[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 126 (Wednesday, August 5, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6404-S6405]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 246--COMMEMORATING 80 YEARS SINCE THE CREATION OF 
                            SOCIAL SECURITY

  Mr. WYDEN (for himself, Mr. Reid, Mr. Schumer, Ms. Stabenow, Ms. 
Cantwell, Mr. Nelson, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Carper, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Brown, 
Mr. Bennet, Mr. Casey, Mr. Warner, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. 
Booker, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Coons, Mr. Donnelly, Mr. Durbin, Mrs. 
Feinstein, Mr. Franken, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Heinrich, Ms. Heitkamp, 
Ms. Hirono, Mr. Kaine, Mr. King, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Manchin, 
Mr. Markey, Mrs. McCaskill, Mr. Merkley, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Murphy, Mrs. 
Murray, Mr. Peters, Mr. Reed, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Schatz, Mrs. Shaheen, 
Mr. Tester, Mr. Udall, Ms. Warren, and Mr. Whitehouse) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Finance:

                              S. Res. 246

       Whereas on August 14, 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt 
     signed the Social Security Act into law, thereby establishing 
     a vital - and ultimately universal - insurance program for 
     workers and families under which workers earn coverage by 
     working and paying Social Security taxes on their earnings;
       Whereas Congress further strengthened Social Security over 
     the years by enacting improvements to, and expansion of, 
     retirement, survivors, and disability benefits for workers 
     and their families, and now Social Security provides economic 
     security to the Nation, and touches the life of nearly every 
     American;
       Whereas Social Security is one program that offers two 
     essential earned benefits that are fundamentally linked: 
     benefits for workers with disabilities and benefits for 
     retired workers;
       Whereas in 2014, more than 48,000,000 retirement and 
     survivors beneficiaries and about 11,000,000 disability 
     beneficiaries, including eligible family members, received 
     Social Security benefits;
       Whereas Social Security benefits are modest but fundamental 
     to the economic security of our Nation, with the average 
     disability benefit less than $1,200 per month, or less than 
     $14,000 per year--falling just above the poverty line--and 
     the average retirement benefit of close to $1,300 per month, 
     or less than $16,000 per year;
       Whereas older Americans rely heavily on Social Security, 
     with 9 out of 10 individuals age 65 and older receiving 
     Social Security benefits, and among elderly Social Security 
     beneficiaries, 52 percent of married couples and 74 percent 
     of unmarried persons receive more than half of their income 
     from Social Security;
       Whereas the Social Security Administration will issue 
     almost $900,000,000,000 in earned benefits this year, while 
     more than 1,200 Social Security field offices nationwide 
     provide essential, accurate, and face-to-face services to 
     millions of Americans each day;
       Whereas workers who are supported by disability benefits 
     today will receive retirement benefits at full retirement age 
     because Social Security Disability Insurance ensures that 
     workers who are no longer able to work and their families are 
     protected from the loss of future retirement benefits;
       Whereas Social Security's Disability Insurance protections 
     are especially important to older workers, with 70 percent of 
     Social Security Disability Insurance beneficiaries are older 
     than 50 and 30 percent are older than 60;
       Whereas Social Security has evolved with changes in the 
     American workforce, with the number of working women who are 
     fully insured for Social Security benefits more than doubling 
     between 1970 and today;
       Whereas Social Security provides fundamental protection to 
     workers of every age, including young workers, who have a 
     one-in-three chance of dying or needing Social Security 
     disability benefits before reaching retirement age;
       Whereas Social Security is America's ``family insurance 
     plan,'' providing more than 9 out of 10 American workers and 
     their families basic but critical protection in the event 
     they can no longer work to support themselves and their 
     families due to a severe medical condition;
       Whereas, Social Security provides a lifeline for almost 
     7,000,000 children nationwide who receive benefits directly 
     because a parent has died, become disabled, or retired, or 
     indirectly because they live with a relative who is eligible 
     to collect benefits;
       Whereas Social Security is efficient - administrative 
     expenses are less than one percent of benefits paid - and 
     benefit payments are 99 percent accurate; and
       Whereas Social Security has dramatically reduced poverty, 
     with research indicating that the entire reduction in elderly 
     poverty between 1967 and 2000 was due to Social Security, 
     that without Social Security 40 percent of the population 
     older than 65 would be poor, and that Social Security 
     benefits lifted an estimated 2,000,000 children out of 
     poverty in 2013: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
       (1) Social Security provides earned benefits that are 
     crucial to the economic security of our Nation and must be 
     preserved to ensure future generations of Americans are 
     protected;
       (2) with the strong support of the Federal Government, 
     Social Security must continue to deliver guaranteed 
     retirement and life insurance benefits for workers and their 
     families, as well as serve as an indispensable safety net for 
     the most vulnerable segments of American society, including 
     children, persons with disabilities, the elderly, and the 
     poor; and
       (3) while the Trust Funds that support Social Security are 
     projected to pay all benefits through 2034, Congress should 
     act to ensure this vital program can support workers and 
     families far into the future, but should reject proposals 
     that weaken or privatize Social Security and should consider 
     proposals to strengthen Social Security benefits.
  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I wish to take a few minutes in my capacity 
as ranking Democrat on the Committee on Finance to talk about the 
upcoming 80th anniversary of a great moment in our country's history--
the creation of the Social Security Program on August 14, 1935.
  I am very pleased to be joined by all of my colleagues on this side 
of the aisle in the introduction of a resolution demonstrating how much 
we appreciate this historic anniversary. Thanks in large part to Social 
Security, old age in America is no longer synonymous with hardship. 
American workers have the great comfort of knowing that if the worst 
happens, Social Security will be there for them and their families.
  I remember how essential Social Security was to many of the older 
people I worked with when I was director of the Oregon Gray Panthers. 
However, eight short decades ago, seniors often lived in poverty and 
hard-working Americans had no guarantee of economic security. Our 
country was in the throes of the Great Depression. Unemployment topped 
20 percent. You had bread lines for blocks, and the homeless population 
was growing. There was no social safety net, no lifeline that offered 
some measure of dignity. If a person lost their job, became disabled, 
suffered the loss of a family member, they were on their own. There was 
nowhere to turn. Life was difficult for many Americans but none more so 
than the poor, the elderly, or the disabled. Tragically, many aging and 
disabled Americans without family to care for them ended up destitute 
or on the street.
  America is now a different place, thanks in no small part to the 
protection of Social Security. It is one of the strongest threads in 
America's safety net, protecting the well-being of millions and keeping 
millions more out of poverty. This year nearly 60 million American 
workers and eligible family members will receive nearly $900 billion in 
retirement, survivors, and disability benefits.
  Among older Social Security beneficiaries, more than half of married 
couples and nearly three-quarters of

[[Page S6405]]

unmarried individuals get the majority of their income from Social 
Security. As of 2014, 151 million Americans had earned the protection 
of disability insurance. That is a tremendous accomplishment. Well over 
100 million workers and their families can go about their days with the 
confidence that they are financially protected in the event of a 
medical catastrophe because of Social Security.
  The program also provides indispensable benefits to nearly 7 million 
children. Without those benefits, many of the youngsters would face 
dire circumstances after the death or disability of a parent. None of 
this could have happened without the continuing support of the 
Congress.
  Time and time again, Members have come together on a bipartisan basis 
to ensure this vital program remains strong. The 1939 amendments to 
Social Security expanded retirement benefits. In 1954, the Congress 
passed amendments that provided protection for workers who became 
disabled. The Social Security amendments of 1980 and 1983 also made 
important changes that helped ensure the program's long-term viability.
  Social Security is one of America's great economic successes. The 
program is robust. In my view, there is big bipartisan interest in 
keeping it that way. I look forward to working with my colleagues and 
the ranking Democrat on the Finance Committee so that on both sides of 
the aisle we work together to ensure that Social Security continues to 
thrive for generations to come.

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