Floor SpeechNeutral2025-03-24

IT HAS BEEN OVER 50 YEARS SINCE CONGRESS HAS ENHANCED SOCIAL SECURITY

HealthcareEconomyTaxesTradeSocial Security

Context

On 2025-03-24, Representative John B. Larson (D-CT-1) delivered a floor speech titled "IT HAS BEEN OVER 50 YEARS SINCE CONGRESS HAS ENHANCED SOCIAL SECURITY" in the House. The speech addressed healthcare and also covered the economy, taxes.

Full Text

IT HAS BEEN OVER 50 YEARS SINCE CONGRESS HAS ENHANCED SOCIAL SECURITY

Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 53 (Monday, March 24, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 53 (Monday, March 24, 2025)] [House] [Pages H1193-H1194] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] IT HAS BEEN OVER 50 YEARS SINCE CONGRESS HAS ENHANCED SOCIAL SECURITY (Mr. Larson of Connecticut was recognized to address the House for 5 minutes.) Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the body with regard to Social Security and the lack of congressional action. It might interest people in the audience to know, Mr. Speaker, that it has been over 50 years since Congress has enhanced Social Security on behalf of [[Page H1194]] its recipients. That is why I have introduced legislation specifically to address this issue. Yet, Mr. Speaker, at the same time, we see that Mr. Musk has been charged by the President of the United States to cut $2 trillion from the budget. Mr. Musk has made no bones about the fact that he plans to privatize Social Security and Medicare, amongst others. Social Security, Medicare, and defense, as a number of people in the audience knows, makes up more than 70 percent of the budget. He has been instructed to find $2 trillion. Coincidentally, that is just about how much Trump's tax cut for the wealthiest 1 percent is, $2 trillion. Where will it come from, Mr. Speaker? Obviously, he has his designs on Social Security, the only one of those entities--defense, Medicare, and Medicaid--that has a trust fund, a trust fund of $2.7 trillion of hardworking people's money. It might surprise you, Mr. Speaker, to know that, in your district, you have over 183,000 Social Security recipients, over 13,000 who are disabled, 7,000-plus children, 8,000 widows, and 4,000 spouses. Here is the critical thing: Republicans should wake up in this time of inflation. Your district and every district on average, by the way, receives more than $200 million monthly for its Social Security recipients. Your district, Mr. Speaker, receives $354 million. That hasn't been changed since 1971. People in America should be outraged by the fact that Congress has not fulfilled its responsibility to act on behalf of its citizens. Social Security is the number one insurance program in the country, serving over 70 million people. Mr. Speaker, 10,000 baby boomers a day become eligible for Social Security, and Congress continues to ignore them and ignore their needs. Shamefully, more than 5 million of our fellow Americans get below- poverty-level checks from the wealthiest Nation in the world and the most successful insurance program because of congressional inaction. Most of those 5 million are women, and among those, most of them are women of color. People have been taxed on their Social Security when they continue to work after retirement, and that is false, as well. I have had a proposal, Mr. Speaker, to correct all of that, to change it, and, by the way, pay for it. How do we do that, Mr. Speaker? Very simple: We lift the cap on people who pay nothing or very little or are through paying the first day and second day of January. Lifting the cap on over 400,000 people, as President Biden proposed, will provide us the benefits and solvency that Social Security needs. Why is it that hardworking people in this gallery should pay into a system all their lives and get a benefit, yet billionaires can be excluded and don't have to pay in the same amount or some totally circumvent the law altogether and pay nothing? It is long overdue, Mr. Speaker, don't you agree, for a vote to take place. For all the citizens in your district, the more than $300 million that comes in, imagine what that does to the local economy in your district, how it will help out the local grocery store, the pharmacy, and, most importantly, the individual families in that region. Mr. Speaker, I ask that Republicans stand up to join us in enhancing Social Security, not cutting it. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair reminds Members that the rules do not allow references to persons in the gallery. ____________________

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IT HAS BEEN OVER 50 YEARS SINCE CONGRESS HAS ENHANCED SOCIAL SECURITY Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 53 (Monday, March 24, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 53 (Monday, March 24, 2025)] [House] [Pages H1193-H1194] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] IT HAS BEEN OVER 50 YEARS SINCE CONGRESS HAS ENHANCED SOCIAL SECURITY (Mr. Larson of Connecticut was recognized to address the House for 5 minutes.) Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the body with regard to Social Security and the lack of congressional action. It might interest people in the audience to know, Mr. Speaker, that it has been over 50 years since Congress has enhanced Social Security on behalf of [[Page H1194]] its recipients. That is why I have introduced legislation specifically to address this issue. Yet, Mr. Speaker, at the same time, we see that Mr. Musk has been charged by the President of the United States to cut $2 trillion from the budget. Mr. Musk has made no bones about the fact that he plans to privatize Social Security and Medicare, amongst others. Social Security, Medicare, and defense, as a number of people in the audience knows, makes up more than 70 percent of the budget. He has been instructed to find $2 trillion. Coincidentally, that is just about how much Trump's tax cut for the wealthiest 1 percent is, $2 trillion. Where will it come from, Mr. Speaker? Obviously, he has his designs on Social Security, the only one of those entities--defense, Medicare, and Medicaid--that has a trust fund, a trust fund of $2.7 trillion of hardworking people's money. It might surprise you, Mr. Speaker, to know that, in your district, you have over 183,000 Social Security recipients, over 13,000 who are disabled, 7,000-plus children, 8,000 widows, and 4,000 spouses. Here is the critical thing: Republicans should wake up in this time of inflation. Your district and every district on average, by the way, receives more than $200 million monthly for its Social Security recipients. Your district, Mr. Speaker, receives $354 million. That hasn't been changed since 1971. People in America should be outraged by the fact that Congress has not fulfilled its responsibility to act on behalf of its citizens. Social Security is the number one insurance program in the country, serving over 70 million people. Mr. Speaker, 10,000 baby boomers a day become eligible for Social Security, and Congress continues to ignore them and ignore their needs. Shamefully, more than 5 million of our fellow Americans get below- poverty-level checks from the wealthiest Nation in the world and the most successful insurance program because of congressional inaction. Most of those 5 million are women, and among those, most of them are women of color. People have been taxed on their Social Security when they continue to work after retirement, and that is false, as well. I have had a proposal, Mr. Speaker, to correct all of that, to change it, and, by the way, pay for it. How do we do that, Mr. Speaker? Very simple: We lift the cap on people who pay nothing or very little or are through paying the first day and second day of January. Lifting the cap on over 400,000 people, as President Biden proposed, will provide us the benefits and solvency that Social Security needs. Why is it that hardworking people in this gallery should pay into a system all their lives and get a benefit, yet billionaires can be excluded and don't have to pay in the same amount or some totally circumvent the law altogether and pay nothing? It is long overdue, Mr. Speaker, don't you agree, for a vote to take place. For all the citizens in your district, the more than $300 million that comes in, imagine what that does to the local economy in your district, how it will help out the local grocery store, the pharmacy, and, most importantly, the individual families in that region. Mr. Speaker, I ask that Republicans stand up to join us in enhancing Social Security, not cutting it. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair reminds Members that the rules do not allow references to persons in the gallery. ____________________