1 Legislative Hearing on the Social Security 2100 Act ________________________________________ HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED SIXTEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION ________________________ July 25, 2019 __________________ Serial No. 116-31 _________________ 2 COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS RICHARD E. NEAL, Massachusetts, Chairman JOHN LEWIS, Georgia KEVIN BRADY, Texas, Ranking Member LLOYD DOGGETT, Texas DEVIN NUNES, California MIKE THOMPSON, California VERN BUCHANAN, Florida JOHN B. LARSON, Connecticut ADRIAN SMITH, Nebraska EARL BLUMENAUER, Oregon KENNY MARCHANT, Texas RON KIND, Wisconsin TOM REED, New York BILL PASCRELL, JR., New Jersey MIKE KELLY, Pennsylvania JOSEPH CROWLEY, New York GEORGE HOLDING, North Carolina DANNY K. DAVIS, Illinois JASON SMITH, Missouri LINDA SÁNCHEZ, California TOM RICE, South Carolina BRIAN HIGGINS, New York DAVID SCHWEIKERT, Arizona TERRI A. SEWELL, Alabama JACKIE WALORSKI, Indiana SUZAN DELBENE, Washington DARIN LAHOOD, Illinois JUDY CHU, California BRAD R. WENSTRUP, Ohio GWEN MOORE, Wisconsin JODEY ARRINGTON, Texas DAN KILDEE, Michigan DREW FERGUSON, Georgia BRENDAN BOYLE, Pennsylvania RON ESTES, Kansas DON BEYER, Virginia DWIGHT EVANS, Pennsylvania BRAD SCHNEIDER, Illinois TOM SUOZZI, New York JIMMY PANETTA, California STEPHANIE MURPHY, Florida JIMMY GOMEZ, California STEVEN HORSFORD, Nevada BRANDON CASEY, Staff Director GARY ANDRES, Minority Staff Director 3 Legislative Hearing on the Social Security 2100 Act U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Ways and Means, Washington, D.C _________________________ WITNESSES Stephen C. Goss Chief Actuary Social Security Administration Nancy J. Altman President Social Security Works Kelly Brozyna Member Job Creators Network’s National Women’s Coalition Shaun Castle Deputy Executive Director Paralyzed Veterans of America Abigail Zapote Executive Director Latinos for a Secure Retirement 4 ADVISORY FROM THE COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: (202) 225-3625 July 18, 2019 No. FC-16 Chairman Neal Announces a Legislative Hearing on the Social Security 2100 Act House Ways and Means Chairman Richard E. Neal announced today that the Committee will hold a hearing entitled “The Social Security 2100 Act” on Thursday, July 25, 2019 at 10:00 AM in room 1100 Longworth House Office Building. In view of the limited time available to hear witnesses, oral testimony at this hearing will be from invited witnesses only. However, any individual or organization not scheduled for an oral appearance may submit a written statement for consideration by the Committee and for inclusion in the printed record of the hearing. DETAILS FOR SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN COMMENTS: Please Note: Any person(s) and/or organization(s) wishing to submit written comments for the hearing record must follow the appropriate link on the hearing page of the Committee website 5 and complete the informational forms. From the Committee homepage, http://waysandmeans.house.gov, select “Hearings.” Select the hearing for which you would like to make a submission, and click on the link entitled, “Click here to provide a submission for the record.” Once you have followed the online instructions, submit all requested information. ATTACH your submission as a Word document, in compliance with the formatting requirements listed below, by the close of business on Thursday, August 8, 2019. For questions, or if you encounter technical problems, please call (202) 225-3625. FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS: The Committee relies on electronic submissions for printing the official hearing record. As always, submissions will be included in the record according to the discretion of the Committee. The Committee will not alter the content of your submission, but reserves the right to format it according to guidelines. Any submission provided to the Committee by a witness, any materials submitted for the printed record, and any written comments in response to a request for written comments must conform to the guidelines listed below. Any submission not in compliance with these guidelines will not be printed, but will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee. All submissions and supplementary materials must be submitted in a single document via email, provided in Word format and must not exceed a total of 10 pages. Witnesses and submitters are advised that the Committee relies on electronic submissions for printing the official hearing record. All submissions must include a list of all clients, persons and/or organizations on whose behalf the witness appears. The name, company, address, telephone, and fax numbers of each witness must be included in the body of the email. Please exclude any personal identifiable information in the attached submission. Failure to follow the formatting requirements may result in the exclusion of a submission. All submissions for the record are final. ACCOMMODATIONS: The Committee seeks to make its facilities and events accessible to persons with disabilities. If you require accommodations, please call (202) 225-3625 or request via email to [email protected] in advance of the event (four business days’ notice is requested). Questions regarding accommodation needs in general (including availability of Committee materials in alternative formats) may be directed to the Committee as noted above. Note: All Committee advisories and news releases are available at http://www.waysandmeans.house.gov/ ### 6 THE SOCIAL SECURITY 2100 ACT Thursday, July 25, 2019 House of Representatives, Committee on Ways and Means, Washington, D.C. The Committee met, pursuant to call, at 10:05 a.m., in Room 1100, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Richard E. Neal [chairman of the committee] presiding. 7 Chairman Neal. The committee will come to order. Good morning and thank you to our witnesses and guests for joining us today at our hearing on Social Security 2100 Act. Retirement income is often referred to as a three-legged stool: Social Security, employer-sponsored pensions, and personal savings. I am very pleased that the Ways and Means Committee has been hard at work this year to ensure that Americans can retire with security and dignity. In May, the House passed the SECURE Act, 417 to 3, which helps middle-class families save for retirement and makes it easier for small businesses to offer retirement plans to their workers. I would remind all that that was bipartisan. And just yesterday, the House passed the Butch Lewis Act to address the multiemployer pension crisis facing millions of Americans. That was bipartisan. Today, we turn to the very foundation of our retirement system, Social Security. For 64 million Americans who receive benefits, Social Security is more than just a check in the mail, it is rock solid security. It allows them to retire with dignity after a lifetime of hard work. Americans know they have contributed throughout their working years and can count on the benefits they have earned. People often think of Social Security as retirement, but it is much more than that. It provides essential disability and life insurance to young Americans, and it insures both workers and their families. Almost 3 million children are receiving benefits because their parent has died or become severely disabled or retired. And let me tell you from my own personal experience, I know what kinds of unforeseen challenges Social Security was designed to help. Social Security benefits are modest, averaging under $17,000 a year for retirees, 8 meaning half the Social Security benefits in America live on less than a $17,000 derived/earned benefit. They are the primary source of dollars for many, if not most, beneficiaries. For 6 out of every 10 seniors, Social Security provides, again, the majority of their income. And for almost one in three seniors, Social Security provides all or nearly all of their income. Social Security is likely to be even more important for the retirement of millennials and future generations who are increasingly squeezed by stagnating wages, disappearing pensions, and so many other financial pressures. And few of today's workers have savings to survive on if they experience a life-changing disability. It is fitting to note that tomorrow is the 29th anniversary of the Americans with Disability Act. I was an original cosponsor of that legislation and enthusiastically voted for it. It is important to recognize Social Security's role in supporting economic security in communities for living with people who are helping out with their disabilities. For all its strengths, Social Security also faces some challenges. It is fully funded for the near term, but faces a modest shortfall over the long term. Congress must act before 2035 to prevent benefit cuts and ensure that all workers get the full benefits they are counting on. Congress has never allowed these kinds of cuts to occur, and it certainly is not going to happen on my watch. In addition, many seniors struggle to make ends meet even with Social Security, and millions of today's hardworking families face a very uncertain retirement. We need to think about enhancing benefits to make them more adequate. The bill we are discussing today, Social Security 2100 Act, takes on these challenges and more and meets them. I want to commend my colleague John Larson and the Social Security Subcommittee for the particular skill that they have shown, at least in putting out a conversation piece about the future of Social Security and the need 9 to consider its expansion. People who have worked very hard and contributed all of their lives should retire to a strong Social Security system that pays them reliable and adequate benefits. We stand with the American public. They are very clear. Americans do not want cuts to Social Security. Social Security works, and the American family knows it. I often hear from constituents who wonder if Social Security will be there for them when they need it. I am sure my colleagues on both sides of the aisle hear this question as well.