[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 86 (Monday, May 22, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H2466]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        POLYCRISIS HURTS SENIORS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Connecticut (Mr. Larson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the 
Chamber for 5 minutes and to talk about what political scientists are 
calling a polycrisis.
  A polycrisis is multiple events that have happened globally that have 
an enormous impact not only on the world but here. I am going to focus 
on just three of them right now: the pandemic that we are currently 
going through, Mr. Speaker, which has been extraordinary, as well as 
the supply chain issues that have happened; a global pandemic creating 
global supply chain issues, which led to ensuing global inflation; and 
in the midst of that, the Ukraine war, which has become a global war, 
again, impacting supply chain and other issues.
  Who in the United States of America has this impacted the most? In 
our country, this pandemic has impacted the elderly. Of the 1.2 million 
people who have passed away, over 850,000 were over the age of 65. With 
regard to inflation, the group that is hurt most by inflation are 
people on fixed incomes, and that would be close to 70 million Social 
Security recipients here in this Nation.
  We have a crisis in this country: a pension crisis and a crisis that 
Congress has neglected for more than 52 years.
  1971 was the last time that Congress did anything to enhance Social 
Security benefits. A gallon of milk was 72 cents at that time. A lot 
has changed since 1971, but what hasn't changed is Congress' 
recalcitrance to address the needs of our seniors.
  Social Security is the number one antipoverty program for seniors and 
the number one antipoverty program for children, yet there are 5 
million Americans currently who get below-poverty-level checks from the 
Federal Government after having paid all of their lives into the 
system.
  The only reason that is so is because Congress hasn't acted. It is 
long overdue for Congress to act. We have legislation that we will be 
introducing in the Ways and Means Committee that will enhance Social 
Security with across-the-board increases for everyone to lift people 
out of poverty and provide every single district with economic 
recovery.
  Why? It is because, on average, there are 145,000 people per 
congressional district who are on Social Security, and that money is 
spent right back in that congressional district. People are not buying 
back stock options with their Social Security checks. They are spending 
it at the grocery store. They are spending it on rent. They are 
spending it on prescription drugs. That is what is needed.
  It is long overdue for Congress to act. It is not simply a question 
of protecting or saving Social Security. It is doing something to end 
this crisis in the midst of the worst pandemic, in the midst of 
inflation, and in the midst of a supply chain issue to make sure that 
our elderly and our people are being protected.

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