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Members
of Congress hold Press Call to announce,
"Hands off Social Security"
Alliance for Retired Americans President Barbara J.
Easterling joined Senators Bernard Sanders
(I-VT) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH), as well as
Reps. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), John Conyers
(D-MI) and Dan Maffei (D-NY) and AFSCME
International President Gerald McEntee, on a
conference call with reporters organized by
the Strengthen Social Security Campaign.
The call briefed members of the press on how
the participants' efforts to protect Social
Security against harmful benefit cuts are
gaining momentum in Congress.
Senators Sanders and Brown discussed the
Sanders resolution, S. Res. 664, which
opposes raising the retirement age, risky
privatization schemes, or cutting Social
Security benefits.
This resolution now has 11 co-sponsors. The
Giffords Resolution, a similar resolution in
the House, is H. Res. 1670 and has 56
co-sponsors.
Reps. Grijalva, Conyers and Maffei also
discussed the letter they are spearheading
to President Obama against any form of
Social Security benefit cuts, including
raising the retirement age.
The Grijalva-Conyers-Maffei letter has now been
signed by over 100 of their colleagues in
Congress. The current retirement age is 67,
and House Minority Leader John Boehner
(R-OH) has raised the possibility of raising
it to 70.
"Thank you once again to our dedicated
Alliance members, who have sent more than
2,300 letters to their House members urging
them not to raise the retirement age," Ms.
Easterling said on Thursday. The House and
Senate could face a proposal to cut Social
Security benefits in the lame duck session,
should it be recommended by the Fiscal
Commission on Dec. 1.
