'22 Million Americans... Plunged Into Poverty': Kennedy Slams Trump Admin's Social Security Plans

3 days ago

During remarks on the House floor, Rep. Tim Kennedy (D-NY) ripped into the Trump Administration over potential cuts to Social Security.

Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:

https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript

Stay Connected
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com

Transcript

00:00Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to President Trump and Elon Musk's attacks

00:09on the safety nets that countless Western New Yorkers and people across the country

00:14have earned and need.

00:16Hardworking Americans rely on the promise of a secure and dignified retirement.

00:21That promise is called Social Security, and it's a solemn promise we must keep.

00:27Yet from Elon Musk accessing private beneficiary data to Trump's hand-picked acting commissioner

00:34declaring living recipients to be deceased in order to claw back their benefits, Social

00:39Security is under fire.

00:42And starting next week, a new rule will create further barriers requiring in-person identity

00:47verification for those who are unable to register online.

00:53This will hurt the most vulnerable people in our community.

00:56People with disabilities, limited income, inadequate access to technology or transportation,

01:03and our seniors who rely on phone-based support.

01:06At the same time, the administration is planning to close offices around the country, making

01:12it even harder for people to access these services.

01:16These reckless actions are robbing the hardworking men and women that I represent in Western

01:21New York.

01:22It's a slap in the face to every American citizen who has spent decades paying into

01:27the system, and every widow, person with a disability, and child who lost a parent too

01:33soon, who deserves and needs the benefits that allows them to survive.

01:39Social Security is not a giveaway.

01:41It's a fully funded program by the people who rely on it, by the sweat and hard-earned

01:46wages of American workers.

01:49Without Social Security, nearly 22 million Americans, many of them seniors on a fixed

01:55income or people with disabilities, will be plunged into poverty overnight.

02:02In my district alone, over 167,000 people rely on Social Security benefits to pay their

02:07bills, put food on the table, and afford their prescriptions.

02:11It has allowed seniors to stay in their homes, help widows keep the lights on, and ensure

02:16that people who have worked their whole lives don't spend their final days scraping by.

02:22Despite the incredible progress we've made as a nation to keep people out of poverty,

02:27President Trump and Elon Musk are rolling back the clock in order to give tax cuts to

02:32billionaires and the ultra-rich.

02:35Elon Musk even called Social Security the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.

02:41Perhaps he has this confused with his own plan to cut taxes for the richest among us,

02:46including himself, at the expense of everyone else.

02:51Congress must reject the administration's attempt to weaken Social Security.

02:56We need to fight tooth and nail against those who want to raise the retirement age, reduce

03:00benefits, or privatize this program for the benefit of corporations and the ultra-rich.

03:04Instead, we should be strengthening Social Security to protect this vital safety net

03:10and fighting for an America where working people get to retire with dignity.

03:15President Trump, leave your hands off Social Security.

'22 Million Americans... Plunged Into Poverty': Kennedy Slams Trump Admin's Social Security Plans

Category

Transcript

Recommended