Do members of Congress pay into social security?
Fact: Yes. Members of Congress began to pay into Social Security in 1983, as part of a government-wide pension overhaul. The 1983 amendments to the Social Security Act (P.L. 98-21) required all Members of Congress to participate in Social Security as of January 1, 1984, regardless of when they first entered Congress.
How many Democrats voted to raid the Social Security trust funds?
(Ninety-six percent of Democrats voted to honor their commitment to the American people.) That 233 politicians would vote to raid the Social Security trust funds, never to repay them, is shameful.
Is Congress stealing from Social Security?
What Congress hasn't done is steal from Social Security. However, lawmakers have known of the program's shortcomings since 1985, and have yet to find a middle-ground solution to fix it. If you want to point the finger at lawmakers, do so because bountiful solutions exist, but political hubris appears to be getting in the way.
Is Congress plotting to take away Medicare and Medicaid?
Now the talking point has re-emerged, in a March 29 tweet, from Oregon’s Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee: " #TrumpTax was only the beginning. After giving massive tax giveaways to wealthy & powerful shareholders, Republicans in Congress are plotting to take away Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security."
Who voted against Medicare?
When Medicare was first being considered Senate Republican Robert Dole (then in the House) voted against it. Also in opposition to Medicare, in a famous 1964 speech, Ronald Reagan explained that his opposition to Social Security and Medicare is why he switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party.
Which party is opposed to Social Security?
The Republican Party has always been associated with opposition to Social Security. Economic historian Max Skidmore shows that the final vote for Social Security was lopsided--only 2% of Democrats voted against it (because it wasn't generous enough) while 33% of Republicans voted against Social Security.
Why did McConnell say the Republicans would defend the tax cuts?
This poll was taken a week after Senator McConnell said the Republicans would defend the tax cuts and cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid in order to curb the growing deficit, caused in significant part by those very tax cuts. The Republican Party has always been associated with opposition to Social Security.
What percentage of Americans would prefer to reverse the Republican tax cuts?
A poll one week before the election about Republican social and economic policy is a red flag for Republicans. 60% of Americans would prefer to reverse the Republican 2017 tax cuts than cut spending on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
What would happen if Social Security was passed?
A representative of the Illinois manufacturers testified that if Social Security was passed it would undermine America by “destroying initiative, discouraging thrift, and stifling individual responsibility.”. In 1935, Republican congressman John Taber said Social Security “is designed to prevent business recovery, to enslave workers, ...
Is Social Security a fiscal discipline?
Social Security is one of the few government programs with built-in fiscal discipline. Bottom Line: Though Senator McConnell may not have meant to publicize the Republican agenda to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, the long history of Republican opposition may be an example of what Sigmund Freud and modern psychologists believe--a slip ...
Who is the highest ranking Republican in the Senate?
Not only is President Trump arguing with leading Republican Paul Ryan, about the Constitution, but the highest-ranking Republican in the Senate – Senator Mitch McConnell -- has called for cuts to Social Security.
When did the American Rescue Plan expire?
Most of its provisions expired in the second half of 2020. The newly elected Congress then enacted the American Rescue Plan in March 2021. It supports people, businesses and state and local governments with substantial yet temporary financial relief.
Does the Cares Act help the economy?
In contrast, the CARES Act offered much needed relief amid the worst unemployment crisis since the Great Depression, while it helped to stem the tide on declining economic growth. And experts predict that ARPA will boost economic growth to its highest rate in decades.
Is the Cares Act a temporary measure?
The pandemic-related deficits are mainly temporary. Congress enacted the CARES Act in March 2020, which offered temporary relief main ly to families, unemployed workers and closed business.
Did the Republican senators push for Medicare and Social Security?
Republican Senators Push Social Security, Medicare And Medicaid Cuts After Supporting Ineffective Tax Cuts. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. The economy is recovering from the depths of the pandemic in large part due to the massive relief packages that Congress passed in 2020 and 2021.
What percentage of Republicans voted to default on Social Security?
By voting to mandate that income and outgo match for all federal spending every year, ninety-seven percent of Republicans just voted in effect, to default on Social Security’s $2.9 trillion worth of Treasury bonds. (Ninety-six percent of Democrats voted to honor their commitment to the American people.) That 233 politicians would vote ...
How much is Social Security surplus?
Social Security currently has a $2.9 trillion accumulated surplus, which was intentionally built up over decades to cover the retirement of the Baby Boom generation.
Does Social Security add to the deficit?
The program uses those funds to pay all benefits and related administrative costs. Social Security does not add even a penny to the deficit, as Republican President Ronald Reagan so clearly stated when he was president. When Social Security runs a surplus, Social Security holds the funds in trust.
When did Social Security get pilfered?
First of all, there's the period between 1968 and 1990, which is believed to be when Congress pilfered America's top social program. What needs to be understood here is that, while Social Security's two trusts (the Old Age and Survivors Insurance Trust and Disability Insurance Trust) and its asset reserves were technically "on-budget," funding ...
What has Congress not done?
What Congress hasn't done is steal from Social Security. However, lawmakers have known of the program's shortcomings since 1985, and have yet to find a middle-ground solution to fix it. If you want to point the finger at lawmakers, do so because bountiful solutions exist, but political hubris appears to be getting in the way.
Why is Social Security facing a huge cash shortfall?
One of the more common theories as to why Social Security is facing a huge long-term cash shortfall is that lawmakers in Congress have pilfered cash from the program and never returned it. This idea goes all the way back to 1968, when then-President Lyndon B. Johnson made a change to how the federal budget would be presented.
How much is Social Security shortfall?
According to the latest report from the Social Security Board of Trustees, Social Security is staring down a $13.9 trillion cash shortfall between 2035 and 2093, with the expectation that its $2.9 trillion in asset reserves will be completely exhausted in ...
How long was Social Security on budget?
This means at no point over this 22-year period where Social Security was on-budget did a dime of Social Security income, benefits, or asset reserves get commingled with the federal government's General Fund.
What was the President's Commission on Budget Concepts?
Prior to 1974, before Congress had an independent budgeting process, the President's Commission on Budget Concepts had three separate budgets, all of which had differing deficits. To simplify things, Johnson called for Social Security and its trust funds to be included in the annual federal budget. In 1983, the Reagan administration voted ...
How much interest did Social Security get in 2018?
In 2018, $83 billion in interest income was collected by Social Security. If the folks who believe that Congress stole from Social Security got their way, and the federal government repaid every cent it borrowed, Social Security would have lost out on this $83 billion in interest income in 2018.
Scott’s ’11-Point Plan’
Other Democratic Attacks
- On April 28, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee tweetedthat the “Senate Republicans’ plan would END” Social Security. The tweet includes a video that starts with an edited clip of Fox News anchor John Roberts asking Scott about his plan. “You recently put out an 11-point plan to rescue America,” Roberts said. “That would raise taxes on ha...
Scott on Social Security, Medicare
- In the same “Fox News Sunday” interviewfeatured in the DSCC ad and tweet, Scott went on to say that he had no intention of eliminating Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid. “Here’s what’s happening,” Scott said. “No one that I know of wants to sunset Medicare or Social Security, but what we’re doing is we don’t even talk about it. Medicare goes bankrupt in four years. Social Sec…