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Letter to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of The United States - Opposing Social Security Cuts

Letter

By: Eleanor Norton, Nick Rahall II, Brad Miller, Steve Kagen, Albio Sires, Mazie Hirono, Jim McDermott, Eni Faleomavaega, Betty McCollum, Joe Courtney, Danny Davis, Richard Neal, Mike Ross, Hank Johnson, Jr., Martin Heinrich, Solomon Ortiz, Sr., Dutch Ruppersberger, Luis Gutiérrez, Bill Delahunt, Kathy Castor, Betty Sutton, Mike Michaud, Mike Honda, Zoe Lofgren, Barbara Lee, Nita Lowey, Maurice Hinchey, Nydia Velázquez, Ed Towns, Bart Stupak, Barney Frank, Donald Payne, Ciro Rodriguez, Jim Oberstar, Jesse Jackson, Jr., Lacy Clay, Jr., John Olver, Ted Deutch, John Boccieri, Grace Napolitano, Linda Sánchez, Lynn Woolsey, Carolyn Maloney, Michael Arcuri, Yvette Clarke, Gary Ackerman, Dale Kildee, Sheila Jackson Lee, Jerry Costello, Steve Cohen, Jim McGovern, Mark Critz, Dennis Kucinich, Joe Baca, Sr., George Miller, Judy Chu, John Hall, José Serrano, Gregory Meeks, Bill Owens, Raul Grijalva, Carol Shea-Porter, Betsy Markey, Dave Loebsack, Steve Rothman, Rubén Hinojosa, Sr., John Dingell, Donna Edwards, Bobby Rush, Mike Capuano, Kendrick Meek, Sr., Marcia Kaptur, Chellie Pingree, Sam Farr, Bob Filner, Ed Pastor, Carolyn McCarthy, Brian Higgins, Eliot Engel, Kilili Sablan, John Lewis, Ben Lujan, Jr., Frank Pallone, Jr., Al Green, Peter DeFazio, Rosa DeLauro, Debbie Halvorson, André Carson, Ed Markey, Corrine Brown, Patrick Murphy, Marcia Fudge, Maxine Waters, Laura Richardson, Anna Eshoo, Steve Israel, Louise Slaughter, Bennie Thompson, John Salazar, Harry Teague, Rush Holt, Jr., Silvestre Reyes, David Wu, Phil Hare, John Tierney, Bob Brady, Mary Jo Kilroy, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Pete Stark, Charlie Rangel, Dan Maffei, Carolyn Kilpatrick, Larry Kissell, Bill Pascrell, Jr., Gene Green, Keith Ellison, Elijah Cummings, Stephen Lynch, Niki Tsongas, Ron Klein, Mike Doyle, Jr., Zack Space, Diane Watson, Lois Capps, Jerry Nadler, Anthony Weiner, Mark Schauer, Alan Grayson, Chaka Fattah, Sr., Tim Ryan, John Garamendi, Doris Matsui, Paul Tonko, Joe Crowley, John Conyers, Jr.
Date: Oct. 15, 2010
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Senior Citizens Entitlements and the Safety Net

Dear President Obama:

We write today to express our strong support for Social Security and our view that it should be strengthened. We oppose any cuts to Social Security benefits, including raising the retirement age. We also oppose any effort to privatize Social Security, in whole or in part.

You have charged the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform with proposing recommendations that improve the long-term fiscal outlook and address the growth of entitlement spending. It is our view that Social Security--which is prohibited by law from adding to the national budget deficit--does not belong as part of those recommendations.

By 2023, Social Security will have built up a $4.3 trillion surplus, and, without any action, can pay full benefits until 2037 and at least 75 percent of all benefits thereafter. Because Social Security is funded separately from the general treasury and has no borrowing authority, it has not contributed to the federal deficit. Despite these facts, some Commission members have repeatedly alleged the need to cut Social Security for budgetary reasons.

For 75 years, Social Security has been a promise to the American people that if they work hard and pay their fair share, they will have a financially secure retirement. In communities across this country, Social Security benefits are often the only source of income helping families maintain a decent standard of living. Social Security's benefits are modest, averaging less than $13,000 a year, but they are vital to the vast majority of Americans who receive them.

Cutting Social Security benefits beyond the already scheduled increase in the retirement age from 65 to 67 would create even more needless hardship for millions of vulnerable Americans. This is especially true in the face of an economic downturn that has wiped out trillions of dollars that Americans were relying on for their retirement security and the increased dismantlement of the private and public pension systems.

If any of the Commission's recommendations cut or diminish Social Security in any way, we will stand firmly against them. We urge you to join us in protecting and strengthening Social Security rather than letting it fall victim to a misguided attempt to reduce budget deficits on the backs of working families.

Sincerely,

Raul M. Grijalva
Member of Congress

John Conyers
Member of Congress

Dan Maffei
Member of Congress

Lynn Woolsey
Member of Congress

Chellie Pingree
Member of Congress

Gary Ackerman
Member of Congress

Michael Arcuri
Member of Congress

Joe Baca
Member of Congress

John Boccieri
Member of Congress

Robert Brady
Member of Congress

Corrine Brown
Member of Congress

Lois Capps
Member of Congress

Michael Capuano
Member of Congress

Andre Carson
Member of Congress

Kathy Castor
Member of Congress

Judy Chu
Member of Congress

Yvette Clarke
Member of Congress

William Lacy Clay
Member of Congress

Steve Cohen
Member of Congress

Jerry Costello
Member of Congress

Joe Courtney
Member of Congress

Mark Critz
Member of Congress

Joseph Crowley
Member of Congress

Elijah Cummings
Member of Congress

Danny Davis
Member of Congress

Peter DeFazio
Member of Congress

William Delahunt
Member of Congress

Rosa DeLauro
Member of Congress

Ted Deutch
Member of Congress

John Dingell
Member of Congress

Mike Doyle
Member of Congress

Donna Edwards
Member of Congress

Keith Ellison
Member of Congress

Eliot Engel
Member of Congress

Anna Eshoo
Member of Congress

Eni Faleomavaega
Member of Congress

Sam Farr
Member of Congress

Chaka Fattah
Member of Congress

Bob Filner
Member of Congress

Barney Frank
Member of Congress

Marcia Fudge
Member of Congress

John Garamendi
Member of Congress

Alan Grayson
Member of Congress

Al Green
Member of Congress

Gene Green
Member of Congress

Luis V. Gutierrez
Member of Congress

John Hall
Member of Congress

Deborah Halvorson
Member of Congress

Phil Hare
Member of Congress

Alcee Hastings
Member of Congress

Martin Heinrich
Member of Congress

Brian Higgins
Member of Congress

Maurice Hinchey
Member of Congress

Ruben Hinojosa
Member of Congress

Mazie Hirono
Member of Congress

Rush Holt
Member of Congress

Michael Honda
Member of Congress

Steve Israel
Member of Congress

Jesse Jackson Jr.
Member of Congress

Sheila Jackson Lee
Member of Congress

Hank Johnson
Member of Congress

Steve Kagen
Member of Congress

Marcy Kaptur
Member of Congress

Dale Kildee
Member of Congress

Carolyn Kilpatrick
Member of Congress

Mary Jo Kilroy
Member of Congress

Larry Kissell
Member of Congress

Ron Klein
Member of Congress

Dennis Kucinich
Member of Congress

Barbara Lee
Member of Congress

John Lewis
Member of Congress

David Loebsack
Member of Congress

Zoe Lofgren
Member of Congress

Nita Lowey
Member of Congress

Ben Ray Lujan
Member of Congress

Stephen Lynch
Member of Congress

Betty McCollum
Member of Congress

James McGovern
Member of Congress

Carolyn Maloney
Member of Congress

Betsy Markey
Member of Congress

Donald Payne
Member of Congress

Nick Rahall
Member of Congress

Charles Rangel
Member of Congress

Silvestre Reyes
Member of Congress

Laura Richardson
Member of Congress

Ciro Rodriguez
Member of Congress

Mike Ross
Member of Congress

Steven Rothman
Member of Congress

Lucille Roybal-Allard
Member of Congress

C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger
Member of Congress

Bobby Rush
Member of Congress

Tim Ryan
Member of Congress

Gregorio Sablan
Member of Congress

John Salazar
Member of Congress

Linda Sanchez
Member of Congress

Mark Schauer
Member of Congress

Jose Serrano
Member of Congress

Carol Shea-Porter
Member of Congress

Albio Sires
Member of Congress

Louise McIntosh Slaughter
Member of Congress

Edward Markey
Member of Congress

Doris Matsui
Member of Congress

Carolyn McCarthy
Member of Congress

Jim McDermott
Member of Congress

Kendrick Meek
Member of Congress

Gregory Meeks
Member of Congress

Michael Michaud
Member of Congress

Brad Miller
Member of Congress

George Miller
Member of Congress

Patrick Murphy
Member of Congress

Jerrold Nadler
Member of Congress

Grace Napolitano
Member of Congress

Richard Neal
Member of Congress

Eleanor Holmes Norton
Member of Congress

James Oberstar
Member of Congress

John Olver
Member of Congress

Solomon Ortiz
Member of Congress

Bill Owens
Member of Congress

Frank Pallone
Member of Congress

Ed Pastor
Member of Congress

Zack Space
Member of Congress

Fortney Stark
Member of Congress

Bart Stupak
Member of Congress

Betty Sutton
Member of Congress

Harry Teague
Member of Congress

Bennie Thompson
Member of Congress

John Tierney
Member of Congress

Paul Tonko
Member of Congress

Edolphus Towns
Member of Congress

Niki Tsongas
Member of Congress

Nydia Velaquez
Member of Congress

Maxine Walters
Member of Congress

Diane Watson
Member of Congress

Anthony Weiner
Member of Congress

David Wu
Member of Congress

Bill Pascrell Jr.
Member of Congress


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