Good morning,

Social Security is a pledge to hard working Americans that they will be able to retire with the dignity they deserve.  This treasured program reaches its 77^th anniversary today, and we have a responsibility to guarantee that it remains strong for future generations. 

For 77 years, Social Security has touched the lives of millions of Americans across the country.  When President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Social Security into law on August 14, 1935, he described the act as “a law that will take care of human needs and at the same time provide the United States an economic structure of vastly greater soundness” and promised the law would give “a measure of protection to the average citizen and to his family against the loss of a job and against poverty-ridden old age.”

Almost 50 years later, when sweeping changes were made to our Social Security program in 1983, President Reagan promised that the law “assures the elderly that American will always keep the promises made in troubled times a half century ago” and called the new modifications to the law “a monument to the spirit of compassion and commitment that unites us as a people.”

As we work together toward improving the long-term solvency of the program, we must avoid making ill-advised changes – like creating volatile private accounts – that could reduce the amount of benefits seniors receive every month.

I understand that these are tough economic times and I am acutely aware of the difficulties facing seniors on fixed incomes.  It is a priority of mine to ensure that seniors are able to live comfortably and make ends meet, and I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to improve the Social Security program for current and future generations.

If you or someone you know is currently experiencing problems with Social Security benefits that you are due, I want to hear about it.  Should you need assistance with Social Security or any other federal agency, please contact me at any of the numbers at the bottom of this message, connect with me on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter.

Bill