Delaney: Social Security’s 79th Birthday a Time to Celebrate Program’s Success, Commit to Long-Term Health

WASHINGTON – On August 14, 1935, President Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law. According to the Social Security Administration, as of December 2013 there were 917,497 Social Security beneficiaries in Maryland and 111,219 beneficiaries in the Sixth District.

“Social Security is a program to celebrate. For decades, Social Security has kept millions of Americans out of poverty and helped countless seniors live in dignity after decades of hard work supporting their families,” said Congressman John K. Delaney (MD-6). “Social Security is vitally important to thousands of my constituents and I want to make sure that we’re still celebrating Social Security’s birthday for decades to come. Let’s ignore the falsehoods and mischaracterizations – Social Security isn’t insolvent or a pyramid scheme and shouldn’t be privatized – and stick to the facts: in the long-term we need to recalibrate the program so that benefits aren’t reduced. I’m proud to have introduced legislation to protect Social Security by bringing both parties and both chambers together to develop a long-term solution.”

To read Delaney’s Social Security principles, click here.

According to the Social Security Trustees 2014 report Social Security will be unable to pay full benefits after 2033. In May, Delaney introduced bipartisan legislation to protect and preserve Social Security. Delaney and Congressman Tom Cole (OK-4) filed legislation to create a bipartisan and bicameral Social Security Commission to guarantee the fiscal health of Social Security for the next 75 years.

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