Democrats unite to expand Social Security

BY NANCY ALTMAN AND ALEX LAWSON, OPINION CONTRIBUTORS — 09/13/18 11:30 AM EDT

Excerpts:

The formation of the Expand Social Security Caucus is the perfect response to Trump’s lies. By making it clear that the Democratic Party is united around expanding, not cutting, Social Security’s modest benefits, it exposes the utter absurdity of Trump’s claims.

The Expand Social Security Caucus highlights the stark contrast between the parties, and makes it clear that Social Security is on the ballot this November. If Republicans retain control of both Houses of Congress, they will be emboldened to push hard in 2019 for the Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid cuts in their budget. And that will be only the beginning. Their ultimate goal is to utterly destroy all three programs in service of their anti-government ideology.

If Democrats take control of the House, the exact opposite will happen. Rep. Larson, who will become chair of the Social Security Subcommittee of the Ways and Means Committee, will hold hearings on expanding Social Security, followed by committee and floor votes. Republicans, including Donald Trump, will face a choice between going along with the expansion legislation or opposing the will of the overwhelming majority of the American people.

Once the goal of the newly formed Expand Social Security Caucus is realized and benefits are increased, Social Security will once again recede from the headlines. But this time, it will be for the right reason: Not because of a disgraceful circus of corruption in the White House, but because Social Security once again provides not only cash benefits but the intangible benefit of security, peace of mind.

http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/politics/406492-democrats-unite-to-expand-social-security