'What Is There To Be Afraid Of?': John Larson Slams Congress For Lack Of Social Security Improvements

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During remarks on the House floor, Rep. John Larson (D-CT) spoke about Social Security benefits.

Transcript

00:01Thank you, Madam Speaker. I rise to first and foremost submit an article by Fareed Zakaria.

00:10I hope everyone gets to read it. We'll be circulating it to all members about the Trump plan

00:17to go after our university system and destroy the research that goes on at our universities in massive cuts.

00:27As Mr. Zakaria points out, this would decimate our economy, and I think every member of Congress needs to know.

00:38Madam Speaker, I also heard Representative John Kasich on television just before I came here

00:48talking about how the Democrats don't have a plan. They don't have a plan that they're going to utilize.

00:57Well, and I have great respect for John, but I want to say, oh yes, under Hakima Jeffries, we do have a plan,

01:04especially as it relates to Social Security. Our colleagues on the other side do not have a plan,

01:12or the plan that they've proposed is to cut benefits to Social Security.

01:17Madam Speaker, I don't know if you realize how many Social Security recipients you have in your district,

01:27but there's over 170,000 of them, including 134,000 retirees, including 18,000 disabled workers, 8,000 widows, 3,000 spouses,

01:449,000 children. But Madam Speaker, here's the most important thing, and most members of Congress don't realize this.

01:51Do you know how much money comes into your district monthly to those recipients?

01:56That's $318 million that Mr. Trump and Republican leadership want to cut.

02:08A 20% cut across the board to Social Security would decimate people all across the district,

02:16including Iowa and Connecticut and every other district. So we have a plan. Here's our plan.

02:25Social Security, and the American people, and especially the people in our audience today ought to understand,

02:32hasn't been enhanced by Congress since 1971. Richard Nixon was President of the United States.

02:40There are more than 70 million Americans who rely on Social Security. Of those 70 million, over 30 million of them,

02:51this is the only benefit, retirement benefit, that they have.

02:58So, Madam Speaker, we want to make sure that there's an across-the-board increase,

03:03increase. And under the leadership of Hakeem Jeffries, that's what you'll see. An across-the-board increase.

03:10A tax cut proposal for people who have to work out of necessity,

03:14but end up having to pay taxes on their Social Security.

03:18But we pay for it to make sure that it doesn't impact the trust fund.

03:24We also pay for the repeal of WEP and GPO, because that's vitally important as well.

03:31We also make sure that there's no longer a wait period for disability,

03:36where we see that so many people have died waiting to receive their disability payment.

03:43It's long overdue that the number one anti-poverty program for the elderly and for children of this country,

03:53and more disability that goes out to veterans than it goes out through the VA comes from Social Security.

04:02Congress needs to act. I would hope it would be bipartisan, but we can't even get a hearing,

04:09let alone pass a bill. What is there to be afraid of?

04:13Every constituent listening to this ought to demand of their member of Congress.

04:18If you disagree, you've got a better plan. For God's sake, put it forward.

04:23But how much longer do the American people have to wait to receive the benefits that they paid for?

04:32This is an earned benefit. This is no entitlement like the other side calls it.

04:39People pay for it, and you can check it out right on your paycheck.

04:44It says FICA, Federal Insurance Contribution.

04:49Who's? Yours. You have paid for this benefit.

04:53Your government, your Congress, has let you down.

04:59They have not addressed this since 1971.

05:03It's long overdue that we not only address this, but enhance this so that Americans get what they richly deserve,

05:12especially those in Iowa.

05:15Does the gentleman yield? The gentleman yields.

05:17The gentleman yields.

05:18The gentleman yields.

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