Talking Points

Topline: Social Security serves as a lifeline for tens of millions of seniors and their families every year.

Despite this, New York House Republicans continue to work to undermine the program and erect even more barriers to accessing benefits.

• President Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act on August 14th, 1935

• Social Security is one of the nation’s most effective and popular programs, responsible for lifting more than 15 million older Americans above the poverty line each year.

• One of the program’s core strengths is that it’s universal. 97% of older Americans either currently receive or will receive Social Security benefits.

• In April, House Republicans, including Rep. Marc Molinaro, voted to make it more difficult for seniors to access Social Security and Medicare benefits and put Medicaid coverage at risk for millions of New Yorkers.

• In June, the 175-member Republican Study Committee released a budget proposal that would raise the Social Security retirement age, remove the “Medicare guarantee,” prevent Medicare from negotiating lower drug costs, and slash benefits for middle-class families.