SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
In a statement on Thursday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) declared that the new caucus "won't allow Social Security be cut by one cent--and instead we will fight to expand it." (Photo: Rep. E.B. Johnson/Twitter)
'Stopping Cuts Isn't Enough': Sanders Joins Over 150 Democrats to Launch 'Expand Social Security Caucus'
"We are not going to let Social Security be destroyed. Hear that, Paul Ryan?"
Sep 13, 2018
As the Republican Party continues to be quite explicit about its ultimate goal of slashing the safety net to pay for deficit-exploding tax cuts for their wealthy donors, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) joined 150 Democrats from both houses of Congress on Thursday to launch the Expand Social Security Caucus, which will work to combat the GOP's efforts to gut the program and move to make it even stronger.
"We are here today to say very loudly and very clearly that at a time when millions of seniors are trying to survive on $12,000 or $13,000 a year, our job is not to cut Social Security," Sanders said in a statement. "Our job is to expand Social Security so that everyone in America can retire with dignity and respect."
In a jab at the soon-to-be-retired Wisconsin congressman whose lifelong dream has been to obliterate the safety net, Sanders added on Twitter, "Hear that, Paul Ryan?"
The formation of the Expand Social Security Caucus is another strong indicator of how successful progressive activists and lawmakers like Sanders have been in changing the Democratic Party's position on the crucial program, which former President Barack Obama offered to cut on multiple occasions as part of a "grand bargain" with the Republican Party.
In a statement on Thursday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) declared that the new caucus "won't allow Social Security be cut by one cent--and instead we will fight to expand it."
"Social Security is a lifeline for seniors and Americans with disabilities," Warren added. "The rich and powerful have rigged our economy to make themselves richer, while working families face a massive retirement crisis. If this government really works for the people, it should protect and expand Social Security."
A full list of the founding members of the Expand Social Security Caucus can be viewed here.
Watch the press conference officially launching the caucus:
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
As the Republican Party continues to be quite explicit about its ultimate goal of slashing the safety net to pay for deficit-exploding tax cuts for their wealthy donors, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) joined 150 Democrats from both houses of Congress on Thursday to launch the Expand Social Security Caucus, which will work to combat the GOP's efforts to gut the program and move to make it even stronger.
"We are here today to say very loudly and very clearly that at a time when millions of seniors are trying to survive on $12,000 or $13,000 a year, our job is not to cut Social Security," Sanders said in a statement. "Our job is to expand Social Security so that everyone in America can retire with dignity and respect."
In a jab at the soon-to-be-retired Wisconsin congressman whose lifelong dream has been to obliterate the safety net, Sanders added on Twitter, "Hear that, Paul Ryan?"
The formation of the Expand Social Security Caucus is another strong indicator of how successful progressive activists and lawmakers like Sanders have been in changing the Democratic Party's position on the crucial program, which former President Barack Obama offered to cut on multiple occasions as part of a "grand bargain" with the Republican Party.
In a statement on Thursday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) declared that the new caucus "won't allow Social Security be cut by one cent--and instead we will fight to expand it."
"Social Security is a lifeline for seniors and Americans with disabilities," Warren added. "The rich and powerful have rigged our economy to make themselves richer, while working families face a massive retirement crisis. If this government really works for the people, it should protect and expand Social Security."
A full list of the founding members of the Expand Social Security Caucus can be viewed here.
Watch the press conference officially launching the caucus:
As the Republican Party continues to be quite explicit about its ultimate goal of slashing the safety net to pay for deficit-exploding tax cuts for their wealthy donors, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) joined 150 Democrats from both houses of Congress on Thursday to launch the Expand Social Security Caucus, which will work to combat the GOP's efforts to gut the program and move to make it even stronger.
"We are here today to say very loudly and very clearly that at a time when millions of seniors are trying to survive on $12,000 or $13,000 a year, our job is not to cut Social Security," Sanders said in a statement. "Our job is to expand Social Security so that everyone in America can retire with dignity and respect."
In a jab at the soon-to-be-retired Wisconsin congressman whose lifelong dream has been to obliterate the safety net, Sanders added on Twitter, "Hear that, Paul Ryan?"
The formation of the Expand Social Security Caucus is another strong indicator of how successful progressive activists and lawmakers like Sanders have been in changing the Democratic Party's position on the crucial program, which former President Barack Obama offered to cut on multiple occasions as part of a "grand bargain" with the Republican Party.
In a statement on Thursday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) declared that the new caucus "won't allow Social Security be cut by one cent--and instead we will fight to expand it."
"Social Security is a lifeline for seniors and Americans with disabilities," Warren added. "The rich and powerful have rigged our economy to make themselves richer, while working families face a massive retirement crisis. If this government really works for the people, it should protect and expand Social Security."
A full list of the founding members of the Expand Social Security Caucus can be viewed here.
Watch the press conference officially launching the caucus:
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.