Larson Calls for Congressional Action in Face of Republicans’ Proposal to Cut to Social Security
Washington, D.C. - Today, Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee Ranking Member John B. Larson (CT-01) highlighted the need to act to protect and expand Social Security in the face of Republican plans to cut the program during the Subcommittee’s hearing: Social Security Fundamentals: A Fact-Based Foundation.
You can watch the hearing and Rep. Larson’s remarks here.
“We're talking about more than numbers: they are people. On average, every one of our districts has 145,000 Social Security recipients, some more than others, and many on this committee have the highest numbers in the entire country. That’s why it’s vitally important we know those numbers because at the end of the day, it’s beneficiaries and people,” said Larson.
“Let’s be clear: we have legislation. We have proposals. We think it’s long overdue, and we want to lay out the plans side-by-each. The Republican Study Committee has come out with proposals as well. We take everybody at their word when they say they are no longer interested in holding Social Security and Medicare hostage, but that is not what the Republican Study Committee says in their report.
“Within the next two years, there will be more than 70 million fellow Americans relying on Social Security, 5 million already get below-poverty level checks. Social Security is the #1 anti-poverty program for the elderly and children and more veterans rely on it than the VA. Congress needs to act,” Larson concluded.