Rubén Hinojosa: “I want to say how glad I am that today we have an opportunity to vote to repeal the earnings test for Social Security…”

“I want to say how glad I am that today we have an opportunity to vote to repeal the earnings test for Social Security beneficiaries between the ages of 65 and 69. This action is long overdue. The earnings limit originated in the 1930s when the Social Security program was started during the Depression, and it remains despite the vast changes in the economy and the lives of senior citizens that have taken place over the last 60 years. It makes no sense to penalize seniors for participating in the workplace, especially at a time when businesses cannot find enough qualified workers to fill jobs that remain vacant. People remain healthy and vigorous longer than they did in the 1930s. So it makes perfect sense to repeal this obsolete and punitive limit. By passing this bill, seniors who need or want to work can now do so without the fear of being punished by an outdated law. I am glad that today we, both sides of the aisle, can all be on the same page and finally take this action. Let us vote ``yes'' to pass H.R. 5.”