Congressional Republicans have been opposed to Social Security from the time it was first enacted in 1935.  They have tried repeatedly to undermine this important safety net for seniors and individuals with severe disabilities.

Their latest assault on Social Security, implemented Day One of the new congress, was to block a routine transfer of money from the retirement trust fund to the disability fund, something that has been done routinely 11 times, in both directions, under both Democratic and Republican administrations.  Their goal at this time is to create an artificial crisis in order to cut benefits for Social Security recipients.

Social Security is a highly successful program, which has greatly reduced the number of senior citizens and severely disabled individuals who are living in poverty.  Unfortunately, even though that number has been reduced, it has not been eliminated.  Social Security benefits need to be increased, not decreased, especially for low-income recipients.  Cutting those benefits would be a disaster for millions of American families.

Social Security is funded by payroll taxes.  However, the only people who pay that tax on every dollar of their income are those who earn less than the Social Security Income Cap, set today at $118,500.  Those who earn more pay no Social Security tax at all on their incomes over that amount.  Most of the money earned by the wealthiest Americans is not subject to social security tax.

Due to the number of “Baby Boomers” who will be receiving Social Security payments in the coming years, there is a need to either provide more income for this program or reduce benefits to recipients.  Republicans want to reduce benefits, but Democrats want to maintain benefits by raising or eliminating the Social Security Income Cap.  Making this change could really make the difference in resolving the future “cash flow” problem.

Please contact Congressman Fred Upton (269-385-0039) and tell him to stop supporting the Republican assault on Social Security.

 

Cynthia Miller

Benton Township