Social Security

Floor Speech

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Ms. PLASKETT. I thank the gentleman for yielding time.

It is so good to be here with you, to have this discussion about Social Security, the importance of this safety net to so many Americans, individuals throughout this country, but especially those who need it most.

I'm going to give you some numbers. We have 17,036 retirees; 1,331 children; spouses, widows, disabled workers. Those are the people in my district, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, who receive Social Security benefits--almost 20 percent of our population.

On average, these individuals receive $1,230 per month in benefits. That doesn't seem like a lot to so many Americans.

Yet, for many recipients, they are dependent on those Social Security benefits to survive. Social Security payments put food on the table, keep roofs overhead, furnish medication.

Indeed, for about half of senior beneficiaries, Social Security provides the majority of their income.

Social Security is even more important, as you have stated, for marginalized communities, particularly women and Black Americans. Without Social Security, 43 percent of older women would be living in poverty.

In 2014, 45 percent of all Black senior beneficiaries relied on Social Security for all or nearly all of their income.

Even in light of these details, we all know the Social Security system today is inadequate. The American people know it, my constituents know it, and I suspect my colleagues across the aisle are very much aware of that.

But I am grateful for you, Congressman Larson, Members of the Democratic party, and, in particular, my colleagues on the Ways and Means Committee who are exerting leadership, who are deciding to step out and do something about it.

We are not waiting around for the perfect. We are going to do some good. Benefits are insufficient. The Social Security trust fund will start running dry in 2035. That may be around the time that I need it, so we better get working on this. Waiting periods are unnecessarily long. It is long past time that we act to repair Social Security.

So many things in this House we just take for granted that we are going to work on, we are going to fix, whether it is roads, infrastructure. My gosh. Those are the things that oftentimes it is easy for all of us to get behind, but how do we not get behind our elders? How do we not get behind those disabled workers, widows?

Many of my colleagues want to quote the Bible. If they are concerned with the widows, if they are concerned with those that are elders, they should be concerned with Social Security.

I am proud when I was approached by you, Mr. Larson, to act as a co- sponsor of this legislation, H.R. 5723, Social Security 2100, a sacred trust.

This legislation would increase benefits for all Social Security beneficiaries. It improves the cost-of-living adjustment, the COLA, to reflect inflation.

My colleagues across the aisle want to talk about inflation all the time, but when we try to give them measures to combat it, there is nothing they want to do. They vote ``no'' each and every time.

I can almost expect that when we get to committee, and we are going to mark this up as a means to deal with inflation for our elders, they are going to say ``no'' to it as well.

It enhances benefits for widows and widowers, repeals provisions that penalize public servants, and ensures that no one retires in poverty.

H.R. 5723 promotes fairness in our Social Security system. It provides a tax cut for middle-income beneficiaries by raising taxation thresholds, while also ensuring millionaires and billionaires pay their fair share by applying the Social Security payroll tax to income above $400,000.

Finally, this legislation makes practical improvements to Social Security services to reduce access barriers. It ends the 5-month waiting period to receive benefits, enhances access to legal assistance, and prevents unwarranted closures of SSA field offices.

By increasing benefits, promoting fairness, and improving access, Democrats are improving Social Security so it will not only help beneficiaries today, but will also help future beneficiaries by extending the trust fund's lifespan.

This legislation may not solve every problem in our Social Security system and may not include provisions that every Member desires, but it will make a tangible, positive impact on the lives of nearly 70 million Americans.

I know that on the other side we hear things such as an 11-point plan to rescue America, and among other things the plan calls for Federal legislation to sunset after 5 years so Congress would need to reapprove it. We see them discussing 20 percent across-the-board cuts to Social Security. We say ``no'' to that. We want to support our elders, support the system, give a helping hand, fight inflation.

As President Franklin Roosevelt stated in 1935 when he signed the Social Security Act into law, ``This law, too, represents a cornerstone in a structure which is being built, but is by no means complete. . . . It is, in short, a law that will take care of human needs and at the same time provide the United States an economic structure of vastly greater soundness.''

I urge the House to lay another cornerstone in this unfinished structure by passing H.R. 5723. Our moral character as a nation is determined not by how we treat corporations and billionaires and the powerful but, rather, how we treat the most vulnerable among us: Hardworking seniors who have earned a peaceful retirement; people with disabilities who need support; veterans who courageously defended their country; widows; and children who have lost a loved one.

They are not asking for a handout or a free ride. Rather, they have worked hard to support their families and their countries and have paid into the Social Security system. Now they are simply asking their government to maintain the promise of Social Security and extend a helping hand during hard times.

I thank my colleagues for the work that has been done to bring this to the floor. I also thank our tremendous staff, who have done so much of the yeoman's work in bringing information, making sure that we are doing the right thing with the numbers, that this is something that is sustainable and is going to support not just those people who are receiving the benefits, but there is a benefit to all Americans by us doing this in the long run.

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