Rep. García Visits Senior Center and Vows to Protect Social Security
CHICAGO — Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04) marked the 87th Anniversary of Social Security with a roundtable for seniors along with Mayor Ron Serpico at the Guy C. Guerine Senior Center in Melrose Park, IL. The Congressman provided a federal update, shared resources, and learned from seniors about their experiences with this earned benefit program. Several Republicans have recently floated proposals to privatize or even end Social Security, or politicize it by requiring it to be renewed every year, which would disproportionately hurt vulnerable populations, including women, people with disabilities, as well as Latino and Black communities.
Pictures of the event can be foundhere.
“In my district nearly 77,000 people receive Social Security benefits every year, most of them are retirees, people with disabilities, and children. People pay into this program throughout their lives and should be able to receive their checks,” said Congressman García. “Social Security became law 87 years ago, but it’s been 50 years since Congress enhanced it, and improvements are long overdue. We must put people over politics, that’s why I support Social Security 2100: A Sacred Trust Act because I want to make sure this program serves our country well for years to come!”
The Social Security 2100 Act would improve and expand coverage, including by:
- Increasing benefits for beneficiaries;
- Improving the annual Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) formula to better reflect actual expenses;
- Expanding benefits for widows/widowers and dependents;
- And extending the solvency of Social Security, including by making millionaires and billionaires pay the same rate as everyone else.
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