Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I rise to defend Social Security. We've heard Social Security derided by certain extreme politicians lately claiming it can't survive, that it's unsustainable and that the beneficiaries who earned their retirement benefits need to face the hard truths. Well, here are some really hard truths about Social Security: The average retirement benefit is merely $14,000 a year; The median income of senior households is only $25,000 a year; One in three seniors depend on Social Security for 90 percent or more of their income. The fact is that Social Security is a critical program for seniors across our country. It is a lifeline to half of all seniors who make under $25,000 a year. This is a chart that shows the various income levels. Half of the people of our country who are seniors receive less than $25,000 a year on the program. It is even more important to the 25 percent of seniors who earn less than $15,000 a year. And for the nearly 4 million seniors who earn less than $10,000 a year, it is the difference between scraping by or having nothing at all. According to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, Social Security keeps 20 million Americans out of poverty. It is especially important for women. Women over the age of 80 are most likely to be living at or below the poverty level. Nearly a quarter of women in that age group are officially destitute. Pay attention to them.…”