Providing for Consideration of H.R. Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of and Providing for Consideration of H.J. Res. Disapproving the Action of the District of Columbia Council in Approving the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022

Floor Speech

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Ms. HOYLE of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, my Democratic colleagues and I are here to defend Social Security and Medicare and to support our Nation's seniors.

My district has the lowest median household income in Oregon. We have over 160,000 seniors who rely on Social Security for their retirement.

My colleagues across the aisle are approaching Social Security as if it is an unearned handout. That is beyond offensive. That is not what it is meant to do. That is not what it is meant to be.

People have paid into this system their whole lives. They should be able to get their contributions back, and that is the promise of our Social Security program.

Right now, we only tax income up to $160,000 a year to fund Social Security. Millionaires and billionaires who get their income from investments instead of earning their money by the hour, like most of my constituents and like most working Americans, aren't paying their fair share into Social Security at all.

We must change the system. By finally requiring the wealthiest Americans to pay into Social Security at the same rate as all the hardworking nurses and firefighters across this country, we can expand benefits, not cut them.

I am not in Congress to protect billionaires. I am here to make sure those who have paid into the system their whole lives and who have worked hard, including our fishermen, electricians, and schoolteachers, can retire with dignity and welcome a new generation to the workforce. It is our responsibility to make sure that Social Security can be successful in the future.

It is time for the House majority to stop playing games with people's lives with bills that don't do anything and support Social Security and Medicare.

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