Fiscal Commissions Are not the Answer for Strengthening Social Security

Soon-to-be retired Senator Dick Durbin’s (D-IL) new PROMISE Act is the latest in a wave of proposals to establish a ‘fiscal commission’ to address Social Security’s looming financial shortfall, instead of allowing Congress to do its job and devise its own proposals. Durbin’s bill would authorize the four-person Social Security Advisory Board to draft a 50‑year solvency bill that would be fast‑tracked through Congress by the end of the current legislative session.  While it differs from earlier commission proposals, Durbin’s legislation still relies on an outside body to formulate changes to a program that 70 million Americans rely on for basic financial security. On the latest episode of our Capital Quick Takes video series, communications director Walter Gottlieb interviews our President and CEO Max Richtman about Durbin’s bill and other efforts to create fiscal commissions for Social Security.
2026-07-24T11:01:59-04:00July 23rd, 2026|Categories: fiscal commission, seniors, Social Security|

Social Security Celebrates 89 Years of Keeping Seniors Financially Secure

Social Security turns 89 years old today. That’s nearly nine decades of providing baseline financial security to America’s retirees and their families --- and since 1956, to people with disabilities.  Today, 67 million people --- or 1 in 5 U.S. residents --- receive Social Security benefits. And in all these years, Social Security has never missed a payment. Not once.
2024-08-14T11:39:48-04:00August 14th, 2024|Categories: seniors, Social Security|

Nikki Haley’s Call for Mental Competency Tests Proves that Ageism is Alive and Well

Upon kicking off her presidential campaign this week, Nikki Haley said politicians 75 years of age or older should be subject to mental competency tests. It was a cheap political shot at President Biden and her rival in the primaries, Donald Trump. But it was more than that. Haley’s statement is blatantly ageist. Of course, of all the -isms (racism, sexism, able-ism, classism, etc.), the targeting of older people remains one of the most socially acceptable – probably leading Haley to believe that her jab at senior politicians was safe. That doesn’t make it any less offensive.
2023-02-17T13:36:01-04:00February 17th, 2023|Categories: ageism, Bernie Sanders, Election 2024, seniors|

Ageism is Alive and Well

Despite their enormous contributions to our country, seniors are continually devalued as members of society. When someone calls another person “old,” it’s understood as an insult, not a sign of respect. “In our society, older people too often are considered to be absent and invisible,” says our senior policy expert, Anne Montgomery.
2023-02-22T11:29:18-04:00February 9th, 2023|Categories: ageism, seniors|
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