the genius of Franklin Delano Roosevelt who saw in a capitalistic system like ours there needs to be a safety net and a balance.
For more than 40 percent of all Americans on Social Security, it is the only pension benefit that they have.
Speaker pro tempore Miller was in the chair earlier, and there are over 160,000 of her constituents on Social Security. What Congress needs to do is vote.
Now, my good friend Kevin Hern says that you have a plan on the other side to cut benefits. We see that President Trump has laid out his proposal that he would like to cut Social Security benefits. Cutting benefits is not the way to save Social Security.
The President and Democrats have a very specific plan: to enhance benefits across the board and extend the solvency of Social Security so that all of our constituents can receive the benefits they richly deserve.
Mr. Speaker, 10,000 baby boomers a day become eligible for Social Security, which is not an entitlement. With all the discussion about the debt and deficit, it doesn't contribute a single penny to the debt or deficit. It is a paid-for program.
The business community pays half and gets a full tax deduction for it and individuals pay the other half. How do they know? All they have to do is go to their pay stub and look at the word ``FICA,'' that stands for Federal Insurance Contributions Act.
Whose contribution? Theirs.
Mr. Speaker, that is 176,794 people in your district who make these contributions. This is not an entitlement. This is a benefit that they have earned and the only body that can address this is the United States Congress. It is long overdue for us to take this up on behalf of our constituents. If there is a better idea or you think that further study is needed, put it on the floor and let's have a vote on it.
Everybody professes how much they love and respect Social Security. Where is the plan? Where is the vote that people can say this is what my Representative stands for and this is what we are going to receive?
We don't need to cut benefits for Social Security. We need to enhance them. We need to make sure that WEP and GPO get repealed. We have to make sure that people are no longer paying income tax on their Social Security. We have to make sure that that happens now.
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