[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 208 (Wednesday, December 10, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S8618]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        CLAIMING AGE CLARITY ACT

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I am announcing my intention to object to 
any unanimous consent request to proceed to H.R. 5284, the Claiming Age 
Clarity Act.
  I support my colleagues' efforts to simplify the language the Social 
Security Administration, SSA, uses related to claiming retirement 
benefits. However, I am concerned that the bill's lack of 
administrative funding to implement the legislation would harm the 
Agency's ability to serve the American public.
  According to SSA estimates in September 2025, implementing this bill 
would cost between $8 and $12 million and require significant manpower 
to update its rules, regulations, guidance, and other materials--
including benefit statements--both printed and online versions.
  According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Social 
Security's customer service budget has dropped by 23 percent since 
fiscal year 2010 after adjusting for inflation. Over the same period, 
SSA is serving 17 million more Social Security beneficiaries, a 28-
percent increase. Moreover, since February 2025, SSA reduced staff by 
nearly 6,000 employees through encouraging retirements and voluntary 
resignations, including 2,000 from frontline positions. In August 2025, 
SSA diverted 2,000 field office staff away from serving customers in 
the front office to answer national 800 number calls indefinitely. 
Field offices, which bore the brunt of those staffing cuts, are now 
forced to backfill the staffing shortages with other employees at the 
expense of timely processing benefit claims and assisting seniors who 
come into the field offices. Simply put, SSA is having to do more with 
less resources and fewer staff.
  As my colleagues know, annual statements are an effective 
communication strategy to educate individuals about their earnings and 
payroll tax records, estimate of earned monthly benefits, and other 
information designed to help them more effectively plan for retirement. 
To this end, SSA has worked diligently over the last several years to 
streamline and modernize the Social Security annual statements to 
increase the public's understanding of its programs. However, SSA's 
funding constraints already limit SSA's ability to educate Americans 
about their Social Security benefits. Section 1143 of the Social 
Security Act, 42 U.S.C. Sec. 1320b-13, SSA is required to mail Social 
Security annual statements to most workers aged 25 and older who are 
not currently receiving Social Security benefits. Yet, due to budgetary 
constraints, SSA has suspended mailing statements to those individuals 
since 2011.
  Enacting this legislation without providing SSA with the necessary 
resources to implement and effectively communicate this change, 
including mailing annual statements, would stymie the bill's effects. 
Similarly, changing terminology--even to make it clearer--would 
presumably create confusion among some, resulting in increased call 
volume and foot traffic in the field offices and on the national 1-800 
number.
  I am committed to working with the sponsors of the legislation and 
our colleagues on the Committee on Appropriations to ensure that SSA 
has the necessary resources to effectively implement the bill while 
improving customer service for the millions of Americans who rely on 
Social Security. Until then, I will object to any unanimous consent 
request in relation to this legislation.

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