Elijah Cummings: “recently, leaders of the National Council of Women's Organizations came to Washington. Foremost on their agenda was the…”

“recently, leaders of the National Council of Women's Organizations came to Washington. Foremost on their agenda was the impact of Social Security reform proposals on women. These women said ``Don't forget about us.'' Our nation's social security system has had a successful tradition of providing ``assistance'' to our seniors and disabled. However, changes in our society's economic and social conditions warrant structural revisions. Although there is no immediate danger to the system, the threat of insolvency has moved us to take action to preserve Social Security for the ``baby boom'' generation. As such, this debate is not about whether reform is necessary, but what structural revisions would best suit our seniors. Mr. Speaker, I submit to you today that as we evaluate these revisions, I will not forget that Social Security benefits are essential to the women of America. I will not forget that without Social Security, more than 50% of all women over age 65 would be living in poverty today. I will not forget that during their most employable years, women earn only about 74% of what men are paid. And, I will not forget that women are less likely to work full-time and more likely to spend time outside the paid labor force while raising children. As a result, only 26% of women over age 65 received a pension of annuity payment in 1995.”