Op-Eds and Letters

Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) wrote the following op-ed that appeared in the Hartford Courant.

As the country continues to fight the ever-worsening coronavirus pandemic and having elected a new president and Congress, the urgent need to protect and expand Social Security benefits must be addressed.

In a time of crisis, the United States has always come together! We are now in the midst of a war! We are fighting a common enemy that gives no quarter and that attacks indiscriminately. It cares not if you are Republican or Democrat. Our enemy is COVID-19.

Rep. Larson's op-ed in The Hill

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an unprecedented health and economic crisis. More than 150,000 Americans have been killed by this disease. At its peak, 42 million Americans were unemployed. Now we’re facing a new crisis. Five million Americans could see a drastic cut in their Social Security benefits as a direct result of the COVID-19-induced economic downturn. Due to a quirk in the benefit formula, those born in 1960 are at risk of a permanent reduction in their benefits that could be as much as $2,000 per year.

On Monday, June 8, I caught the 5:30 a.m. flight out of Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut to Dallas, Texas for the funeral services of an iconic American hero, Congressman Sam Johnson.