[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 126 (Wednesday, July 23, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E718]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          CELEBRATING THE 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF SOCIAL SECURITY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 23, 2025

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker. I rise today to honor the 90th anniversary 
of Social Security and its place as the cornerstone of Americans' 
retirement security.
  On August 14, 1935. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social 
Security Act into law, establishing a sacred trust with hardworking 
Americans to have the right to retire with dignity and security. Social 
Security became the most effective antipoverty program in American 
history by creating a social insurance system to pay workers 65 and 
older a regular income upon retirement.
  Today, Social Security provides retirement benefits, disability 
benefits, and survivor benefits for millions of Americans. Social 
Security's benefits help millions of seniors, people with disabilities, 
survivors, and their families put food on their tables, pay for rent, 
heat their homes, cover medical bills, and more. Social Security is a 
guaranteed safety net that prevents 22 million people from living in 
poverty, including nearly one million children.
  In Minnesota's 4th Congressional District, 126,751 people receive 
more than $262 million in earned monthly benefits, including: 100,067 
retirees, 12,769 disabled workers, 7,062 children, 4,745 widows, 
widowers, and parents, and 2,108 spouses.
  On November 12, 2024, I voted for the Social Security Fairness Act, 
which was signed into law by President Joseph Biden on January 5, 2025. 
The Social Security Fairness Act repealed the Windfall Elimination 
Provision and the Government Pension Offset. These unfair provisions 
had reduced or eliminated the Social Security benefits of more than 2.8 
million individuals. The Social Security Fairness Act increased Social 
Security benefits for many types of workers, including some 
firefighters, police officers, teachers and other public sector 
employees, to ensure that they receive the full Social Security 
benefits to which they earned and deserve.
  Safeguarding the right to retire with dignity and security is a 
priority for me in Congress. We must prevent the current highly 
partisan political environment in Congress and the White House from 
putting the future of Social Security at risk and we must ensure that 
the Social Security Administration--the agency that administers this 
important program--is not weaponized to promote mis- and 
disinformation.
  I am committed to strengthening the long-term solvency of Social 
Security and protecting and improving the basic benefits promised to 
seniors, persons with disabilities, survivors, and their families. The 
American people have made it loud and clear to Congress that cutting 
their hardearned benefits is unacceptable and that Social Security must 
be protected for current and future generations. I will continue to 
fight to ensure that Social Security is there for the people who worked 
for it and deserve it.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in recognizing the 90th anniversary of 
Social Security, committing to protecting Social Security, and making 
sure that Social Security remains strong for future generations.

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