Before Social Security was signed into law, nearly half of senior citizens lived in poverty. Today, the elderly poverty rate is 10 percent.Social Security is the most successful government program in our nation’s history. Through good times and bad, Social Security has paid every nickel owed to every eligible American – on time and without delay. As corporations destroyed the retirement dreams of millions over the past 30 years by eliminating defined benefit pension plans, Social Security was paying full benefits. As millions of Americans lost their life savings after Wall Street’s recklessness crashed the economy in 2008, Social Security was paying full benefits. My platform aims to fight for all of us who have been disadvantaged or have left the work force. There’s a lot of work to do but we can start by enacting the following legislative policies today:

• Lift the contribution cap so that everyone who makes over $250,000 a year pays the same percentage of their income into Social Security as the middle class and working families, rather than less.This would not only extend the solvency of Social Security for the next 50 years, but also bring in enough revenue to expand benefits by an average of $65 a month; increase cost-of-living-adjustments, and lift more seniors out of poverty by increasing the minimum benefits paid to low-income seniors.
• Expand Social Security to make sure that everyone in this country can retire with the dignity and respect they deserve.