[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 137 (Friday, August 17, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1158]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     COMMEMORATING 83RD ANNIVERSARY OF SOCIAL SECURITY ACT OF 1935

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                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, August 17, 2018

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the 83rd 
anniversary of the passage of the landmark Social Security Act of 1935, 
the most famous of the New Deal measures and perhaps the most 
beneficial and consequential government program in American history.
  On August 14, 1935, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed into 
law the Social Security Act of 1935 and made good on the Democratic 
Party's commitment to provide income security to Americans in their old 
age.
  Social Security has transformed what it means to grow old in this 
country.
  For 83 years, Social Security has represented a bedrock promise to 
the American people: that a lifetime of work will be rewarded with the 
peace of mind, certainty, and sense of security of a stable retirement.
  As we celebrate the 83rd anniversary of the Social Security Act of 
1935, we should reflect also on the real-life transformative impact 
America's most successful program continues to have on millions of 
Americans each year.
  Social Security has been a stable and secure source of income for 
millions of seniors and families, many of whom desperately need it, 
over these last more than seven decades.
  In the 18th Congressional District of Texas, Social Security is the 
primary economic lifeline for more than 91,000 seniors and disabled 
persons. Social Security's economic impact also goes well beyond the 
seniors and families receiving benefits.
  It also benefits state economies and local businesses all across the 
country.
  In the 18th Congressional District of Texas, Social Security 
recipients inject more than $97 million into the local economy 
annually; nationwide, this figures is $775 billion.
  When more than 58 million Americans use the purchasing power of those 
benefits, they are supporting businesses with dollars they would not 
have without Social Security.
  It is shameful that there are congressional Republicans who continue 
to promote various plans to privatize or partially privatize Social 
Security--plans that would rob seniors of the economic security they 
count on.
  Over the last 83 years, House Democrats have protected and 
strengthened Social Security; and now and in the future, House 
Democrats will always act to preserve Social Security and safeguard the 
rights of our nation's seniors.
  And as we look to the future, we can celebrate that what was put in 
place in 1935 with the Social Security Act of 1935 has given us the 
foundation for a secure and prosperous future for all Americans.

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