Congresswoman Esty Applauds President Obama's Commitment to Protecting Social Security

Press Release

Today, Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty (CT-5) applauded President Obama's decision to drop proposed cuts to Social Security from his upcoming budget proposal.

"I'm glad President Obama decided to take Social Security off the chopping block," Esty said. "I've heard time and time again from seniors how critical Social Security is to their retirement security. Over 130,000 residents across central and northwest Connecticut have earned these benefits through lifetimes of hard work. That's why I opposed President Obama's proposed cuts last year and why I'm glad he made the right decision this year to protect Social Security for our children and grandchildren."

Earlier this week, Rep. Esty joined her colleagues to send President Obama a letter urging him to rule out using the chained Consumer Price Index (CPI) to calculate cost-of-living adjustments for Social Security benefits. Last year, President Obama included the chained CPI proposal, which Esty responded to by sending President Obama a letter urging him to reconsider. She is also a cosponsor of House Concurrent Resolution (H.Con.Res.) 34, which expresses her opposition to chained CPI. Studies have shown that cuts resulting from slower COLA growth would disproportionately affect middle- and lower-income households, hitting those who earn between $30,000 and $40,000 per year the hardest.

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