WASHINGTON, DC – (August 14, 2010) Today Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) released the following statement on the 75^th anniversary of Social Security.

On the 75^th anniversary that Social Security became law, we must remember the critical role it plays in the lives of so many Americans.

Most of us have never known a nation without Social Security, but each of us knows many people whose lives are better because Franklin Roosevelt signed this historic bill into law. One out of every four American families receives Social Security. In Illinois nearly 2 million people get benefits and 772,000 of them would be living in poverty without them. Retired workers and their spouses, disabled workers and children—including two of my grandchildren who lost their mother—are helped by this essential benefit.

We must make sure that the promise of Social Security remains intact, and that we do not go back to the days before August 14, 1935 when getting old or injured or losing a parent could result in hardship, poverty or bankruptcy.

Those of us who value Social Security and want it to be there for future generations need to work together to protect it.  We beat back the Bush privatization push in 2005, but I’m sorry to say that the privatizers are back. They intend to expose this program, which has never missed a check, to the volatility of the very market that has cost American retirees trillions in retirement losses during this economic downturn. That is not a risk that I’m willing to take with Social Security, and the majority of Americans agree.

Social Security is our national treasure, and I am committed to preserving, protecting and strengthening this benefit program—for another 75 years and for generations to come.