Deluzio Marks Social Security Day of Action, Visits Sharpsburg Senior Center
SHARPSBURG, PA — Today on Social Security Day of Action, Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17) visited a Sharpsburg, PA senior center to discuss the value of Social Security with his senior citizen constituents. Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District includes more than 180,600 Social Security recipients who receive $350 million in monthly benefits, including 139,223 retirees, 8,406 children, 10,856 widows, 4,556 spouses, and 17,636 disabled workers.
"Social Security Day of Action is an important day to celebrate this critical program that helps provide dignity to more than 180,000 residents right here in Western Pennsylvania,” said Congressman Deluzio. “Constituents can count on me to do my part to shore up Social Security and to always fight back against attacks on folks’ earned benefits.”
Photos from today’s town hall are available to members of the press here.
If Congress does not act to shore up the promise of Social Security, workers who retire after 2034 will receive only 77% of their full Social Security benefits. Congressman Deluzio is doing regular outreach to seniors across his district on this issue. The Congressman is a co-sponsor and supporter of the following bills that would expand and protect this critical safety net program:
- Protects Social Security system and improves benefits for current and future generations by instituting an across-the-board benefit increase
- More accurate cost of living adjustment to keep up with inflation
- Temporarily eliminates the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision
- Paid for by increasing taxes on the wealthiest Americans
- Increases Social Security benefits by $2,400 per year
- Extends this program for the next 75 years by increasing taxes on the wealthiest Americans
SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act: SSI is a federal assistance program that provides monthly cash payments to aged, blind, or disabled individuals with limited income and resources.
- Increases resource limits used to determine eligibility for the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program.
- Increases asset caps from $2,000 to $10,000 for individuals and from $3,000 to $20,000 for married couples.
- Annually adjusts the limits for inflation.
While many like Congressman Deluzio are fighting to protect Social Security, some in Congress are threatening to cut the program. The Republican Study Committee caucus in the U.S. House proposed cuts to Social Security and Medicare within their recent budget document. Among other concerning proposals, House Republicans called for over $1.5 trillion in cuts to Social Security, including an increase in the retirement age to 69, along with cuts to disability benefits. They also proposed removing Medicare’s power to negotiate with drug companies; this fiscally reckless move would take away a critical tool to lower drug costs and contribute to the debt by driving up the price of prescription drugs.
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