John,

Social Security is a critical lifeline for tens of millions of people, keeping more than 16 million seniors above the poverty line each year.¹ Before Social Security, roughly half of older people lived in poverty. Today that number has shrunk to 10%―still too high, but far better than 90 years ago.²

Any cuts to Social Security will not be felt equally. Due to decades of racial discrimination in employment practices and tax policies that reward wealth, Black and Indigenous workers, and other people of color, not only make less money than white people, but are less likely to have savings―and jobs that provide access to pensions, Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) and 401(k)’s―thus making it more likely that Social Security will be their sole source of income when they retire.³

To address Social Security’s long-term fiscal shortfall, conservatives in Congress and on Wall Street want to cut Social Security’s modest benefits. They think the solution to future cuts is more cuts.

But we know that when the wealthy pay their fair share, we can afford to expand Social Security―increasing benefits while extending the lifespan of the trust fund.

This week, millionaires stopped paying into Social Security because once someone earns their first $168,600 in a calendar year, they stop contributing to Social Security.

Add your name now and demand Congress scrap the payroll tax cap and make millionaires and billionaires pay into Social Security, just like most working people already do.

Together, we’re fighting for a future that leaves no one behind―and that means making the wealthy pay their fair share!

Meredith Dodson
Senior Director of Public Policy, Coalition on Human Needs

¹ Social Security Lifts More People Above the Poverty Line Than Any Other Program
² Social Security’s Past, Present and Future
³ Social Security and People of Color

-- DEBORAH'S EMAIL --

John,

Each year, Social Security lifts tens of millions of people above the poverty line―the majority of whom are older Americans.¹ And, despite its popularity among voters across the political spectrum, conservatives in Congress continue their relentless attacks.

They want us to believe that the only way to “save” Social Security is through cuts. But the truly responsible solution to Social Security’s long-term funding shortfall is not cuts, it’s making the wealthy pay their fair share.

Today is “Millionaire’s Day”―the day that anyone earning $1 million or more in a calendar year stops paying into Social Security. This is because after you earn your first $168,600, you stop contributing to Social Security. However, if millionaires and billionaires paid into Social Security all year long, just like 94% of workers do, we’d be able to increase benefits for millions of Americans and extend the lifespan of the trust fund.²

Sign now to tell Congress to scrap the payroll tax cap and make millionaires and billionaires pay their fair share into Social Security.

If nothing is done, starting in 2034, Social Security will only be able to pay roughly 80% of benefits owed.³ But the solution to cuts isn’t cuts!

One of the reasons Social Security is forecasting a shortfall is because the gap between the richest 1% and the rest of us continues to grow. If millionaires and billionaires paid into Social Security on virtually all of their income, just like working people do, we’d be able to bolster Social Security’s finances for 75 years and beyond.

In the Senate, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have introduced the Social Security Expansion Act, which would require the wealthy to pay into Social Security on their income over $250,000. This bill would allow us to increase Social Security benefits by $200 per month per beneficiary, and extend the lifespan of the trust fund into the next century.⁴

But, instead of defending Social Security for current and future generations, conservatives in Congress are attempting to ram through a “fiscal commission” to make cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP, and more behind closed doors. We’re fighting back!

Add your name and demand Congress scrap the cap and make millionaires and billionaires pay their fair share into Social Security!

Together, we’re fighting for a future that includes all of us, not just the wealthy few.

Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, Coalition on Human Needs

¹ Social Security Lifts More People Above the Poverty Line Than Any Other Program
² Workers pay Social Security taxes all year long, but the super-rich don’t
³ Social Security Board of Trustees: Projection for Combined Trust Funds One Year Sooner than Last Year
⁴ NEWS: Amid Republican Threats to Social Security, Sanders, Warren, Schakowsky, Hoyle, and Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Increase Benefits and Extend Solvency Through 2096