Social Security

Following the death of my father when I was 12, my mother received $19 a month from Social Security as long as I worked. The crucial assistance we received from Social Security enabled our family of seven to stay together.  And as my mother reached her 90’s, both Social Security allowed her to live her final years with dignity. 

Every family in this country has similar stories, and I want you to know that I will not support any attempts to alter the traditional and vital roles of this program.  While the program is in need of reform, I firmly stand against any effort to privatize Social Security.  I will also work in Congress to reduce our out of control deficits which threaten the security of this critical program.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office projects that current Social Security reserves will cover full payment of benefits through 2052.  Many officials have conceded that privatization would cut benefits by up to 50% while weakening SSA’s ability to provide future benefits and failing to address long-term needs and the coming retirement of record numbers of baby boomers. 

Any attempt to fundamentally alter the guaranteed safety net provided by Social Security should be carefully scrutinized by Congress.  We must protect this important assistance by reducing the foreign debt that threatens the stability of this indispensable system.

As in prior years, I am once again a co-sponsor of the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82), which will repeal the unfair Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP).  Although unsuccessful in previous years, H.R. 82 has so far received widespread bi-partisan support in the 110th Congress. 

Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) are inequitable and discouraging to current, former, and future teachers, police officers, firefighters, and other public servants.  As a former school teacher myself, and as the husband of a teacher, I share the concerns of millions of Texans regarding these unfair provisions that discourage public service.  America’s public servants deserve the benefits they have worked so hard for.

Congress must also hold corporations accountable for guaranteeing pension benefits.  Congress can also encourage Americans to save for retirement by strengthening investment plans including 401(k)s and IRAs, thus providing a greater safety net for themselves and a more robust economy.  

This nation established Social Security to provide a safety net for our seniors on whose shoulders we stand today.  As your representative I will work hard to ensure that Congress fulfills its duty to our seniors by protecting and providing the benefits which they worked for and deserve. 

Additional resources

• Social Security Administration
• GPO-WEP fact sheet