Bill Archer: “Mr. Speaker, today is an exciting day for me personally, and it is a great day for the hundreds of thousands of working…”

“Mr. Speaker, today is an exciting day for me personally, and it is a great day for the hundreds of thousands of working seniors across this country. It is the culmination of my personal 29-year effort to repeal the earnings penalty. I launched this effort as one of the first bills that I introduced after being sworn in in 1971. The reason then to repeal the earnings penalty is the same as it is today: the earnings penalty is simply wrong. The Social Security earnings penalty, like the marriage tax penalty, like the death tax, like the capital gains tax, like the tax on savings, like the alternative minimum tax and so many other taxes, is simply unfair and wrong. It is unfair; it is backwards. The earnings penalty actually cuts Social Security benefits for many working seniors over the age of 65, and it discourages them from working. Now, why in the world would we want to discourage any American, whether they are 17 or 67, from working? Today this Congress will once again do the right thing and repeal the earnings penalty for those hard-working and deserving Americans.”