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      john larson

      Activists protest Republican threats to Social Security.

      Expand Social Security to Honor US Workers

      As traditional pensions continue to disappear, Social Security is more vital to American workers’ economic security than ever.

      Nancy J. Altman
      Sep 04, 2023

      On Labor Day, we celebrate the contributions of workers. The best way to honor those contributions is to increase their economic security. A key component of economic security is retirement security, which we can substantially improve by protecting and expanding Social Security for current and future generations of American workers.

      Social Security and Medicare are deferred compensation. Just as we earn our current cash compensation, we earn our Social Security and Medicare with every paycheck. Sadly, too often these earnings are inadequate.

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      Opinion
      Social Security
      FDR signs Social Security legislation

      What Should Congress Give Social Security for its 88th Birthday?

      Lawmakers should approve Biden’s choice for SSA commissioner and his request for additional funding, then vote to expand the popular program.

      Nancy J. Altman
      Aug 14, 2023

      On Aug. 14, 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Social Security into law. Eighty-eight years later, our Social Security system is among the most successful and popular government programs in history.

      Nearly every worker pays premiums (Federal Insurance Contributions or FICA) for Social Security. In return, they receive insurance benefits when they retire, become disabled, or lose a family breadwinner.

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      Opinion
      Social Security
      President Joe Biden speaks at a podium.

      President Biden Has the Power to Transform the Social Security Debate; Here’s How

      Biden should take the best ideas from all of the Democratic plans and introduce a unified Democratic Social Security plan on the White House lawn, then spend the next year campaigning on it.

      Nancy J. Altman
      Jul 14, 2023

      This week, nearly 200 House Democrats, led by Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.), introduced Social Security 2100: A Sacred Trust. The legislation would expand Social Security’s modest benefits, with no cuts, and keep the system strong for decades to come..

      Senate Democrats are taking action to protect and expand Social Security, as well. On the same day that Rep. Larson introduced his legislation, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) held a Senate Budget Committee hearing on his legislation, the Medicare and Social Security Fair Share Act. The hearing on the Whitehouse legislation, which brings in enough revenue from the wealthiest among us to ensure that all benefits will be paid in full and on time for the next 75 years and beyond, was aptly named: “Protecting Social Security for All: Making the Wealthy Pay Their Fair Share.”

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      Social Security
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