WHITE PLAINS, NY – While the President travels the country to highlight a non-existent “crisis” in Social Security, a Republican committee chairman is considering cutting benefits for all women regardless of means.  Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-Westchester/Rockland), a former Chair of the Congressional Women’s Caucus, today joined a coalition of women Members of Congress in calling on House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas to clarify his remarks on possible “gender-testing” of Social Security.

“For more than six decades, Social Security has been there for seniors, the disabled, and children who have lost a parent.  This program has proven its effectiveness again and again.  However, some are seeking to undermine the contract between Social Security and the American people by cutting benefits and, in particular, reducing benefits for all women, simply because they live longer. This idea is fundamentally unfair and wrong,” said Lowey.

The letter, signed by 22 female Members, notes that women are especially vulnerable to poverty after retirement.  Because women are less likely to have pensions or retirement savings to supplement their incomes, without Social Security, 52 percent of white women, 65 percent of African American women and 61 percent of Hispanic women over the age of 65 would fall into poverty. 

“On average, women earn less than men and are out of the workforce for 11.5 years, affecting their savings and pension income.  Social Security gives women a measure of confidence that they can live comfortably during retirement.  Yet Chairman Thomas is proposing taking that security away,” said Lowey.  “I hope that his statements are not advocating benefit cuts for women and, instead, that he’ll join me in working to improve benefits in the current program to be more response to the needs of women and families.”

For many years, Lowey has introduced a package of bills to improve Social Security benefits for women by removing rules that limit or prevent women from receiving the financial assistance they have earned. These bills would allow disabled widows to collect full benefits regardless of age, and eliminate waiting periods for divorced spouse and widow benefits. In addition, they would allow a working widow to supplement her widow's benefits with earnings from her employment during ages 65 through 70.