Americans have paid into Social Security, now pay us what’s been earned!

The Social Security Administration is in crisis. More than 7,000 skilled employees have left the agency, leaving millions of Americans vulnerable to delays and disruptions. Every single day, over 10,000 seniors file for retirement, and millions of disabled workers and families depend on SSI and SSDI to survive. With this staffing crisis, wait times are exploding and the system is buckling under pressure. Social Security has been the bedrock of economic security for 90 years. It is not a handout. It is a promise—earned through a lifetime of work and contributions. That promise is now at risk unless Congress acts decisively to ensure the SSA is fully staffed and fully funded. I am also calling on you to demand that Commissioner Frank Bisignano reverse his reckless decision to eliminate paper checks for 700,000 people. For many seniors, rural Americans, and families without easy access to banks or the internet, paper checks are the only reliable option. Ending them in the middle of this staffing crisis is not modernization—it is cruelty. This is not abstract policy. It is personal. My family—and tens of millions of families just like mine—count on Social Security. My parents and grandparents paid in with the expectation that the system would be there when they needed it. Weakening the SSA, cutting benefits, or making access harder would betray that promise. For nearly a century, Social Security has been one of the most successful and efficient programs our nation has ever built—far more reliable than any private alternative. It has lifted seniors out of poverty, supported people with disabilities, and ensured widows and children were not left behind. That is a legacy worth protecting—and strengthening. As we mark Social Security’s 90th anniversary, Congress must choose: Will you defend and expand this cornerstone of American democracy, or will you allow neglect and political games to erode it? The American people are watching, and we are counting on you to stand with us.