ICYMI: Larson Remarks on the State of Social Security Following President Biden’s State of the Union Address

Washington, D.C. - Last night, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) responded to President Biden’s State of the Union with an address on the State of Social Security.

You can view Rep. Larson's address here. 

In his State of the Union Address, the President promised to stop Republican attempts to cut to Social Security and called on Congress to strengthen the program by making the wealthy pay their fair share. 

“Tonight, let’s all agree once again to stand up for seniors,” said President Joe Biden. “Working people who built this country pay more into Social Security than millionaires and billionaires do. It’s not fair. We have two ways to go on Social Security. Republicans will cut Social Security and give more tax cuts to the wealthy. I will protect and strengthen Social Security and make the wealthy pay their fair share!” 

“The President has always called Social Security a sacred trust with the American people, and he explained how he's going to defend it - not only protect Social Security for 70 million Americans, but also expand its benefits,” said Larson. “10,000 Baby Boomers a day become eligible for Social Security. This is a crisis that Congress needs to step up to, and we have a President that is standing behind us and asking Congress to do its job.” 

Rep. Larson’s Social Security 2100 Act, cosponsored by nearly 200 House Democrats, would extend the program’s solvency and increase benefits across-the-board by heeding President Biden’s call to scrap the cap on Americans making more than $400,000 a year – so they pay into Social Security with each and every paycheck. 

You can read Rep. Larson’s full remarks below:   

"Hi, I’m John Larson. I came from the House Floor, listening to the President give the State of the Union message. What a great message on Social Security. 

The President has always called it “a sacred trust” with the American people, and tonight he explained how he's going to defend it - not only protect Social Security for 70 million Americans, but also expand its benefits. 

And he didn’t step away from how we are going to pay for it. We are going to pay for it by making sure that those who currently are paying next to nothing are finally going to pay their fair share. As he put it, someone making $30,000, $50,000, or $100,000 pays throughout the year. Now people who are making over $400,000, who previously weren’t paying, are going to be funding it. That is the fair thing to do. 

 That will allow us to expand Social Security benefits to make sure that everybody, nobody gets a below poverty level check from Social Security, to make sure that teachers and firefighters and police officers are getting their Social Security that previously under WEP-GPO they haven’t been able to receive.   

And to make sure that people that are paying taxes on their Social Security, more than 23 million Americans, paying taxes on social security - they won't be paying those taxes. It will be going right back into the very communities that they live in. 

This was a great speech by the President. I’m so proud of what he had to say. I’m so proud of the work we do for Social Security. Together, as the President said, it’s the people out there, it’s the public, its all of you who are getting the message out that it is time to act. It’s time to vote - not only to protect Social Security, but to expand benefits that haven’t been expanded in more than 50 years. 

10,000 Baby Boomers a day become eligible for Social Security. This is a crisis that Congress needs to step up to, and we have a President that is standing behind us and asking Congress to do its job."