'What Are Y'all Talking About?': Voter Presses Jim Clyburn On Dems' Discussions Amid SSA Cuts

Forbes Breaking News

During a town hall on Tuesday, Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) was asked what Democrats are discussing amid Republicans' cuts to Social Security.

Transcript

00:00So pleased to be in the same room with you.

00:03I am a retired professor at our sister college,

00:07Commerce College, just down the street.

00:09Oh, well, I look forward to seeing you.

00:13I think the 17th, whatever, I think the 17th,

00:15I'm doing your commencement.

00:19Alyssa, I guess I'm still there.

00:21After the night, I'm going to know.

00:25Oh, it's because I'm retired.

00:28Yeah.

00:28Just retired, and I hear very clearly

00:32your commitment to collaboration

00:35and crossing over the aisle.

00:37I hear that very strongly from you.

00:41But I do have another more pointed question

00:44about Social Security now that I'm retired.

00:50Yeah, it means a lot more to me after I retire.

00:54But I'm just imagining what it would be

00:57to be a fly on the wall in the Democratic caucus

01:00as you are ensuring that your older and retired constituents

01:07will continue to receive their hard-earned Social Security benefits.

01:12What are y'all talking about?

01:18Well, I thought we had a slide that I was going to show you.

01:26I'll tell you what we talk about.

01:28One of the things, and this is why I think it's so important for us to talk.

01:38I remember when we first started talking about Social Security,

01:41people used to use the argument trying to drive a wedge between young people and older people.

01:49And they would say to young people all the time,

01:52Social Security is running out of money.

01:57Now, it's been in place now.

01:59It will soon be 89 years that Social Security has been in place.

02:04It has never missed a paycheck in 89 years.

02:13Because we have the power to course correct.

02:17We have the power in the Congress to do the things that are necessary to make sure

02:22it doesn't run out of money.

02:26But I say to young people all the time,

02:28Social Security, you don't have to wait.

02:33But Social Security is there for you now.

02:38Think about it.

02:40You're 35, 40 years old.

02:44You've got parents and grandparents on Social Security.

02:51Think about Medicare.

02:52On Medicare, which is a part of Social Security,

02:59Medicare and Medicaid came about because of amendments

03:03to the Social Security administration laws.

03:09What would happen

03:11if there's no Medicare or Medicaid?

03:17Medicaid, how many people did you know, related to you,

03:27that need nursing home care and get nursing home care?

03:31That's Medicaid.

03:34How many people

03:35depended upon the Social Security check?

03:40And if you did not have Social Security,

03:43then what would it depend on?

03:47It would have to depend on you.

03:50That's why we cannot sit out and buy.

03:52And these are the kind of things that we discuss.

03:54And I remember

03:55early in the discussion,

03:57the way we got people to really pay attention

03:59when they were having all these crazy arguments.

04:02And I said to them,

04:03I said, do you realize that when Social Security came online,

04:06that it was not until 1950,

04:10Harry Truman in 1950

04:12signed legislation

04:16to cover farm workers

04:19and domestic workers.

04:21When Social Security came online,

04:24it did not cover farm workers

04:26and domestic workers.

04:28And in the South,

04:30in South Carolina,

04:3265%

04:34of African Americans

04:36worked in those two categories.

04:39So 65% of African Americans

04:42were not covered by Social Security

04:44when it first came online.

04:47I cannot,

04:49and I'm not making this up,

04:51the first time I brought that up in the meeting,

04:53you asked me,

04:55you would love to be a fly on the wall.

04:58I can't tell you how many people came to me

05:00after the whistleblower.

05:01I never knew that.

05:05If you share with people

05:07what it is you're fighting for

05:10and why you're fighting for,

05:13who will benefit from it?

05:15Like I say to all people running for office,

05:19when you are talking to a potential voter,

05:22do like my dad used to do,

05:24my father,

05:24the minister used to do,

05:25the father,

05:26the son,

05:27the Holy Ghost.

05:27I say,

05:31you,

05:32your family,

05:33your community,

05:34show me people,

05:36here is what my proposal

05:37will do for you.

05:40Here's what it will do for your family.

05:43And here's what it will do for your community.

05:45If you can pass those three thresholds,

05:49the chances are

05:50you can get people.

05:52Social Security

05:53is a big deal,

05:56not just for the individuals,

05:59but it's a big deal

06:00for the families,

06:02for the 35,

06:0340,

06:03and 50-year-olds

06:04who need their parents

06:06and grandparents

06:07to have Social Security.

06:10So they,

06:12so let,

06:18don't let them use

06:18these selfish arguments.

06:21And I'm telling you,

06:23there's something in Social Security

06:23called survivor benefits.

06:25I'm not going to ask

06:26for a show of hands,

06:27but I guarantee you,

06:29sitting in this audience

06:30right now,

06:31it's somebody

06:32or bodies

06:33that got their college education

06:36of survivor benefits.

06:39Instagram.

06:39Social Security.

06:40I wouldn't recall her name,

06:44but that's exactly,

06:45that's exactly right.

Category

Transcript

Recommended