John,

Since the COVID-19 pandemic came to America, we’ve warned that Trump and his Republican allies in Congress could use the crisis to sneak through their long-desired partisan goals to destroy our Social Security system.

We’ve already seen Republicans like Senators Richard Burr and Kelly Loeffler put their personal stock portfolios ahead of public health. To them, this crisis is an opportunity.

Donald Trump’s favorite attack has been eliminating Social Security’s dedicated revenue for the rest of the year, laying a post-election trap for Democrats. If Trump wins re-election, he will push to eliminate Social Security’s funding permanently, but if Democrats take control, Republicans will call restoring Social Security’s funding a massive tax increase.

Recently, Trump has backed off the so-called “payroll tax holiday”, but one of his his top economic advisors just told The Hill¹ that it’s back:

We can still stop this--Republicans are trying to sneak this through over the weekend, before Americans can make their voices heard. Call both of your Senators today at 202-224-3121, and tell them:

Any undermining of Social Security’s dedicated funding through a so-called “payroll tax holiday” is unacceptable. As your constituent, we call on you to oppose any package that undermines our Social Security system!

There are much better ways to deliver the same relief to employers, (more on those here.) The only reason to deliver it this way is in the hope of undermining Social Security, since opponents have been thwarted in their direct attacks.

Senate Democrats, in contrast to their Republican counterparts, are fighting to expand Social Security’s modest benefits. We need to ensure that seniors and people with disabilities, who are among the most vulnerable to the coronavirus, have the financial means to weather this crisis.

Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR), with the support of Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), are proposing to send an additional $200 a month to all Social Security beneficiaries, as well people receiving SSI and veterans pensions.²

Social Security Works is fighting to protect our Social Security system every day--even on the weekends--through this crisis. In these unprecedented times, we’re only going to win if we can stick together. Please, chip in $X today to help us protect and expand Social Security!

Thanks,

Michael Phelan
Social Security Works