Polycrisis

Floor Speech

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Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about the polycrisis, the new term of art that people are using to describe what has happened globally in terms of a global pandemic, followed by global supply chain issues, followed by global inflation, and is underscored by the war in Ukraine, that has created incredible havoc here in this country.

Of course, the group that is impacted the most are people over the age of 65 here in the United States. With slightly over 1 million people who have succumbed to the pandemic, 850,000-plus have been over the age of 65.

The same group, Mr. Speaker, is impacted by inflation. Inflation hurts people on fixed incomes the most. Those are people on Social Security, people who are Social Security recipients.

Here in this Chamber, we play games. We are in the midst of signing a discharge petition to make sure that we lift the debt limit.

Mr. Speaker, we did that three times under the Trump administration without angst or fanfare. Yet here, for the group that is most impacted by this polycrisis, this global crisis, this is all while China and Russia are looking on and cheering this side of the aisle for their efforts to default on the full faith and credit of the United States, who will that hurt the most again?

That will hurt people over the age of 65, the people who are on Social Security and Medicare, and veterans who won't be able to get their checks.

Why? To make a political point?

This is the United States of America. We need to stand up and do the right thing for the American people, and that starts with taking care of our own. It has been more than 52 years since Congress has enhanced Social Security, and this pandemic and this ensuing inflation have hurt this group the most.

There are more than 5 million of our fellow Americans who get below- poverty-level checks from their government for Social Security. It is something they have paid into all of their lives. Contrary to the belief on the other side, this is not an entitlement. This is an earned benefit. This is what people have paid for.

Mr. Speaker, 10,000 baby boomers a day become eligible for Social Security, and Congress twiddles and diddles here. We need to pass an enhanced Social Security bill now.

As Martin Luther King, Jr., said, it is the fierce urgency of now.

These people need this relief today. This is not the time for political gamesmanship. Now is the time to act.

I implore my colleagues on the other side: Don't be frozen in the ice of your own indifference toward the people of this Nation who need this help and relief and need it now. Let's come together as a body and do what President Reagan did, do what President Eisenhower did, and do what President Nixon did, and come together and enhance Social Security on behalf of the citizens of this country.

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