Last Thursday Rep. Sam Johnson, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee's subcommittee on Social Security, released a plan to “preserve Social Security for generations to come, reward work, and improve retirement security” - as the first page of the bill states. NOT TRUE.
According to the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, Johnson's bill would:
According to the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, Johnson's bill would:
• Cut Social Security benefits by one third
• Raise the retirement age from 67 to 69
• Change the benefit-computation formula to cut benefit amounts
• Cut all Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs)
Nothing will happen on this bill before Congress shuts down for the year-end holidays this Friday and does not return until Tuesday 3 January 2017 – but Johnson will undoubtedly reintroduce it in the new 115th Congress early next year.
Please call and/or email your senators and congressional representative (see contact info below) about Rep. Johnson's Social Security bill. Here is a sample script you can edit to suit yourself. It's short, strong and to the point:
I'm [full name], a constituent calling to ask [Senator (name) or Representative (name)] to publicly oppose the Social Security Reform Act of 2016 from Representative Sam Johnson of Texas.This bill would slash the program's benefit not just for future beneficiaries but for current ones too, and destroy Social Security. There are many other well-known ways to preserve Social Security and I am asking the (senator or representative) to block this legislation with all (his/her) might.
Senator Harry Reid: http://www.reid.senate.gov/contact
Office Phones: Reno: 686-5750 Carson City: 882-7343 DC: 202-224-7327
Senator Dean Heller: http://www.heller.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form
Office Phones: Reno: 686-5770 DC: 202-224-6244
Congressman Mark Amodei: https://amodei.house.gov/email-me/
Office Phones: Reno: 686-5760 DC: 202-225-6155
Senator-elect Catherine Cortez Masto
Office Phone: Las Vegas: 702-527-1634
email: info@catherinecortezmasto.com
It doesn't matter what party your representatives belong to. Make the call either way. And ask everyone you know to do so too.
Nancy Altman, co-author of Social Security Works!, the definitive, fact-based explanation of this crucially important program, says:
"Remember the ubiquitous mantra of those who propose to dismantle Social Security: no benefit cuts for those aged 55 and older? That is out the window. Every single one of the more than 57 million current beneficiaries will experience a cut under [this] plan."
For more info, see http://tinyurl.com/SocSecurityBill