FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2020
PRESS CONTACTS:
Tax March | [email protected]
Social Security Works | [email protected]
Progressive Groups Tell Trump, Senate Republicans: Hands Off Our Social Security
Mobile Billboards Launched in Iowa, Maine, Arizona & North Carolina
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Tax March and Social Security Works launched mobile billboards in Iowa, Maine, Arizona and North Carolina telling President Trump and Senate Republicans to keep their hands off Social Security. The billboards come in response to the White House’s announcement this week that Republicans will attempt to include payroll tax cuts in the next coronavirus relief bill.
The payroll tax cut would reduce funding for Social Security at a critical time, while sending most savings to big corporations and the wealthy.
“We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Slashing payroll taxes is a lose-lose strategy. They primarily help the wealthiest, and do nothing to help the over 51 million Americans who have filed unemployment claims over the past 4 months,” said Tax March Executive Director Maura Quint. “The Trump administration and the president’s allies in Congress need to extend unemployment benefits and expand crucial safety net programs — not push losing economic proposals and tax cuts for the rich.”
Americans know Social Security saves countless lives. Social Security provided benefits to nearly 62 million Americans in 2017, around 1 in 5 people. The financial security provided by the program actually lifted almost 22 million Americans out of poverty in 2017 alone. And without Social Security, the elderly poverty rate in the United States would have increased from 9.2 percent to 39.7 percent.
“Donald Trump is obsessed with slashing payroll contributions, Social Security’s dedicated funding,” said Alex Lawson, Executive Director of Social Security Works. “And Senate Republicans are rubber stamps who are happy to raid our Social Security system to please Trump. We say to both Trump and Senate Republicans: Hands off our earned benefits!”
If the president or McConnell need a rubric for future coronavirus relief legislation, we wrote some Dos and Don’ts.
Here’s a hint: payroll tax cuts are a big DON’T.
Learn more about how Social Security protects Americans, and why Trump and Congressional Republicans must not attack earned benefits by slashing payroll taxes.
