To provide for a limitation on availability of funds for District of Columbia, Federal Payment for Judicial Commissions, Commission on Judicial Disabilities and Tenure for fiscal year 2024.

Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening with my colleagues to have a discussion about the Nation's number one antipoverty program for the elderly and the Nation's number one antipoverty program for children. More veterans rely on Social Security disability than they do on the VA.

Mr. Speaker, we want to make sure that we are addressing this to our colleagues. Since you are in the chair from Minnesota, Mr. Speaker, I want you to know that you have more than 189,000 Social Security recipients in your district; more than 147,000 retirees; more than 20,000 disabled; 8,000 widows; 9,000 children.

Here is the key, Mr. Speaker, $335 million a month comes into your district for those Social Security recipients. Where do they spend it? Right back in their district.

Yet, it has been more than 53 years since Congress has enhanced Social Security. Richard Nixon was President of the United States the last time Social Security was enhanced.

Democrats are bound and determined to make sure that we get something simple like a vote here in Congress to help out all of those people in your district, Mr. Speaker, as well as highlight why this is so important.

Seventy million Americans rely on Social Security. Ten thousand baby boomers a day become eligible for Social Security. Forty thousand Americans rely on Social Security in and of itself as their primary tenet for retirement.

It is the Nation's number one antipoverty program for the elderly and for children. That is why our colleagues have taken to the floor today, so that the American people understand that what is between them and enhancement to this program is a vote. It is a vote on Social Security 2100, that will extend the solvency of Social Security, but, as importantly, expand benefits, including making sure that the more than 23 million people that pay taxes on Social Security no longer have to do that.

What could be a better bipartisan plan than helping out every single individual in everyone's district and also providing for 23 million Americans, not the wealthiest Americans but the everyday citizens who work weeklong to provide for their families and pay into a system and haven't received an enhancement in 53 years.

That is why Joe Neguse is here as part of leadership that has strongly endorsed this.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Neguse).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Colorado, our esteemed leader, for his contribution. I would point out as well that the repeal of WEP and GPO, which directly impacts police officers and firefighters, is contained within our proposal. It needs a vote.

Social Security has no impact on the debt or deficit and, as President Biden has proposed, is fully paid for by--most Americans don't even realize this--lifting the cap on people making over $400,000. Doing so allows us to enhance the program for the first time in 20-plus years and also makes sure that we extend the solvency of the program.

Someone who knows that extraordinarily well is the gentleman from New Jersey, who also serves on the Social Security Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).

Mr. Speaker, I want to point out to Speaker Johnson that he has 158,000 Social Security recipients in his district, and in Louisiana, they receive $233 million in monthly benefits. Think about what that does for economic development for those people. Where do they spend that money?

Linda Sanchez knows this. Linda Sanchez, who also serves on the Ways and Means Committee and on the subcommittee, understands how vitally important this is and also that more than 5 million of our Americans receive below-poverty-level checks from Social Security after having paid into the system all of their lives. The majority of them happen to be women, and the majority of them are women of color.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Sanchez).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California for again highlighting what we are asking for: a vote. Imagine the United States Congress actually voting.

Here is the deal: If you have a better idea, please bring it to the floor. Let's vote on it. Don't we all agree that this is something that all Americans need?

Republicans in their hearts know that the American people desperately need this. I know Representative Jodey Arrington understands this on the Budget Committee. More than 50 years since we have enhanced a program for the people of this country is outrageous.

You can embrace tax cuts for billionaires as though they needed them, and yet, a tax cut for a person working, who still finds themselves working after they retire, is double taxed on their Social Security.

There should be outrage on this floor and demanding a vote. God only knows that if you have got a better idea or a better program, please put it forward. Let's do the democratic thing, and vote on it.

The gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Amo) campaigned on this throughout his effort to be successfully elected to the United States Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Amo).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Rhode Island for his comments, and I wanted to say this, as well, that this is a bill that was constructed by more than 350 different groups across this great country and by Members of this body who put together their ideas.

The Ways and Means Committee merely took the great ideas of our colleagues and put them together--ideas that have been endorsed by the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, Social Security Works, the Alliance for Retired Americans, the California Alliance for Retired Americans, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Strengthen Social Security Coalition, the NAACP, and the list goes on.

The gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Lois Frankel) understands this, and Florida probably leads the country in terms of the number of seniors that it has in their districts. As we pointed out before to the Speaker, every district receives money--$364 million a month, but it has been that way for more than 50-plus years. These programs need to be enhanced and extended, not cut.

The provision by the Republican Study Committee, if there is nothing done by 2034, Social Security is cut by 20 percent. Instead, they are calling to raise the age now and cut Social Security by 21 percent today. How does that possibly make any sense?

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Lois Frankel) who understands this.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Florida for her comments, and I reiterate that all we are asking for is a vote.

For those citizens tuned in to C-SPAN and listening tonight, if you are saying, What do you mean? Why is it that you can't get a vote on this in the United States Congress? Good question. Call your Representative and ask them why they aren't voting to improve a program that hasn't been enhanced in more than 50 years.

We hear from the other side all the time about what we need to do in terms of cuts. Imagine, this is what they would like to cut. If they have got a better idea, they should bring it to the floor. The way a democracy works is it is a debate about ideas, and then there is actually a vote that is cast.

The gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Stansbury) understands this and understands how important the money coming into her district is monthly, as well.

She understands how vitally important Social Security is to our economy, and not just to our retirees, but to our disabled and to their spouses and to children. The genius of Franklin Delano Roosevelt is what keeps entrepreneurialism and capitalism alive and allows people to take risks is because they know that there is a safety net there for its people.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Stansbury).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from New Mexico for her eloquence.

There is no one more eloquent or well-versed on this subject than the deaness of the House of Representatives. She is someone who has lived and breathed this issue and has stood up when the other side has referred to Social Security as an entitlement. It is not an entitlement. It is an earned benefit that people have paid for.

Mr. Speaker, the only thing they have to do is look at their pay stub, because on it, it says FICA. That stands for Federal insurance. It is not an entitlement. It is a Federal Insurance Contributions.

Whose?

The people of the United States of America who have paid into this program and that Congress has not enhanced.

This debate is not only about protecting Social Security, it is about expanding benefits that haven't been expanded in more than 50 years.

I commend President Biden for having the courage and the temerity on this floor in the State of the Union message to speak directly to the American people and even those colleagues on the other side who try to decry the efforts of Social Security and the President's plan to make sure that it is solvent by lifting the cap--imagine that, Mr. Speaker-- on people making over $400,000.

Marcy Kaptur understands this thoroughly when she talks to people in Ohio who are infuriated and who say: Well, wait a minute, you are telling me that a person making $50,000, $75,000, and $100,000 pays throughout the year, but somebody making over $400,000 is done paying in January?

Or as Ms. Sanchez said, a baseball player after their first at bat?

Nobody has fought harder for working people than the gentlewoman from Ohio.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Ohio. She mentioned Mr. Cartwright who I think epitomizes the concern that exists in this body, in the Congress, for people who go back home every week and meet with their constituents.

The constituents of Pennsylvania are fortunate that they have someone who understands their needs and understands the neglect that Congress has shown in not addressing the number one anti-poverty program for elderly and for children in this country.

As difficult as times are now, we need to make sure that minimally we have a vote. I do not understand the reluctance on the other side to bring forward legislation and actually vote on it. If you have got a better idea, Mr. Speaker, or even if you object to the plan, please tell us what it is that you object to, and what it is about Social Security and making sure that nobody works all their lives and pays into a system and then retires into poverty.

Matt Cartwright understands that. He understands his district in Pennsylvania and the importance of getting this legislation done.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Cartwright).

I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania.

Yes, it is.

Not only is it true, but I think what the general public needs to understand, and as you point out, Mr. Cartwright, the saying goes like this: Well, people are living longer, so, therefore, because they are living longer, what we ought to do is raise the age.

What the study committee doesn't tell you is that for every year you raise the age, that is a 7 percent cut in benefits. Oh, so if you raise the age to 70, that is a 21 percent cut in your benefits going forward.

How is it, from just mere logic, that if you are living longer you need to live on 21 percent less?

The American people understand this, and that is why they are so upset, but that is why, Mr. Cartwright, we need a vote.

That is correct.

I guess the sad thing is that this needs a vote. It needs a debate. Philosophically, if you believe--and God bless, some on the other side do believe this is some form of socialism and that everybody ought to be able to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps and be able to make do for themselves, that you don't need the government to do anything for you even when you have paid in all of your life to a program that has been the greatest American program to sustain our elderly and children.

If you disagree with that, that is terrific, but let's then take that to the American people. Where do you do that? On the floor of the House of Representatives, where you actually will debate the issue and put forward your proposals versus ours.

Isn't that the way democracy is supposed to work, Mr. Cartwright?

Mr. Speaker, my good friend Jodey Arrington--and I sincerely mean that when I say that. A lot of times on this floor, we say ``good friend,'' but I appreciate the effort that he puts into his work.

I bring these cards here this evening just to point out to our colleagues what it is. We made one for every Member of Congress. This is just a direct plea: Understand what is going on in your district because of Social Security.

Citizens have every right to ask why Congress hasn't done anything to enhance this program, Democrats and Republicans, in more than 50 years, especially when we know how vital this program is to our own system of capitalism and entrepreneurialism and what it means to every single one of our communities.

There is not a better economic development program that Texas will receive than the individuals in everyone's district receiving their Social Security checks. They are not going out and buying stock options. They are buying groceries. They are going to the pharmacy. They are going to the dry cleaners. They are paying their rent and mortgages. They are meeting the concerns in their communities. In doing so, those communities can thrive. It is long overdue--more than 50 years.

All we are asking for is a vote. If you have a better idea, in a democracy, the way I was brought up, you put it out there, and then, lo and behold, we actually have a vote--a vote that requires a debate and a discussion and then Congress demonstrating what it believes in by actually casting a vote.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Neguse) for a final comment.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his comments, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, we are here this afternoon to discuss America's number one antipoverty program for the elderly and the number one antipoverty program for children. It is Social Security.

I commend my colleague from the Ways and Means Committee, Mr. Moore, for his work on the committee, but here is the issue, Mr. Speaker: This Congress that we are all a part of has not enhanced Social Security now going on 53 years. 1971 was the last time the United States Congress, which has the responsibility, enhanced Social Security for any of its recipients. Mr. Speaker, 10,000 baby boomers a day become eligible for Social Security, and since 1971, Congress has not taken any action.

I am joined by my colleagues today as we come to this floor and beseech our fellow colleagues to do one simple thing: Vote. That is our responsibility.

We have a very specific plan that we have put forward. There is also this other plan that is out there, some sort of debt commission that is going to go behind closed doors and decide what they will cut with respect to Social Security.

The American public overwhelmingly--Democrat, Republican, and Independents--all say we do not need cuts to the very essential programs that we rely on as a country. For more than 40 percent, Mr. Speaker, of all Americans, Social Security is the only pension that they have, and Congress hasn't acted in more than 53 years.

We need to enhance the program. We need to enhance it in a way that makes sure that everyone gets an across-the-board increase, especially for 5 million of our fellow Americans, mostly women, who get below- poverty-level checks from the government of the wealthiest nation in the world because Congress has not taken the time or the effort.

Who are these people? They are your brothers, your sisters, your aunts, your uncles, your neighbors, the people you go to church with.

Where does this money go? Right back into every single Member's district.

Mr. Moore of Utah has 110,000 Social Security recipients in his district. Every single Member of Congress is getting a card that tells them how many recipients they have in their district, what they receive, whether they are dependents, spouses, or disabled.

That is what we are focused on. We want a vote, Mr. Speaker, because the American people demand it. That is why I am joined here for this Special Order hour on this floor by so many of our colleagues. There are so many of us that we hope everyone will recognize their time and have consideration for their colleagues, but I will also point out the more than 350 groups across the Nation that support the Social Security 2100 Act, including the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, Social Security Works, the NAACP, the AFL-CIO, Paralyzed Veterans of America, the National Education Association, and I could go on. Instead, I am going to yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell), a leader on the Subcommittee on Social Security.

Mr. Speaker, there is no person on the committee who has fought harder for the repeal of WEP and GPO and who understands the significance and impact that Social Security has on so many of her constituents and constituents all across this country than Ms. Sanchez.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Sanchez).

Mr. Speaker, I again want to point out that both Ms. Sanchez and Ms. Moore, who will be speaking next, understand completely that Social Security is an earned benefit. It is often referred to on the other side as an entitlement. It is hardly an entitlement. Every American knows when they look at their paycheck that it says FICA. That stands for Federal Insurance Contributions Act. Whose? Yours.

Gwen Moore understands that, and that is why she has been fighting on this committee to make sure that we not only extend the solvency, but we enhance the benefits.

Imagine this, Richard Nixon was President of the United States the last time Congress enhanced any benefits to Social Security. Do you think things have changed a little bit over those years?

Every single member of the public ought to be outraged by this. It is not anything the President can do with executive order. It is not anything that is going to happen through the judiciary. It is only through the United States Congress.

What are we asking of the Congress? We are asking them to vote.

That is what Gwen Moore does every week on the committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore).

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Moore.

The gentleman from Pennsylvania has done just an incredible job on the Ways and Means Committee, again advocating on a regular basis, especially for the more than 5 million fellow Americans who get below- poverty-level checks from Social Security. We are not here just to extend the solvency of Social Security. We have a plan that the President of the United States supports, that is fully paid for. It is paid for by having people--are you ready for this?--who are making over $400,000--that is about six-tenths of 1 percent of the American people. Raise your hand in the gallery if you are making more than $400,000.

By doing just that, we will both extend the solvency and enhance the program that is fully paid for and make sure the trust fund stays intact. That is what the gentleman from Pennsylvania fights for.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Evans).

I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania. I, again, thank the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, Social Security Works, the Alliance for Retired Americans, the NAACP, the AFL-CIO, and AARP, which came out most recently condemning the so-called commission that is coming down the pike.

Every American should be aware of this. When they are talking about a debt commission, what they are talking about is cutting Social Security, a commission that goes behind closed doors and without public hearings decides what is going to be the future of Social Security.

Americans--Democrats, Republicans, and Independents--support Social Security and enhancing it. Nobody knows that better than Steve Horsford, who represents more than 150,000 Social Security recipients in his home State of Nevada.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Horsford).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Nevada. When he spoke, I was reminded of John Lewis, our fellow colleague on the Ways and Means Committee, who said that, in fact, Social Security is the civil rights movement.

I yield to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Mrs. Trahan), someone who understands, with the birthday of Martin Luther King coming up this Monday, our celebration of that, and one of our leaders who truly understands the fierce urgency of now and what it means to have to pass Social Security for the constituents that we represent who need it the most.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Massachusetts.

I yield to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Courtney). Together, we have gone across the State of Connecticut as we have talked about Social Security and its importance and significance.

Nobody understands it better, especially its impact on teachers and firefighters and police officers and municipal workers who have long been prevented through WEP and GPO. Under this bill, that all changes because of his efforts.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Connecticut.

I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), the female dean of the United States Congress, who has more than 143,000 Social Security recipients in her district and has been a tireless fighter for Social Security before I even came to the United States Congress. We applaud her efforts.

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining?

Mr. Speaker, we have 20 minutes remaining, and we have about 12 people who are sitting here, so I hope our colleagues are mindful of that.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee), who has more than 98,000 Social Security recipients in her district who receive more than $143 million monthly in that district, as we indicated just how vitally important Social Security is as an economic development plan as well.

I thank the gentlewoman for her continued input and support over the last several decades.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Cartwright), who has been key as an original cosponsor of the Social Security 2100 Act and also for his passion about the people in his district who are in such need of Social Security to make sure that it is there today, tomorrow, and in the future.

Sure.

That is correct.

I thank the gentleman for his remarks, and I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Lieu).

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Norcross).

Mr. Speaker, for 40 percent of all Americans on Social Security the only benefit that they receive is Social Security, and that is why the gentleman's point is so well taken.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Titus).

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Torres).

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Wild).

Mr. Chair, first I would appeal to your great instincts and patience and thank you for this hour, but we actually have colleagues, at least four, that are here. Over 30 showed up.

Would it be possible to yield them a minute apiece?

I would make a motion to extend the time period to provide our colleagues a minute apiece.

Yes.

Mr. Speaker, I move for a 1-minute speech from the remaining four Members.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentleman from Connecticut for yielding. He is long serving and longstanding, and I have been together with Mr. Larson on this issue it has to be two decades, and I can only thank him for realizing that people will simply die--I am going to

say that--without the lifeline of Social Security. He has recognized that, and that is why we are in the fight.

That is why we have to continue the fight. That is why we have to come back in the next Congress and get this done because if it is not done in this Congress--we must get it done. We must get it done.

Let me give you breaking news. Let me tell you why we are all on the floor, why there are 12 Members on the floor and there were others on the floor previously. This is a national crisis. The House Republican Study Committee, a caucus of 176 House Republican Members, has proposed multiple harsh cuts to Social Security in the fiscal year 2024 budget. Although the budget is vague on details, they will be holding--and may have held--a press conference, and reporting has come out that they intend to cut your Social Security. They intend to violate the very special sacred trust--yes, do violence to the sacred trust that from the days of President Roosevelt every American--except those, of course, that were in some of the professions of people of color that we had to fix--every American felt that they could live, that they could survive because of Social Security.

I want to thank John Larson for championing together on the Social Security 2100 Act to be able to bring about an increase of benefits of 2 percent across the board on the average for all Social Security beneficiaries for the first time in 52 years; improve the cost-of- living adjustment so it reflects inflation; increase benefits to boost lower income seniors; improve benefits for middle-income widows and widowers; restore student benefits up to age 26; increase access to benefits for children living with grandparents and other relatives; and celebrate--celebrate repealing the windfall elimination provision, which means in the government pension offset that currently penalizes public servants.

I can walk the streets of the 18th Congressional District, and when all of these hardworking public servants are saying: Have you helped me? I can say yes. We will end the 5-month waiting period.

Mr. Speaker, I am here today to join Mr. Larson in vigorous support of the Social Security 2100 Act and to be able to say that we are here because there is a crisis because there is purposeful intent to snatch Social Security from the hands of beneficiaries, including children. I want to stand with you in the passage of H.R. 2100 because I want the lifeline to continue. I want the story of President Roosevelt to continue in the hands of Americans, people of color, those who have started in life in a low income and those who may end life in a low income but have as their lifeline Social Security.

I am standing with you.

Mr. Speaker, since 1935, the Federal Government has provided Social Security coverage to the American people and kept the promise that a lifetime of work will be rewarded with the peace of mind, certainty, and a sense of stable retirement.

Social Security has transformed what it means to grow old in this country. This system allows our citizens to retire gracefully and with honor.

Social Security is the United States' most effective anti-poverty line.

Social Security keeps 22.5 million Americans, including children above the poverty line.

There are 98,576 Social Security recipients in Texas who receive $143 million in monthly benefits. 8,118 of those are children who rely on our support to go to school every day and live safe and secure lives.

In the 18th Congressional district, Social Security recipients inject more than $97 million into the local economy annually; nationwide, this figure is $775 billion.

It is Congress' responsibility to keep that promise and to fund Social Security for all Americans. Congress must also ensure the benefits keep up with Americans' expenses--today, tomorrow, and forever.

Social Security is a lifeline for many. Social Security has been a stable and secure source of income for millions of seniors and families, many of whom desperately need it.

As our population ages and increases in size, we must protect the benefits that we have become accustomed to for current Social Security recipients and all future recipients.

We must work together to strengthen and protect Social Security, which is why I am a strong supporter of H.R. 4583, the Social Security 2100 Act.

Far too often, it is overlooked the seismic impact that Social Security has had in shaping our national economy and the structure of life chances for hundreds of millions of Americans through the years.

According to the 2022 Social Security Trustees report, if Congress does not act to correct Social Security funding issues, retirees will start receiving reduced benefits starting in 2034.

Reduced benefits would force millions of Americans into poverty.

For about half of senior beneficiaries, Social Security provides a majority of their income.

These seniors have worked extensively and paid into the Social Security system like they were asked to.

They held up their end of the bargain.

Congress must ensure that we are able to hold up our end of the bargain.

H.R. 4583 would increase social security benefits, improve the Cost of Living Adjustment (COIA), ensure no one retires into poverty, and repeals provisions that currently penalize many public servants.

We must continue to support our seniors, veterans, and children who all benefit from Social Security.

I urge my colleagues to support this vital legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Larson for yielding time and for his noble, tireless work safeguarding Social Security for the benefit of all Americans.

For nearly a century, America has made a sacred promise--those who work hard throughout their lives will benefit from the fruits of their labor upon retirement.

Social Security promises a safe and secure retirement for tens of millions of Americans during their golden years. Without action, that promise is at risk.

I hear from thousands of retirees across Northwestern Ohio who want to see a responsible solution to refinance Social Security going forward. One in five Social Security beneficiaries are veterans.

Let me observe that the billionaire class must join the vast majority of Americans in paying their fair share into the system itself.

By making that happen, the Social Security 2100 Act, championed by Congressman Larson and all of us, will increase benefits for current and new beneficiaries, protect retirees against inflation, and repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision.

We must push for a vote on the House floor as soon as possible. The Social Security 2100 Act is one of the most important bills before this Congress.

There are 182 House cosponsors of this bill. I ask Speaker Johnson to please move this bill to the floor for a vote.

Social Security is an earned benefit, and America made a promise to workers, and Democrats are committed to making good on that promise.

I am the granddaughter of immigrants. They worked at the lowest wages and the worst jobs--first fired, last hired. They simply could not have existed if it were not for Social Security. The same is true for my parents.

You see, Social Security is not just a program. It is a trust, a sacred insurance trust, and that trust is intergenerational. I thank Congressman John Larson for his dogged, persistent efforts to move this issue forward.

I may be the only Member here in this Chamber tonight who was present in the 98th Congress in April of 1983 after I was first elected to Congress and soon after became a deciding vote in April of that year for the refinancing of Social Security for the next generation.

What an unforgettable moment that was. I sat right in that seat right there, and I stood and I cheered because we had fought so hard for that in the prior election.

That close, eventful vote, so extremely important to refinancing Social Security for the first time in a generation, passed. Now, Congress must meet its responsibility for the succeeding generation.

The Speaker of the House back then was Tip O'Neill of Massachusetts. We had a Republican President, Ronald Reagan.

There had been a commission to preserve Social Security and Medicare before I became a Member of Congress.

In the same way Congressman Larson has led this effort, this House had a member from Florida, Claude Pepper, who chaired the Aging Committee.

They called him Red Pepper, and like Congressman Larson, he was a heart-and-soul Democrat from the inside and out and just a great guy.

We were able to move passage of the refinancing of Social Security for the next generation, and I knew that I had helped do that as a younger Member.

At that time, the country was also in a deep recession, and we knew that Social Security as an earned benefit was paid through hard work, and it deserved to be lifted again.

It also insures children whose parents or guardians have died. Two- thirds of families in my district rely on Social Security or Medicare benefits, and they are truly lifelines for millions of people.

Medicare has worked too, and we need to do what is possible to make all healthcare more affordable for the American people.

We know the Social Security insurance program is something America can renew for all our families. We know it works, it is proven, and it lifts all boats.

From an economic standpoint, to pull the rug out from under Social Security would cause not only harm to individuals but economic harm in every Congressional district in this country.

People use Social Security to buy food, to pay their utility bills, to pay copays on their medical services, and for the basics of life.

These aren't families that squander money, but they have earned retirement security, and they watch every penny.

We in Ohio want to express a special thanks to Congressman Larson for including in the bill the Windfall Elimination Provision, which harms our working families so very much. This issue does not impact every single State, but believe me, it really impacts Ohioans.

Again, I thank my colleagues for being here tonight with us who championed protecting this earned benefit and social safety net, and I and all of us here stand with America's working people and retirees to protect and improve Social Security.

Though each of us represents different communities, we, all together, represent America. We know that with the unwavering leadership of Congressman John Larson, he will lead us to a day where Social Security 2100 is the law of the land.

I thank Congressman John Larson for his perseverance and for helping to move our Nation forward to protect the hard-earned benefits for generations to come.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Connecticut

(Mr. Larson) for bringing us together for this important Special Order and to thank him for his tremendous leadership on Social Security as the ranking member of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security and for introducing the Social Security 2100 Act, which I am proud to be an original cosponsor of.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the urgent need for us to take action to protect and to improve one of the most important programs in our Nation, Social Security. It is shameful that it has been more than 50 years since Social Security benefits have been improved.

Social Security is vital to making sure our senior citizens, the disabled, and many children in Nevada and all across the country are able to keep a roof over their heads and to keep food on the table.

Mr. Speaker, there are 149,700 Social Security recipients in Nevada's Fourth Congressional District, which I am honored to represent. This includes 113,832 retirees, 8,380 children, 11,279 widows and spouses, and 16,209 disabled workers. Collectively, they receive $248 million in monthly benefits in our district alone.

When beneficiaries receive their Social Security checks, what do they do? They turn around and spend that money in our communities, helping to churn the local economic engine.

I know some of my colleagues on the other side will say we can't afford it. Well, the truth is, we can't not afford it. By simply ensuring millionaires and billionaires pay just their fair share of FICA that everyone else who works every day does, we can absolutely afford it. With these funds, we can increase benefits for all recipients by 2 percent, which would be the first general increase in Social Security in over 52 years. You tell my constituents we can't afford it, and meanwhile they are struggling to afford their rent and their food.

Something else that I hear a lot about from my constituents is the fact that this bill, as proposed by Congressman Larson, repeals the Windfall Elimination Provision, the WEP, and the Government Pension Offset that currently penalizes many workers who have worked in the public sector, including teachers in Nevada.

Mr. Speaker, I have one of the most diverse districts in the country, and I also have a significant military presence and many veterans who live in my district.

Social Security's progressive benefit formula is particularly important for groups that tend to earn lower wages during their working lives, which include African Americans and Latino families. For example, in 2020, average earnings were about $41,000 for African Americans and $38,000 for Hispanics.

The progressive formula means benefits replace a higher share of preretirement earnings for low-wage workers.

People of color are less likely to work for employers who offer pensions and less likely to receive pension benefits in retirement, which weakens their security.

In 2014, 30 percent of African American seniors, 19 percent of Latino seniors, and 25 percent of Asian American seniors received income from pensions or retirement benefits other than Social Security. This compares to 47 percent of White seniors.

Mr. Speaker, many of the Latino and Black seniors in my district and all across the country rely on Social Security for all or nearly all of their income.

After decades of hard work, they deserve the benefits that they have earned, and they deserve a program that keeps their benefits in line with inflation and the cost of living.

By preserving and expanding benefits, Social Security 2100 would increase retirement security for people of color who have worked hard and who depend upon Social Security in their retirement.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, nearly one in five adult Social Security beneficiaries are veterans. Military servicemembers pay FICA, earning future retirement, survivor, and disability benefits. Seriously injured veterans may be eligible for Social Security disability benefits.

Over 8 million veterans received Social Security benefits in 2022. This is more than 5.41 million veterans who received disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Social Security 2100 Act will extend the Social Security trust fund until 2066 and increase benefits for every recipient.

Only we, the Congress, can make the necessary changes to protect and enhance Social Security, and we must take that action.

I look forward to working with my colleagues on this side of the aisle to put people over politics and to protect Social Security.