Enhancing Social Security

Floor Speech

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Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member, Mr. Larson, for his persevering leadership on this critical issue to millions and millions and millions of Americans and Assistant Leader Neguse for his leadership. I thank them for being here this evening.

I appreciate Mr. Larson yielding me time to highlight the importance of Social Security but also his tireless work to safeguard and ensure coverage in Social Security for all Americans who qualify for their earned benefits which the gentleman and every single Member who got up here tonight have talked about this evening.

This is not a welfare program. This is an earned benefit.

For nearly a century, America has made a sacred promise: Those who work hard throughout their lives will benefit from the fruits of their labor during their retirement.

Social Security promises the safe and secure retirement for tens of millions of Americans during their golden years. However, we are here tonight because without action by this House leading, that promise is at risk.

Like my colleagues, I represent probably over 150,000 retirees, the majority women, in northwest Ohio who want to see responsible solutions to protect Social Security going forward. For Ohio that includes eliminating the windfall penalty.

I agree with Congressman Larson. The billionaire class must join the vast majority of Americans in paying their fair share into this critical system. Yes, it is a retirement system, but it is also an insurance system, it is a disability system, and it is a survivorship system for children.

By making that happen, the Social Security 2100 Act championed by Congressman Larson will increase benefits for current and new beneficiaries. It will protect retirees against inflation, and it will repeal the windfall elimination provision once and for all.

The Social Security 2100 Act is one of the most important bills before this Congress, and we must push leadership for a vote on this House floor as soon as possible. It impacts 68 million beneficiaries.

Already there are 184 House cosponsors of this bill, and Speaker Johnson could move this bill to the floor for a vote tomorrow. Additionally, the Social Security Fairness Act has 319 bipartisan cosponsors, more than two-thirds of the Chamber, and they can't get a vote. It is stopped up in the leadership.

America made a promise to workers, and Democrats are committed to making good on that promise.

I am a granddaughter of immigrants who worked at the lowest wage and worst jobs. First fired; last hired. They simply could not have existed if it were not for Social Security in their retirement years. The same is true for our parents.

You see, Mr. Speaker, Social Security is not just a program. It is a trust, a sacred trust, and that trust is intergenerational.

I may be the only Member here this evening who was present in the 98th Congress in April of 1983 to vote for the refinancing of Social Security Title 2 for the next generation. It was among the most critical votes I ever cast, and I remember it to this day. We stood on this floor, and we cheered. That vote was extremely important because it refinanced Social Security for the first time in a generation.

It left some work undone, which we must repair, but it resulted from a brokered compromise between Republican President Ronald Reagan and House Speaker Tip O'Neill. They knew how to compromise.

Now, Congress must meet its responsibility to do the same for this generation and those that follow.

Mr. Speaker, I want to make sure that we place in the Record information about that brokered compromise and also reports from U.S. News and World Report and other materials that attend to that extraordinary moment in history.

Let's get the job done. We ask Speaker Johnson to bring up H.R. 2100 for a vote.

I thank Congressman Larson, Congressman Neguse, and Congressman Cartwright, who are here this evening as part of this important messaging to the American people to say: The time is now. Bring up H.R. 2100.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his extraordinary and persevering leadership.

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