WE MUST SAVE OUR SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM

Daily Action
Written By Barbara Isaacman

QUICK READ: Our Social Security system has paid benefits in full and on time for nearly a century—through wars, depressions and pandemics. Despite Trump’s numerous claims not to touch Social Security, he’s encouraging Musk and his DOGE goons to play Russian Roulette with our earned benefits. We cannot allow Musk to destroy this extremely popular program which is the bedrock of America’s social safety net. Instead, Congress must lift its payroll tax cap and require millionaires and billionaires to pay into the system just like everyone else.

CONTENTS:

BACKGROUND

Social Security, the bedrock of America’s social safety net, has never missed a payment and is one of our largest and most popular social programs. Its annual benefits, about $1.5 trillion, come from taxing employers and employees and go to 72.5 million seniors, people with disabilities, survivors, spouses, and children across the country, and its error rate of less than 1% is due mostly to error, not fraud.

To administer these benefits, the SSA employs almost 60,000 people and operates a network of 1,400+ offices.

Payroll taxes are capped at $176,100. While 94% pay them all year long, Musk and 228 others satisfy their annual contributions on January 1. If all income were taxed, the other 6% would contribute $388+ billion to the SSA trust fund, allowing for increased retiree benefits and the fund’s solvency for 75 years. 

The biggest threat to Social Security right now is the Trump Administration. Although continuing to promise not to touch Social Security, Trump’s cheered on Musk’s DOGE goons as they slash thousands of SSA jobs and shut down Social Security offices nationwide—only the first step towards partial or total privatization, which has been a GOP goal for decades.

These cuts are already forcing people to wait longer and travel greater distances just to receive the benefits they’ve earned on which they depend.

Instead of saving Social Security by making billionaires pay their fair share, Trump and Musk would rather break the sacred promise that every American should be able to retire with dignity.

Our MoCs cannot let this happen.

ACTION One: Call the Senate.

Script for Oregon Senators

SEN. MERKLEY: Portland office: 503-326-3386 | D.C. office: 202-224-3753

My name is [--] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].

The biggest threat to Social Security is the Trump Administration’s frontal assault—cheering on Musk’s DOGE goons as they defund the SSA, slash thousands of SSA jobs, shut down its offices nationwide, and take the first steps towards partial or total privatization. Thank you for co-sponsoring S.700 which will make Social Security self-supporting. I am also calling on you to publicize daily how you are working to prevent Social Security’s dismemberment and get Musk and DOGE out of our government—(1) through hearings at which Musk must testify and (2) by co-sponsoring and forcing votes on proposed legislation to keep SSA field offices open and to prevent DOGE from accessing sensitive Social Security Data.

SEN. WYDEN:

Portland office: 503-326-7525 | D.C. office: 202-224-5244

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].

The biggest threat to Social Security is the Trump Administration’s frontal assault—cheering on Musk’s DOGE goons as they defund the SSA, slash thousands of SSA jobs, shut down its offices nationwide, and take the first steps towards partial or total privatization. I am calling on you to publicize daily how you are working to prevent Social Security’s dismemberment and get Musk and DOGE out of our government—(1) through hearings at which Musk must testify and (2) by co-sponsoring and forcing votes on proposed legislation to keep SSA field offices open, to prevent DOGE from accessing sensitive Social Security Data, and to eliminate the payroll tax cap that protects billionaires and millionaires from paying their fair share.

Script for Republican Senators

D.C switchboard: 202-224-3121

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], [state], [zip code].

It is time for you to stand up for your constituents and take action to prevent Musk and DOGE from destroying Social Security which, through payments made by workers and their employees, allows every American to be able to retire with dignity. If you truly believed in saving Social Security, you would stop Musk and DOGE from interfering with Social Security benefits, get them out of our government, and vote for legislation requiring all Americans to pay the same percentage of their income into the Social Security trust fund from which benefits are paid.

ACTION TWO: Call the House.

Script for Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01)

Oregon office: 503-469-6010 | DC office: 202-225-0855

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].

The biggest threat to Social Security is the Trump Administration’s frontal assault—cheering on Musk’s DOGE goons as they defund the SSA, slash thousands of SSA jobs, shut down its offices nationwide, and take the first steps towards partial or total privatization. I am calling on you to publicize daily how you are working to prevent Social Security’s dismemberment and get Musk and DOGE out of our government—(1) through hearings at which Musk must testify and (2) by co-sponsoring and forcing votes on proposed legislation to keep SSA field offices open, to prevent DOGE from accessing sensitive Social Security Data, and to eliminate the payroll tax cap that protects billionaires and millionaires from paying their fair share.

Script for Cliff Bentz (OR-02)

Medford office: 541-776-4646 | DC office: 202-225-6730

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].

It is time for you to stand up for your constituents and take action to prevent Musk and DOGE from destroying Social Security which, through payments made by workers and their employees, allows every American to be able to retire with dignity. If you truly believed in saving Social Security, you would stop Musk and DOGE from interfering with Social Security benefits, get them out of our government, and vote for legislation requiring all Americans to pay the same percentage of their income into the Social Security trust fund from which benefits are paid.

Script for Maxine Dexter (OR-03)

Oregon office: 503-231-2300 | DC office: 202-225-4811

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].

The biggest threat to Social Security is the Trump Administration’s frontal assault—cheering on Musk’s DOGE goons as they defund the SSA, slash thousands of SSA jobs, shut down its offices nationwide, and take the first steps towards partial or total privatization. I am calling on you to publicize daily how you are working to prevent Social Security’s dismemberment and get Musk and DOGE out of our government—(1) through hearings at which Musk must testify and (2) by co-sponsoring and forcing votes on proposed legislation to keep SSA field offices open, to prevent DOGE from accessing sensitive Social Security Data, and to eliminate the payroll tax cap that protects billionaires and millionaires from paying their fair share.

Script for Val Hoyle (OR-04)

Eugene office: 541-465-6732 | DC office: 202-225-6416

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].

The biggest threat to Social Security is the Trump Administration’s frontal assault—cheering on Musk’s DOGE goons as they defund the SSA, slash thousands of SSA jobs, shut down its offices nationwide, and take the first steps towards partial or total privatization. Thank you for co-sponsoring HR.1700 which will make Social Security self-supporting. I am also calling on you to publicize daily how you are working to prevent Social Security’s dismemberment and get Musk and DOGE out of our government—(1) through hearings at which Musk must testify and (2) by co-sponsoring and forcing votes on proposed legislation to keep SSA field offices open and to prevent DOGE from accessing sensitive Social Security Data.

SCRIPT FOR Janelle Bynum (OR-05)

DC office: 202-225-5711

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].

The biggest threat to Social Security is the Trump Administration’s frontal assault—cheering on Musk’s DOGE goons as they defund the SSA, slash thousands of SSA jobs, shut down its offices nationwide, and take the first steps towards partial or total privatization. I am calling on you to publicize daily how you are working to prevent Social Security’s dismemberment and get Musk and DOGE out of our government—(1) through hearings at which Musk must testify and (2) by co-sponsoring and forcing votes on proposed legislation to keep SSA field offices open, to prevent DOGE from accessing sensitive Social Security Data, and to eliminate the payroll tax cap that protects billionaires and millionaires from paying their fair share.

Script for Andrea Salinas (OR-06)

Salem office: 503-385-0906 | DC office: 202-225-5643

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].

The biggest threat to Social Security is the Trump Administration’s frontal assault—cheering on Musk’s DOGE goons as they defund the SSA, slash thousands of SSA jobs, shut down its offices nationwide, and take the first steps towards partial or total privatization. Thank you for co-sponsoring HR.1700 which will make Social Security self-supporting. I am also calling on you to publicize daily how you are working to prevent Social Security’s dismemberment and get Musk and DOGE out of our government—(1) through hearings at which Musk must testify and (2) by co-sponsoring and forcing votes on proposed legislation to keep SSA field offices open and to prevent DOGE from accessing sensitive Social Security Data.

FURTHER READING

Barbara Isaacman
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