On Tuesday, the first day Congress was in session this year, John Boehner and House Republicans launched a back-door attack on Social Security through a sinister rule change that sets the stage for drastic cuts to benefits.
The rule change House Republicans pushed through paves the way for a sudden 19% cut in Social Security Disability Insurance benefits next year – and Republicans are planning to use it as leverage to force broader and deeper cuts to all Social Security benefits.
We need to fight back now to stop Republicans from slashing Social Security benefits.
Sign the petition: Stop House Republicans from cutting Social Security benefits.
As Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote in response to the rule change, “the GOP is inventing a Social Security crisis that will threaten benefits for millions and put our most vulnerable at risk.”
The arcane rule change in question stops the House of Representatives from reallocating Social Security payroll tax income from the old-age program to the disability program. This type of routine reallocation, which is supported by neutral experts like the National Academy of Social Insurance and the American Bar Association, has taken place 11 times in the past without controversy.
But now Republicans are using it to hold Social Security hostage in a craven attempt to force radical benefit cuts that would be disastrous for the tens of millions of Americans who rely on Social Security benefits.
Our Social Security system shows that smart, effective government can improve millions of people’s lives – and it serves as a damning refutation of the right-wing's extreme anti-government ideology. And if Republicans succeed in destroying Social Security, Americans will be forced to stake our retirement security on risky investments with Wall Street brokers, who stand to make a killing handling our money.
Social Security should be strengthened and expanded, not cut. But Republicans are longstanding opponents of the program, and they have waged an unrelenting, decades-long assault to destroy, defund or privatize it. We need to fight back now to stop Republicans from slashing Social Security benefits.
Tell John Boehner, House Republicans, and Democrats: No cuts to Social Security benefits.
Sign the petition here
No comments:
Post a Comment