Your AARP
DEFENDING SOCIAL SECURITY
AARP ramps up campaign to protect your retirement income
Few issues matter more to older Americans than the safety of Social Security, AARP surveys show. Although the program is in no immediate danger, the red warning light is blinking, telling us we need to act to protect a vital source of income for many. A recent Social Security trustees’ report showed that the trust funds supporting payouts to beneficiaries are not taking in as much as the money flowing out, meaning the coffers will be empty in little more than a decade if Congress doesn’t take action.
To draw attention to this issue, AARP state offices are hosting a series of events that explore creative solutions for funding Social Security for generations to come. “We want to help our members become activists and make the change they want to see in Social Security,” says Lisa Lamkins, AARP campaigns’ regional adviser.
Nine forums, modeled after a bipartisan symposium at our national headquarters in Washington, are being held across the U.S. They will bring together experts with a range of perspectives to talk about how Social Security could be funded.
Each AARP state office will bring something unique to the event held on its turf. Ohio will host a “birthday bash” in August to commemorate the day (Aug. 14, 1935) that Social Security was signed into law, with presentations by an expert panel, trivia games, ice cream and—you guessed it—birthday cake. Chicago ran an event in May that mapped out the ways that different solutions would affect different communities and minority groups within the city. Other events include an ice cream social in Utah and a dinner bringing together AARP members from Minnesota and North Dakota. The goal is for attendees to learn about the challenges Social Security faces and to generate conversation on ways Congress could protect and strengthen the program.
That’s not all AARP is doing to fight for Social Security.
▶︎ As part of a voter engagement campaign, AARP volunteers and staff ask candidates for president and Congress an important question about the future of Social Security: “Do you see a path for Congress to work on a bipartisan solution to protect Social Security for those who have earned it?”
▶︎ AARP commissioned a bipartisan polling team to field surveys in 11 of the most competitive states in the presidential and Senate races to demonstrate the power of voters 50-plus and the importance of Social Security as an issue in the election. Poll results will be used to highlight those points to candidates for office.
▶︎ This year, AARP fought a proposal to create a debt commission that would have the power to fast-track cuts to Social Security to reduce the national debt. AARP won the fight to stop Congress from including it in this year’s budget. A survey of Americans 50-plus found that 86 percent oppose this kind of proposal. So we are contacting nearly 700,000 people by phone or email to ask them to tell Congress to reject the proposal.
▶︎ We are mobilizing hundreds of thousands of activists to urge Congress to provide funding so the Social Security Administration can improve customer service, which is a big problem: Calls go unanswered, older people can’t get the information or services they need, and an average of 10,000 people a year die waiting for a decision on their disability claims. To find out more about protecting Social Security, go to aarp.org/protectSocialSecurity.
“Americans work hard to earn Social Security,” says John Hishta, AARP senior vice president of campaigns. “That’s why AARP is mobilizing Americans to urge Congress to find a bipartisan solution that will protect Social Security for generations to come.”